[2] Android Police has suggested that the OnePlus Nord is only launching in countries where cheap smartphones that can be bought outright are more popular than expensive ones that consumers can only afford via monthly payments and carrier subsidies.

[1] Although the OnePlus Nord does not have an official IP rating,[10] the co-founder Carl Pei in an interview with MKBHD stated that the phone could survive a 30 cm (one foot) drop in water for 30 seconds.

[24] At 18 August a documentary ("New Beginnings") about the OnePlus Nord realization came exclusive on Amazon Prime Video.

It is considered a premium flagship-like build with a polished chassis between the front, made of Gorilla Glass 5, aluminum buttons, and a gloss finish and iridescent back.

[29] The pressure caused cracks to appear near the volume and power button and the display to die in extreme situations.

[2] The OnePlus Nord does not sit flush because of a camera bump in the left corner, raising the phone a few millimeters from the surface.

[2] The OnePlus Nord has two choices of colours: Blue Marble and Gray Onyx.

[34][23][6] The phone has a 6.44-inch 90 Hz (refresh rate) 20:9 aspect ratio, Fluid AMOLED, 2400 × 1080 pixels resolution (Full HD+ 2.592 megapixels at 408 ppi), HDR10/HDR10+/HLG, Gorilla Glass 5, and 180 Hz touch response rate display with sRGB and DCI-P3 support.

[9][10] The display has an in-display fingerprint sensor on the bottom and hole-punch at the top for the dual front camera system.

[26] Some owners complained that the OnePlus Nord has tinting problems at low brightness.

[10] In daylight, the main rear camera image quality is good and similar to the OnePlus 8.

[26][45] Later, MKBHD stated that the portrait mode, even with the depth sensor covered up, works with similar quality.

[9] At retail, the OnePlus Nord includes a clear silicone case, a red USB-C cable, and a Warp Charge (30 W) charger.

)[10][50] The OnePlus Nord is powered by Android, a Linux-based, open-source mobile operating system developed by Google and introduced commercially in 2008.

[51][52] Among other features, the software allows users to maintain customized home screens, which can contain shortcuts to applications and widgets for displaying information.

[18] In India, the phone also gets special features, like app-by-app notification muting in profiles,[58] and an app for wallpaper sharing.

[37] Android Authority reported that the denoising processing ruined all pictures captured with the phone.

The update improved the depth effect, indoor picture quality, power efficiency when recording at 4K/60 fps, and the overall camera experience.

The update improved the pairing process of the OnePlus Buds, optimized a gesture to open the camera, and added 90 Hz support to Dailyhunt (India only), which is an Indian news app.

This update brings major changes to the interface (including dark mode) and even enables the Always On Display feature.

They discouraged purchase by those who want water resistance, get many notifications, and want a long-lasting phone that lasts two days without a charge.

[10] OnePlus Nord received positive reviews from Tom's Guide reviewer Richard Priday, citing its many cameras, 90 Hz display, great design for a mid-range phone, and excellent battery life.

They criticized the macro camera, the average performance, the lack of wireless charging, and the fact that OnePlus Nord won't be coming to the United States.

[36] The Verge reviewer Jon Porter recommended the phone to the vast majority of customers, with some minor caveats, like the mono, downward-firing, low bass, speaker, and the 90 Hz refresh rate screen not being fully utilized because of the not-quite-flagship processor.

[44] In India, Beebom recommended the phone to every customer except those who play resource-demanding games, citing its all-round specs, good display, design, and the main rear and front (both primary and ultrawide) cameras.