The OnePlus Nord N10 5G Is a Solid Smartphone With a Low Price – Yahoo Lifestyle

From Best Products

While the world has been buzzing about Samsung’s latest line of Galaxy-branded smartphones, there’s one smartphone that you’ve been sleeping on: the OnePlus Nord N10 5G.

Most other budget phones cut corners in the name of reaching an affordable price point, but there’s little to sacrifice with the N10 5G. The $300 device packs 5G connectivity, a large and fast-refreshing screen, long battery life, and rapid recharging.

Key Specs

• 6.49-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1,080 by 2,400 pixels; 406 ppi; 90 Hz refresh rate
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G chipset
• 6GB of RAM; 128GB of storage
• 64MP main camera; 16MP selfie camera
• 4,300 mAh battery with fast wired charging tech
• Stereo speakers, headphone jack
• Android 10

I’ve been using the OnePlus Nord N10 5G for a couple of weeks now and think you’d be hard-pressed to find a smartphone that’s better at its price point. The device has its share of faults (which we’ll get to shortly), but they’re forgivable, especially since most modern 5G phones are priced as steep as $1,000.

Here’s why the N10 5G is the best cheap Android phone to buy:

It Has a Big Display, But It’s Easy to Hold

Measuring in at 6 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and 0.35 inches thick, the device isn’t small by any means. It’s even taller than an iPhone 11 Pro Max and has a 6.49-inch display. However, the screen has a 20:9 aspect ratio that makes it much easier to grip one-handed. Coming from my iPhone 12 mini, the device seems larger, but it doesn’t feel cumbersome like other big screen devices I’ve previously tested.

A big screen makes the phone much easier to get work done with. I was able to edit Google Docs and respond to emails, and I definitely appreciated the extra pixels for watching videos in my downtime. Since the device has a 90 Hz refresh rate, scrolling is much smoother, too. Some diehard smartphone fans may scoff at the fact that it is equipped with an LCD screen rather than an AMOLED, but I assure you that most users wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

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Like the majority of budget phones, this one has a plastic backside. Its dark blue (or black) glossy design looks polished, and I found the phone easier to grip and less slippery than glass-backed phones, thanks to the phone’s rounded edges. However, I wish the rear panel were less susceptible to smudges and fingerprints. The device does feel a little cheap, but weighing in at almost 7 ounces, it has some heft to it, which I appreciate.

It Brings Back Fan-Favorite Features

If you’re still clutching your wired earbuds like I am, you’ll be happy to know that the OnePlus Nord N10 5G has a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack on board. It’s located on the bottom side of the phone next to its fast-charging USB-C port. So, if you like listening to music with your phone in your pocket, you’re able to do so. The device still has Bluetooth for wireless audio, and it features stereo speakers for playing music and videos out loud, as well.

The phone is configured with a MicroSD card slot for expanding its rather generous 128GB of storage. Even Samsung has done away with expandable storage, so I welcome the reintroduction to the memory card slot. More storage means more space for videos, apps, games, and your ever-growing content library.

There’s also a fingerprint sensor on the smartphone’s backside. I much prefer scanning my fingerprint rather than my face for unlocking my phone, especially in the era of mask-wearing.

It Delivers Excellent Battery Life

I was quite impressed with the battery endurance of OnePlus’ budget 5G smartphone. The smartphone packs a 4,300 mAh battery, which is 37% larger than Google’s Pixel 4a. You’ll easily get a day and a half of moderate use before needing to recharge it.

Although the N10 can’t be recharged wirelessly, I was happy to see that OnePlus included a 30-watt fast charger in the box, which is something that buyers don’t receive even with phones that cost three times as much. Using the included charger, I was able to juice the N10’s 5% battery to 60% in under a half-hour.

Some Minor Shortcomings

The Nord N10 5G is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 690 processor, which is not as powerful as the Google Pixel 4a’s Snapdragon 765 processor or the iPhone SE’s A13 chip. Fortunately, the Nord has 6GB of RAM, which helps make up the difference a little bit.

I’m the worst at closing Chrome tabs, but with this phone, I never noticed sluggish performance. If you plan to use your smartphone to edit video, I think you’d be better off spending more on the Pixel 4a for its more powerful processor, but I genuinely believe the 690 chip is more than capable for most users.

Despite the fact that the N10 5G has four rear cameras — a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP monochrome camera — I wasn’t ever wowed with their performance. That’s not to say that image quality was bad, it’s just that other smartphone cameras are better. Photographers will be happier with the Pixel 4a, which offers better low light performance. The 16MP selfie camera worked just fine, too.

Oddly enough, one of the things I disliked most about my time with the Nord N10 was its lack of a ringer switch. I didn’t realize how much I relied on this under-appreciated feature until it was gone. I also would have liked to have seen some level of water-resistance, but few phones this cheap are waterproof.

Wrap-Up

The Nord N10 5G is a shining example of why you don’t need to spend $1,000-plus on a smartphone. For significantly less, you get a capable smartphone packed with 128GB of storage space, a reliable battery, a headphone jack, a microSD card slot, a large display, and decent cameras.

Is the OnePlus Nord N10 5G the best smartphone? Certainly not, but it is the best budget Android phone and is well worth its $300 asking price. Sometimes the phone goes on sale for as little as $250, which is an absolute steal.

SHOP ONEPLUS NORD N10 5G

Read More:

These Cheap Smartphones Offer a Great User Experience for a Lot Less

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Find the Best Samsung Smartphone for Your Needs and Budget

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