There is still a lot left to learn about Mid-Range OnePlus Nord 5, but after the phone’s official announcement earlier this week we know at least it looks dramatic to OnePlus Nord 4.
Last year’s model was heavily marketed as being “the only Metal Unibody 5G smartphone on the market”-cracking OnePlus used North 4 “Aircraft-Grade Aluminum” that made it “slender, strong and less likely to blow up.” We agreed with this assessment in our OnePlus Nord 4 review, which described the phone’s metal frame as “a small touch that makes NORD 4 look clear and feel well protected from drops and knocks.”
Why has OnePlus decided to remove metal on the upcoming north 5? We asked the question to OnePlus’ Chief Marketing Officer for Europe, Celina Shi, in an exclusive interview, and although she was unable to share details about Nord 5’s new design, she shed light on why OnePlus has chosen to vouch this apparently important feature.
“Although I can’t reveal details of the OnePlus Nord 5 series materials yet, I can say it won’t be in a metal frame this year,” Shi explained. “Our design concept for all our devices is based on consumer insights. After a global study conducted throughout Europe, North America, India and China, we found that our target group is strongly emphasized practical in design.”
“They consistently prefer styles that are short, simple and elegant. In response to this in the OnePlus Nord series this year, we offer Nord-inspired design that reflects these values and resonates with our consumers globally.”
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Presumably, OnePlus refers to Scandinavian minimalism when it says “Nordic-Inspired Design” and from the first teaser image we’ve seen from the upcoming North 5, it’s definitely a more stripped back affair than the two-tone Nord 4 (especially the Mercurial Silver Model, which is also sports an eye that is an eye that is ribbed pattern on its back pane).
Nord 5’s colors are also likely to be inspired by Nordic geography; We already know that the phone is, for example, launched in a shadow called “Dry Ice”.
And if you are wondering if the “North” name itself has any bearing on OnePlus’ latest design philosophy, it is more of a happy coincidence. When OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei revealed exclusively for Techradar back in 2020, “North” refers to both “North” in the navigation sense and OnePlus “goes back to [its] true north ”as a fire.
But the absence of metal is not the only major design change coming to OnePlus Nord 5. With North 4 flipped OnePlus manuscript on former North models by equipping it with a horizontal camera array, but North 5 will again have a vertical camera layout.
“With every smartphone, there is always a negotiation between aesthetic design and what is physically possible within these parameters,” Shi explained in relation to the change. “As technological components develop, our design will also make the best -looking products that work optimally.”
“The camera module is vertical in the latest OnePlus Nord series as this layout optimizes the space within the device, allowing us to include a best in class chipset, battery and screen within.”
At the time of writing, we are only interested in one of these “best-in-class” specifications for the upcoming OnePlus Nord 5-it will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S Gen 3-chipset here hope we will hear more about this potential addition to our best OnePlus telephone guide soon.
