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Independent Testing Since 1978
The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is a mid-range smartphone that stands out in the test, especially with its long battery life. The 6.5-inch display shows attractive representations despite weaknesses in contrast and brightness. An additional selling point is 5G support, which is by no means standard in this device category. For a little over 300 euros, a little more could have been in it.
Benefits
- Considerable battery life
- 5G support
- Great pictures in good light
Disadvantages
- Mediocre performance
- No certified dust and water protection
OnePlus Nord N10 In The Test: Power For Long Streaming Sessions
More and more smartphone manufacturers are installing a 5G module, but it doesn’t run that smoothly in everyday life. On the one hand, it may be due to the fact that the network coverage of the new cellular standard is still manageable. On the other hand, 5G chips consume an enormous amount of electricity. It, therefore, makes sense to gear the cell phone’s battery management towards maximum efficiency.
Despite a comparatively average battery capacity of 4,300 mAh, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G achieves a remarkable 14:09 hours of online runtime. So it is definitely prepared for long days. It should only be noted that this value will drop significantly with continuous 5G use. The included quick-charging power supply recharges the battery in just over an hour. You get a full 62 percent after 30 minutes of charging. You have to do without Qi-Charging.
90 Hz Screen With Small Deficits
Display
With a screen diagonal of 6.5 inches, the Nord N10 is already one of the larger smartphones. The size of the phablet, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, isn’t missing much. The LCD panel has a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, which corresponds to a pixel density of 406 PPI – a great value for LC displays. Anyone who travels a lot on the web will be pleased with the above-average refresh rate of 90 Hz.
The maximum brightness is 426.8 cd / m², which is sufficient indoors and in poor ambient light. However, direct sunlight has a significant impact on the readability of the display content. The smartphone cannot fully display the DCI-P3 colour space and only achieves 83 per cent. With sRGB, it is 114 per cent. We rate the screen as “good” (2.0).
Not The Fastest Horse In The Stable
Inside the Nord, N10 is the Snapdragon 690 from Qualcomm, which clocks at 2,000 MHz. A smooth smartphone operation works without problems, even everyday tasks such as WhatsApp and YouTube handle the processor and 6 GB of RAM with ease. However, if it becomes more demanding, you have to be patient: A PDF only opens in the WLAN after a long 14 seconds.
The relevant benchmark tests confirm the only mediocre performance. PCMark only achieves just under 8,000 points; much cheaper smartphones achieve more. Gamers will also be disappointed: The graphics performance in GFX-Bench only manages 15 frames per second. As I said, it is easily sufficient for simple tasks, which is why we can assign a “good” (2,3) at this point.
Decent Photo Slipper
In the meantime, it almost seems to be a good thing to equip smartphones with as many camera lenses as possible. OnePlus has also opted for a quad-cam module. In addition to the main camera with 64 (gross) megapixels, there is an ultra-wide-angle as well as a macro and a monochrome lens. The measured 1,772 line pairs per image height in good lighting conditions represent great photos. In return, more darkness deprives the images of their quality, including high levels of noise. Our experts rate the image quality overall with a tight “good” (2.5).
If you want to record videos, you should also make sure there is enough light. Then pretty films with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels (at 30 fps) are created. The 15.9 megapixels of the front camera ensure clear conditions for selfies.
Equipment Suitable For Everyday Use Plus 5G
As the name suggests, the mobile phone supports the 5G standard – but only with a SIM card. If you would like to add a second cellular tariff (dual SIM), surfing is limited to 4G / LTE. The content that you download regardless of the connection is stored on the 128 GB flash memory. If that is not enough, you can upgrade the cell phone with an SD memory card.
Thanks to the NFC chip, the Nord N10 also supports mobile payments and other near-field promotions. Otherwise, the promising Bluetooth 5.1 is at the start. You can charge the phone via USB-C, data transfers flow at 2.0 speed. The 3.5 mm jack, which has almost been forgotten, is still used here. The cell phone can be unlocked biometrically using a fingerprint sensor and face recognition.
In addition to these practical features, we also see a few gaps: Among other things, there is no certification for dust and water protection, as well as the option to charge the cell phone wirelessly. That depresses the note a little.
