This coming Tuesday, the OnePlus Nord mid-ranger will be introduced. Today, the OnePlus Nord Instagram page listed a series of Google apps that will be offered on the device right out of the box instead of the manufacturer’s own apps. Previously, OnePlus would ship its handsets with its own Phone and SMS apps pre-installed. However, based on an Instagram video created by OnePlus it seems that the Nord will ship with the Google Dialer app and the Google Messages app.
Google apps will replace some of OnePlus’ default apps with the Nord
With the Google Message apps pre-loaded on the OnePlus Nord, users will be able to use Rich Communication Services (RCS) for messaging. Unlike regular SMS apps, RCS uses data networks to send texts instead of cellular networks. As a result, messages can be sent and received over Wi-Fi with each message containing as many as 8,000 characters instead of just 160. Larger video and imaging files can be sent and received and users will obtain a “read receipt” when a message they send has been read by the recipient. Google’s Duo video chat app will also be on the OnePlus Nord by default. Duo can now host chats with up to 32 people participating at the same time.
The OnePlus Nord’s unveiling is taking place this coming Tuesday, July 21st, at 10 am EDT (7 am PDT). To view the event in real-time on your mobile device, you will need to install the OnePlus Nord AR app from the App Store or the Google Play Store. As OnePlus says on the Nord’s Instagram page, “We thought we were the smoothest Android experience out there. But then Google gave us Duo, Phone, and Messages.” Besides being smoother than OnePlus’ own version of these apps, the Android Phone and Messages apps are deployed on several devices in India. Considering that this is one of the countries that the Nord will launch in first, it does make sense to give consumers there access to versions of apps that they have used before.
Based on rumored specs, the OnePlus Nord will sport a 6.44-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate delivering buttery smooth scrolling and enhanced video game animation. Powering the phone should be the Snapdragon 765G Mobile Platform which is equipped with an integrated 5G modem and will feature as much as 12GB of memory. On the back, there will be a 48MP primary camera driven by the Sony IMX586 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a Macro camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. The phone sports dual selfie snappers in the front. There is a 32MP wide camera and an ultra-wide camera with a 105-degree field of view.
Keeping the lights on the handset is a 4115mAh battery which replenishes the power quickly thanks to the 30W Warp charger that comes with the phone. While the OnePlus Nord will be available at first in India and in Europe, and wasn’t expected to make landfall in the U.S., it seems that the company’s plans have changed. After three different rounds of pre-orders have sold out, the head of European strategy for OnePlus, Tuomas Lampen, said that Europe and India will be a test to see how much demand there is for the Nord. And if enough demand for the model surfaces, the Nord could end up launching in the U.S. Considering that the device has seen pre-orders sell out three times already, it sure seems likely that the OnePlus Nord will be coming to America. If for some reason One Plus decides not to bring the model to the states this year, it did say that all subsequent versions of the Nord will be available in the U.S.