2023-07-09 10:10:00
The OnePlus Nord 3 5G was recently launched as a premium smartphone that delivers 28GB of RAM. This capacity exceeds what we find in many entry-level notebooks and this caught the attention of even Brazilian users.
The smartphone still has that well-known brand design, adopts a 6.74-inch display, Dimensity 9000 chipset and 5,000 mAh battery with 80W charging.
But, is 28 GB of RAM really necessary? Will they make a difference in everyday life? Well, that’s what we’re going to try to answer in this quick hands-on.
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design and accessories
The OnePlus Nord 3 is a beautiful device and its front draws attention for having almost symmetrical edges. An important detail of the OnePlus Nord 3 is that it comes out of the box with a film already applied under its screen. This additional factory protection is something that clumsy users like.
As a smartphone considered premium, the Nord 3 has metal sides construction, has stereo sound, IP54 certification and supports two physical SIM chips.
At the rear there is a camera module with two circles, the first having a sensor and the second having two lenses. In both cases, the sensors are skipped. The Nord 3 also has a USB-C port, but it’s not version 3.0.
Another aesthetic detail that is also present in this device is its iconic slider to activate the silent mode. You certainly already know that this is a hallmark of OnePlus in the Android universe.
Nord 3’s fingerprint reader is located under the display and it is very responsive, easily recognizing the user’s fingerprint. The positioning is also good and this will not bother those with bigger hands.
And by the way, holding the device won’t be a problem as it weighs around 193 grams. On the back we have a glossy finish, but curiously it doesn’t accumulate fingerprints.
OnePlus still delivers in the Nord 3 set the 80 Watt VOOC charger, a USB cable and the usual manuals.
screen and hardware
Featuring a 6.74-inch Fluid AMOLED screen that brings FHD+ resolution and support for 120 Hz refresh rate, the OnePlus Nord 3 also delivers brightness of up to 1450 nits.
In the field of performance, we have MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset here and it surprises by delivering agility in all tasks, whether in heavier applications or games from the Play Store.
The device has 256 GB of internal storage and has 16 GB of RAM. It even has 28 GB of RAM, but only 16 GB are physical. You can use another 12 GB in virtual mode and reach an impressive 28 GB.
In practice, activating the RAM boost to reach 28 GB will not make much difference in performance. This is because it is already able to keep a lot open in the background with a good response when reopening applications using only 16 GB. Still, the software will kill some processes.
It’s something that happens occasionally. Moving on to the connectivity part, we have dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC for contactless payments.
Finally, there is a 5,000 mAh battery that is more than enough for you to spend a whole day away from the socket. The Nord 3 also supports 80-watt fast charging.
OnePlus Nord 3
6.74-inch AMOLED screen with 1.5K resolution Punch-hole display and up to 120 Hz refresh rate Platform MediaTek Dimensity 9000 GPU ARM Mali-G710 MC10 8 GB or 16 GB RAM 256 GB or 512 GB internal storage Front camera 16 MP Three rear cameras: Main lens with 50 MP Sony IMX890 sensor Ultrawide lens with 8 MP Sony IMX355 sensor Macro lens with 2 MP sensor 5G connection, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC and USB-C fingerprints under screen Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos IP54 certification 5000mAh battery with 80W fast charging Android 13 with OxygenOS 13 Dimensions: 162.6 x 75.1 x 8.15 mm
Software
The OnePlus Nord 3 comes out of the box with Android 13 running under OnePlus’ proprietary interface. However, it must be said that OnePlus is not the same as before.
That’s because this interface is basically OPPO’s ColorOS with some tweaks to make it lighter and closer to standard western Android.
From a personalization point of view, this crossover between OPPO and OnePlus brought more interface tweaking options. That’s because we have icon packs, different widgets and support for themes. That is, everything that a Chinese interface usually offers its users.
In general terms, it is a well-resolved software that has a pleasant performance. Finally, OnePlus guarantees that the Nord 3 will receive three major Android updates and an extra year of security updates.
That is, it should go up to Android 16 and be updated by 2027. A good mark for a premium cell phone and something that shows that the Chinese is keeping an eye on the new market trend.
Cmeras
The OnePlus Nord 3 has a 50-megapixel main sensor, an 8-megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. For selfies, the device brings 16 megapixels inside the hole in the display.
Starting with this sensor, despite being a good selfie camera, it does not provide 4K recording here. You can only record at 1080p at 60 fps.
On the back, we actually have two cameras. As you already know, 2 megapixel macro sensors are almost cosmetic, since you usually have little focal length and low resolution, which makes the job of taking pictures a semi-impossible mission.
On the other hand, the 8 megapixel ultrawide camera is the opposite of that. It’s a good sensor and delivers good pictures in well-lit environments.
Finally, we arrive at the 50-megapixel main camera, with a Sony IMX890 sensor, which is basically the same as the one found on the OnePlus 11.
This sensor takes great pictures, with good color balance and without overdoing the post-processing. We have contrast within the expected range and details that can be easily noticed. That is, a good rear camera and HDR works very well here.
This can be said both for the way it compresses pixels, which is the default, and for the option that allows you to take pictures with 50 megapixels.
When recording videos, OnePlus Nord 3 supports 4K resolution at 60 fps with good audio capture and ok stabilization.
first impressions
The Nord 3 is indeed a good smartphone, its chipset surprises with its performance, the cameras are within the expected range for its category and there is a good display here.
As design is subjective, we will not debate this point here, but it is interesting to note that the fast charging of 80 watts is a positive thing.
However, the software has lost the essence of OnePlus and this may not please the most hardcore fans of the Chinese brand. As for the 28 GB of RAM, honestly, it doesn’t make much difference in the daily use of an average user.
The OnePlus Nord 3 5G was launched in Europe in a promotion that offers the version with 16 GB of RAM for 499 euros. That is, something around R$ 2,677 in direct conversion.
The price is right for everything this set offers and, honestly, if you want to import the device it’s better to get the most powerful version right away.
Even more so when we take into account that buying from certain Chinese retailers ends up being cheaper.
The OnePlus Nord 3 is not yet available in Brazilian stores. To be notified when it arrives.
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