The Nord lineup from OnePlus consists of its budget and mid-range phones that are extremely popular in the Asian and European markets. The company also offers a limited range of Nord smartphones in the US. Last year, it launched the Nord N200 as a low-end 5G option on T-Mobile's network. For 2022, OnePlus has announced the Nord N20 5G as its budget offering for the US and Canadian markets, free when you add a line or $282. Compared to the previous models, this year's phone sure seems to be a mid-range device rather than a budget one.

The phone features a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with an in-display fingerprint scanner, a Snapdragon 695 chip, 6GB RAM, and 128GB storage. There's a microSD card slot, too, so you can expand the storage by up to 512GB if needed. A 4,500mAh battery powers the device, coming with 33W fast charging support that's enough to top up the cell to 50% in just 30 minutes. The phone's rear houses a triple-camera setup consisting of a 64MP primary sensor, a 2MP macro, and a monochrome lens — there's no ultra-wide sensor here.

Chipset

Snapdragon 695

RAM

6GB

Storage

128GB

Display

6.43-inch 1080 x 2400 AMOLED

Battery

4500mAh

Cameras

64MP primary, 2MP macro, 2MP monochrome; 16MP selfie

Software

Android 11 (Oxygen OS 11)

Price

$282 bought outright, free when adding a line via bill credits.

Judging from the specs, it is clear that the Nord N20 is a sister variant of the Nord CE 2 Lite with some minor downgrades. The latter is due to launch in India later this month. The Nord N20 runs the Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 and not Android 12. There's no word on when an update to Android 12 will arrive, either. Previous Nord phones in the US received only one OS update, so it is possible Android 12 could be the first and last OS update for the N20.

The Nord N20 will be available on Metro and T-Mobile's networks starting April 28 in the US, available free when you add a line (via 24 months of bill credits) or it can be purchased outright for $282 or financed at $11.75 a month (over 24 months). Best Buy, Amazon, and other retailers will also eventually begin selling the phone in the US in the summer.