OnePlus 2T 5G: Enough features to reel you into the brand's universe

OnePlus is pumping out many phones lately but if brands like Realme can do the same, why not OnePlus? There is nothing wrong with options, Samsung knows that well. The latest from OnePlus is the Nord 2T 5G, one of the more important launches from the brand because of pricing and what you are getting.

In a few days, former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei will launch Nothing Phone 1 with its transparent rear panel and a glyph interface. There is very little Pei can surprise us with in way of specs, though the marketing machinery continues to be in full swing. Ultimately, nobody can ignore the comparison between Nord 2T and Phone 1. It all boils down to what you are looking for. Clean interface? Able processor? Decent cameras? Enough battery life? Good display? Frankly, the Nord 2T is a mess-free device.

Also, two things to consider about Phone 1 — a design that works in Europe may not work in India and marketing ploys become dreary after a few days. Don’t get me wrong; Nothing is trying to break the mould and is trying to do something innovative but there are unanswered cosmic questions being thrown into the void by the likes of Kathleen Kelly.

There is natural lighting and colour with an assist from Sony’s DOL-HDR technology

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A fancy label like flagship mid-range can be pinned to the phone but everyone’s trying to poke around in this name game. It’s simply a value-for-money phone; there are no big flaws, not much to grumble about. It’s a very fast device or at least gives you that feel, thanks to a RAM expansion mode. Don’t think of this as a replacement for having more RAM but it does give the device a certain degree of nimbleness.

All that people care about is whether a phone can handle all the necessary apps. It’s not about 8K video recording or about fancy design. Yes, I do care about phones a lot and use a flagship device all the time but OnePlus is not making phones only for people stuck in the Twitter tech bubble, scratching one another’s back with likes and retweets.Good low-light photographyOut of the box, it’s one of the best OnePlus phones I have used in a long time.

Colours are not oversaturated

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There is Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and the back, though that’s not something new. From the front, there is very little to tell this phone apart from the original Nord 2 with both having slightly chunky chin. Does it matter? No. What matters is the screen size, which I think is perfect at 6.43 inches.

The black-and-white filter does a good job

The Telegraph

It’s a darn good 90Hz FHD+ AMOLED display that shines even under a blazing sun; we tried it out under the glorious sunshine Udaipur has to offer. My favourite feature is the camera set-up. I will not compare it with the iPhone SE because of Apple’s excellent tuning of the camera system and not everyone is looking for an iPhone. I am talking to the crowd that’s after affordable Android phones.

The 50MP main camera is as impressive as the 8MP ultra-wide snapper. You get the tried-and-tested Sony IMX766 sensor on the main camera, plus OIS, which adds to the experience factor. But it’s night photography that proves the camera chops of the device. It uses AI to get the colour science just right at night, without any lag. Even when there is not enough light to see the surroundings, the camera can do magic.

OnePlus 2T 5G goes big on night photography

The Telegraph

Kudos to the Dimensity 1300 processor that makes AI shine as well as HDR videos. Plus, there is a good monochrome filter that’s worth your time. Ensuring night photography doesn’t falter there is assistance from Sony’s DOL-HDR technology. What does it mean? Great night photogrpahy.

Since we mentioned Dimensity 1300, it has a proven track record be it in way of power management, sustained performance as well as enough power to keep enough apps open in the background. There are two more things worth a mention — 4K videos at 30fps look good and the X-linear motor helps with haptic feedback.You get an 80W SuperVooc charger in the box, which allows you to zip from zero to 100 on the 4,500mAh battery in 30-odd minutes.

And the software is clean as a whistle. Before you ask, the alert slider is there on this phone. That brings me to a quibble or two — why is OnePlus playing around with the alert slider on its different models. Second, security upgrade.

Samsung offers four years of Android upgrade with five years of security upgrade with the Galaxy A53. Here you get two years of Android upgrade with a third year of security upgrade. Overall, welcome back to the clean experience OnePlus is known for. There are enough features on the OnePlus 2T 5G to reel you into the brand’s universe.