The launch of the Nord N300 5G brings one more option to OnePlus‘ line of affordable smartphones, but how does it compare to the Nord N20 5G? There is no shortage of budget 5G smartphones for those who are looking to buy one. Alongside the Nord models, Samsung also has its Galaxy A series which includes the Galaxy A23 5G.
HMD Global’s Nokia G400 5G is another option to consider. Even carriers are not left out as T-Mobile’s REVVL 6 smartphone sells for just $169, making it one of the cheapest 5G smartphones on the market. And for those who want a phone with a stylus, there is the $258 TCL Stylus 5G which is also sold by T-Mobile.
The Nord N300 and Nord N20 are quite distinct in their appearance. The former has a V-shaped notch, a flat frame, and a camera island on the plastic back that houses two rear cameras. On the other hand, the Nord N20 5G has a punch hole in the top left corner of the screen, flat sides, and triple rear cameras. Both phones have a plastic frame and plastic back and do not have any protection against dust and water. This is to be expected considering they are both budget smartphones. The Nord N300 5G is available in Midnight Jade while the Nord N20 5G can be purchased in Blue Smoke.
The Nord N300 Has A Bigger Battery
One of the changes the Nord N300 brings is a bigger display. The screen is a 6.56-inch LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate and 720p (HD+) resolution. In contrast, the Nord N20 has a smaller 6.43-inch AMOLED display that refreshes at 60Hz and has 1080p (FHD+) resolution. Benchmark results show that the Dimensity 810 processor inside the Nord N300 has similar performance to the Snapdragon 695 chip inside the Nord N20. However, the Nord N300 pairs its chipset with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the Nord N20 has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Both phones have an SD card slot for storage expansion. With respect to cameras, there is a 48MP primary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor on the back of the Nord N300, whereas the Nord N20 has a 64MP main rear camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and another 2MP sensor for taking macro photos. Both phones have a 16MP front-facing camera.
OnePlus has put a fingerprint scanner on both phones, but while the Nord N300 has its sensor on the side, the Nord N20 has it under the display. They both have an audio jack which means buyers to connect wired headphones, but only the Nord N300 has stereo speakers. The Nord N300 also has Bluetooth 5.3 while the Nord N20 has Bluetooth 5.1. Both phones have dual-band Wi-Fi and NFC. The Nord N300 has a 5,000mAh battery which is larger than the 4,500mAh battery inside the Nord N20. Nevertheless, both phones support 33W fast charging and come bundled with a charger in the box. Despite launching way after the release of Android 12, the Nord N20 runs Android 11 out of the box and has not been upgraded yet. On the other hand, the Nord N300 5G runs Android 12 out of the box, but it is unclear if OnePlus will upgrade it to Android 13.
OnePlus has put a price tag of $228 on the Nord N300 5G, and it is exclusive to T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. The Nord N20 is more expensive at $282 if purchased from T-Mobile or Metro by T-Mobile, and jumps to $299 for the unlocked variant. That said, OnePlus often discounts the price to as low as $249. The question of which phone to buy depends on a user’s budget and needs. The AMOLED display, larger RAM and storage, and higher resolution camera of the Nord N20 are tempting, but it runs a much older version of Android. On the other hand, the cheaper OnePlus Nord N300 has a low-resolution display but packs a larger battery and runs a more recent version of Android.
