This smartphone is priced at $379, so don’t expect it to be a flagship killer. OnePlus, the company behind it, is focused on gaining market share rather than just making headlines. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t make good phones. The OnePlus N30, despite a few drawbacks, impressed me with its sturdy chassis, loud speakers, and long battery life. Compared to the N200 in 2021, this is the first low-cost OnePlus phone I’ve used, and it shows how far the company has come since the second generation of Nord phones. However, there are still a few annoying quirks that need to be addressed in order for it to truly offer the best value in the market.
Low-cost phones always come with compromises, and the Nord N30 5G is no exception. It’s essentially the western release of the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite from earlier this year. While it does have some excellent features like a MicroSD card slot, headphone jack, and fast charging, the camera is just a minor improvement from last year’s model. Despite that, for many people, the combination of modern components and affordability makes it a good choice for a long-lasting device.
As someone who regularly switches between flagship phones, I appreciate the subtle differences that set them apart. However, when I use a phone under $500, I tend to overlook these differences and simply focus on using the device. In 2023, most chips are more than capable of handling a phone’s operating system. The OnePlus N30, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695, can even support a 120Hz display, which provides a smooth and fluid navigation experience. The LCD display on this Nord model is average, and it took some adjustments in color temperature to find a natural-looking middle ground. One drawback is that the display is difficult to see when wearing polarized sunglasses.
The phone’s design features squared-off edges, giving it a rigid feel with minimal flex. While this makes the Nord N30 reliable, it lacks the premium touch of the matte back found on the OnePlus Nord N20. The glossy back is a magnet for dust and fingerprints, and it doesn’t match the matte rails that provide structural strength. However, the phone does have clicky buttons and a fast side-mounted fingerprint scanner. It compensates for the absence of the signature OnePlus alert slider, but it’s disappointing that OnePlus still hasn’t implemented a simple software solution for silencing the phone. It takes four interactions to mute the handset, which is inconvenient.
Another issue I encountered with the OnePlus Nord N30 is the vibration motor. It feels outdated and lacks the fine haptic feedback found in high-end phones. I ended up turning it off for everything except notifications. In an era where Android incorporates small vibrations for gestures and typing, good haptics enhance the overall user experience. Unfortunately, the Nord N30’s vibrations are loud and blunt, making the phone feel older than it actually is.
However, the battery life of the OnePlus Nord N30 is exceptional, and it comes with a 50-watt USB-C fast charger in the box. Charging and using the phone has never been a hassle, as I can easily go through a day or even a day and a half on a single charge. When the battery gets low, a quick 40-minute charge is enough to last me another 15 hours or more. OnePlus has always been known for its fast charging capabilities, and the Nord N30 is no exception.
The camera on the OnePlus Nord N30 is a mixed bag. It’s decent and I’ve managed to capture some fun shots with it, but it’s not the fastest and the colors can be inconsistent. The 108-megapixel sensor captures a lot of detail, but the camera software lags behind what you’d find on a flagship device. I’ve relied on the ‘AI Scene enhancement feature’ to improve the overall image quality. The phone does offer a 3x camera, although it’s not as sharp as the primary lens. I appreciate that this phone has a wide and telephoto lens combo, as opposed to the wide and ultrawide combo found on most lower-cost phones. Ideally, I believe a single camera lens with a lower-power chipset like this would have been sufficient and could have potentially improved the camera’s performance. OnePlus has made strides in camera quality with their higher-tier phones, but there’s still room for improvement in their implementation on their more affordable handsets.
Overall, the OnePlus Nord N30 is a solid phone with a few areas that could be improved. It would greatly benefit from better haptics and a more refined camera system. While it performs well as is, these additions would elevate it to the next level.
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Alex Smith is a writer and editor with over 10 years of experience. He has written extensively on a variety of topics, including technology, business, and personal finance. His work has been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, and he is also the author of two books. Alex is passionate about helping people learn and grow, and he believes that writing is a powerful tool for communication and understanding.
