OnePlus confirms its upcoming cheaper phones will be called Nord

OnePlus has announced a new product line of cheaper phones called OnePlus Nord, with the goal of making the “premium OnePlus experience accessible to more users.”

“We are immensely proud of our flagship products and will continue to create more tech-leading flagships for our users. Now we are excited to share the OnePlus experience with even more users around the world through this new product line,” commented OnePlus CEO Pete Lau in the announcement.

OnePlus originally began by selling cheaper devices (the original OnePlus One started at just $299), but it’s become best known for its premium smartphones over the past few years (like the current OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro). Those models have attempted to challenge phones from more entrenched brands like Samsung or LG by offering comparable high-end features and designs at lower prices than most flagships. But even the cheapest OnePlus devices right now start at $699. The new Nord line will look to alleviate that issue by offering cheaper phones than the company’s current offerings.

OnePlus hasn’t offered too many details on what the first OnePlus Nord phone will look like, but it has said that it’ll launch in Europe and India. North American customers interested in the OnePlus Nord line will have a chance through “a highly limited beta program” set for after the main launch internationally.

Earlier leaks indicate that the first OnePlus Nord phone (which, at one point, was rumored to be called the OnePlus Z or the OnePlus 8 Lite) will feature a Snapdragon 765G processor, a 6.55-inch 90Hz OLED display, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. The phone is also expected to offer a 48-megapixel main camera as well as a 16-megapixel wide-angle lens.

OnePlus is expected to announce more details about the first OnePlus Nord phone at a July 10th launch event in India.

:story: The Verge