OnePlus Nord N30 5G review

Introduction

The Nord N30 5G is the latest entry in the Nord N line but is far from an unfamiliar device. The Nord N30 5G is actually the US device name for the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite - an identical device meant for Europe and Asia that we've already reviewed. Digging a bit deeper, it is not hard to spot the similarities between the Nord N30 5G and the Realme 10 Pro.

It is no secret that parent company Oppo frequently reuses and trickles down some of its design, and this is exactly the case with the Nord N30 5G. As such, the phone misses out on some OnePlus-specific features, such as an alert slider, but does still get the full OxygenOS treatment.

OnePlus Nord N30 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 165.5x76.0x8.3mm, 195g; Glass front, plastic frame, plastic back.
• Display: 6.72" IPS LCD, 120Hz, 550 nits (typ), 680 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 391ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver); Adreno 619.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 13, OxygenOS 13.1.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.7, 1/1.67", 0.64µm, PDAF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1.0µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 50W wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.1, aptX HD; NFC; 3.5mm jack.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers.

Potential Nord N30 5G buyers also get to enjoy features like a large 108MP main camera - new for this generation, as well as fast wired charging on the large 5,000 mAh battery. However, unlike its Nord CE 3 Lite sibling, the US-bound Nord N30 5G gets 50W SUPERVOOC charging instead of 67W, perhaps due to a local certification requirements. Other than that, the two devices seem identical.

Unboxing

The Nord N30 5G comes in a simple two-piece box. It is quite sturdy and should protect the phone just fine. Plus, a solid cradle holds the phone in place on the inside of the box.

OnePlus is kind of stingy with the included accessories. Unlike the Nord CE 3 Lite, which has a transparent TPU case in its box, no such accessory is included with the Nord N30 5G. You just get a charger in the box, an accompanying USB Type-A to Type-C cable and some documentation and leaflets. The charger is rated for an output of 5V-11V@5A when connected to a 100-130V circuit or 5V-11V@6.1A when on a 200-240V circuit. That makes it overprovisioned for the needs of the phone.