OnePlus Nord N30 5G Review: Achieving a Balance Between Performance and Value

The Realme 11 Pro+ 5G is a remarkable debut in the mid-range smartphone market, combining high-end features with strong performance. There is no doubt that the OnePlus Nord N30 5G is a good 5G smartphone. It has a competent 108MP camera with lossless 3x digital zoom, excellent stereo speakers, an impressive battery life, and useful applications. The headphone connector, microSD expansion, and provided 50W brick are all excellent additions. While the N30 5G remains a wonderful value, it isn’t a huge increase from last year’s N20 5G.

If anything, the design is less attractive and vibrant than before, the IPS screen is a step back (despite the faster 120Hz refresh rate), and the absence of an ultrawide camera is unfortunate. If you don’t mind the constraints, the N30 5G will be available unlocked for $299 from OnePlus, Amazon, and Best Buy beginning today (June 15), while T-Mobile will offer it for $264 or free with a new line. That’s a reasonable price for a quality 5G handset.

ONEPLUS NORD N30 KEY FEATURES

The Nord N30 5G is the most recent addition to the Nord N line, although it is far from an unfamiliar smartphone. The Nord N30 5G is the US designation for the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, an identical smartphone designed for Europe and Asia that we have already examined. When you dig deeper, it’s easy to see the similarities between the Nord N30 5G and the Realme 10 Pro.

It is no secret that parent firm Oppo routinely reuses and repurposes design elements, and the Nord N30 5G is no exception. As a result, the phone lacks several OnePlus-specific features, such as an alert slider, but retains the full OxygenOS experience.

Potential Nord N30 5G purchasers will also benefit from features such as a huge 108MP main camera (new for this iteration) and quick wired charging on the enormous 5,000 mAh battery. However, unlike its Nord CE 3 Lite sister, the US-bound Nord N30 5G receives 50W SUPERVOOC charging rather than 67W, possibly due to local certification limitations. Aside from that, the two smartphones appear similar.

ONEPLUS NORD N30 UNBOXING

The Nord N30 5G is packaged in a simple two-piece packaging. It’s fairly strong and should provide adequate protection for your phone. In addition, a sturdy cradle on the inside of the box keeps the phone secure.

OnePlus is somewhat stingy with its supplied accessories. Unlike the Nord CE 3 Lite, which ships with a transparent TPU case, the Nord N30 5G does not come with one. The packaging includes only a charger, a USB Type-A to Type-C connection, and some literature and pamphlets. The charger has an output rating of 5V-11V@5A when connected to a 100-130V circuit and [email protected] when connected to a 200-240V circuit. That means it is overprovisioned for the phone’s needs.

CAMERA

While the Nord N30’s camera system isn’t as bad as the N20’s from last year, it’s still not the finest in its class. The 3x lossless zoom is useful for some shots, but overall image quality is inconsistent at best. On more than one occasion, I had to take additional photographs to get a clear image.

The primary 108MP shooter’s first inclination is to blow out shots. To achieve the greatest results, practice using manual white balance to retain depth in photos. With some effort, you can capture high-quality photographs with the N30 but don’t expect point-and-shoot images to be sharp every time.

Portrait mode is enabled with a 2MP depth sensor on the rear camera, and edge recognition is acceptable in excellent illumination. The 16MP selfie camera produces clear selfie images but suffers from clean edge recognition in portrait mode.

Night photography is about what you’d expect from a phone in this price bracket, aside from the Pixel 6a. Because the sensor cannot capture enough light, images become fuzzy and distorted.

If you are a videographer, the Nord N30 is not the phone for you. It can only produce 1080p at 30 frames per second, and while the electronic picture stabilization is adequate, it cannot compensate for the overall poor video quality. Even at 1080p, the footage is gloomy and lacks the crispness that one would anticipate.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The OnePlus Nord N30 5G has many design features with last year’s svelte N20 5G, including iPhone-like flat edges and twin round camera pods. Unfortunately, with its glossy, fingerprint-friendly faux-glass back and forgettable Chromatic Gray color, the N30 5G does neither appear nor feel as premium as its predecessor. It is not a bad design by any means, but it may be a step backward.

Things could’ve gone differently. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, the N30 5G’s European counterpart, also comes in an eye-catching Pastel Lime coloring. But unfortunately, in North America, we can’t have good things, therefore we only get boring colors. That’s a shame, considering the N20 5G’s sleek design was what set it out from the sea of mediocre Moto Gs last year.

At the very least, the two enormous lens rings, which hold three shooters (108MP main, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth), as well as the ornate LED flash, add excitement to the N30 5G’s rear panel. In the front, the display is larger (6.72 vs. 6.43-inch) and smoother (120Hz vs. 60Hz), but last year’s stunning AMOLED panel gives place to an IPS screen with a top center punch hole for the 16MP selfie camera and a gigantic chin below.

The button and connectivity configuration is classic OnePlus. The power/lock key (which also functions as a capacitive fingerprint sensor) is on the right, with a speaker, USB Type-C connector, primary microphone, and headphone jack at the bottom edge. The volume button and combo nano-SIM / microSD slot are located on the left side, with a secondary microphone on top. The N30 5G is also dust and splash resistant, with an IP54 rating.

The OnePlus Nord N30 5G has a rather average 6.72-inch FHD+ IPS display (2400 x 1080 pixels, 391ppi), a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It provides beautiful colors, strong contrast, and decent viewing angles, although maximum brightness may be improved, especially in direct sunlight. Overall, this display performs well, and we have no major problems except for the enormous chin.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

The Nord N30’s saving grace is its Snapdragon 695 processor. If it seems familiar, it’s because the 695 was also utilized in the Nord N20 from last year. While I don’t like the concept of OnePlus using last year’s chipset, the performance speaks for itself.

Daily duties are readily handled, and it can power a 120Hz display without dropping frames. OnePlus has improved performance with an additional 2GB of RAM. The additional memory allows the N30 to cache more programs while also addressing some of OxygenOS’s RAM management concerns.

Instagram scrolling is smooth, and Twitter operates with little hitch. Gaming on the Nord N30 is surprisingly good, with titles like Call of Duty Mobile capable of running at high settings. I kept Genshin Impact on low, but I’ve seen worse from devices costing considerably more than the N30. Pokemon Go took advantage of the 120Hz display to provide a Silcoon-like experience.

I do not question the Nord N30’s current performance, but I am concerned about its future performance. With the Snapdragon 695 already a year old, how much longer can it punch above its weight? For the time being, it’s not an issue, and the Nord N30 can handle nearly anything you’d expect from a $300 smartphone.

Buy it if...

• Thin, appealing design with a strong build quality.
• Headphone jack and microSD card expansion.
• Excellent battery life and rapid charging.
• Solid stereo speaker system.
• Overall, the photo quality is decent.

Don't buy it if…

• No OnePlus alert slider.
• LCD with poor color calibration and a low brightness.
• The display rarely uses its maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.
• Stutters and slows down performance on occasion.
• There’s no ultra-wide camera.
• There are no 4K video recordings.

FULL SPECIFICATION