The video doesn’t really give away anything we don’t already know about the OnePlus Nord. Pei has confirmed that the budget handset will not be IP rated, as this would have driven up the cost of the device. The phone will still offer some degree of water protection though, but it has not been designed for extreme use cases. Pei explains that it’s not so much the components associated with waterproofing a phone that increases the cost, but other things such as machinery and manpower. 

He also talks about AMOLED panels being up to twice as expensive as LCD screens and how the cost of 90Hz displays has relatively decreased as more manufacturers are opting for a higher refresh rate. Per rumors, the OnePlus Nord will sport a 90Hz 6.44-inch OLED screen.

Pei also says that although it doesn’t cost a lot to add a headphone jack to a phone, it results in trade-offs such as increased dimensions and decreased battery capacity, which is perhaps why the Nord doesn’t have one. He also adds that the price of wireless earphones has gone down in recent times, so the missing audio port shouldn’t be much of an issue. 

OnePlus Nord might have looked a lot different

Speaking of the camera, OnePlus was previously thinking about an L-shaped setup for the rear cameras but then decided against it to ensure consistency with OnePlus 8’s design. The decision led to a one month delay in the launch of the smartphone. The vertically aligned camera apparently has four sensors including a 48MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle snapper, a 5MP depth unit, and a 2MP macro sensor.