We've heard quite a bit about the upcoming mid-range OnePlus North phone, including details revealed by OnePlus, but we haven't seen the new Android phone... until now. Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee interviewed OnePlus co-founder and CEO Carl Pei, who unveiled the OnePlus North for all to see, and comes close to what rumors and leaks have suggested. The rear camera unit is indeed moved to the top left corner, though it's ovoid (like the OnePlus 8 line) and, yes, it appears to contain four cameras. It would do you a disservice not to watch the rest of the interview, in which Brownlee peppered Pei with insightful questions about phone economics, like how much it costs to add NFC ($4 per device), IP certification ($15 plus test machines ) and labor), and a 3.5mm headphone jack (cheap, but no longer an opportunity cost issue - how much headroom does it give you battery or other benefits? The video is a snapshot of the trade-offs in the smartphone design, especially when considering cost-cutting measures to keep mid-range phone prices down These are just the highlights of the chat, with the entire conversation uploaded as an episode of MKBHD's WVFRM podcast.
OnePlus Nord: AMOLED screen, 90 Hz refresh rate?
Pei didn't specify exactly what the OnePlus Nord's new features are, but said that despite AMOLED screens costing twice as much as identical LCD screens, he spoke of the higher production failure rate for curved screens seen in the flagships of the company of the OnePlus 7 Pro. Brownlee lobbied Pei for high refresh rate displays, which have graced the Pro versions of OnePlus flagships for the past year, with Pei noting that their unit prices have dropped now that more phones have them. . Since the North we saw in the video had a curved screen, we could deduce that it's AMOLED and has a 90Hz refresh rate. Especially considering his final comment: "We've spent a lot on the screen on this phone to ensure smooth scrolling." Pei said, probably referring to the north, "but we think it's worth it." This is backed up by the official OnePlus Nord Instagram, which has a story telling consumers expecting a 90Hz refresh rate on the phone. Since we've only seen higher refresh rates on OLED screens, we're pretty sure the North will offer an AMOLED display. He also confirmed that the North would not be IP certified (for cost reasons). There are a few other nuggets of interest in Pei's interview, including reveals of northern prototype models sporting a much less orthodox rear camera layout with three lenses in one corner. It was around the time when the phone was considered more experimental, but along the way, the team determined that consumer demand might be higher than expected, so they changed the design at the end of the game (it ended six months before the game). launch, instead of the usual nine). month). This delayed the liberation of the north by a month, Pei said. Oh, and one other thing that might have come to light: Pei has a highly visible glowing blue earpiece hidden during the interview. Could it be the real OnePlus wireless earphones that the company has just confirmed will launch alongside the North on July 21? hmm...