OnePlus Nord is the brand's return to its 'True North'

OnePlus is going back to its affordable flagship roots with its upcoming launch of the OnePlus Nord. The company's co-founder, Carl Pei, revealed that Nord refers to the concept of "true north." He said in a tweet, "Some people have been asking what the Nord name means. It comes from the concept of true north. We each have this inner compass that guides us. This product line reminds us to always search for our true north, and we hope it will keep reminding you of yours."

With a promise of releasing this new phone for under US$500, it brings us back to the earlier days of the company when it produced "flagship killers" or handsets that packed in some more premium specs but at a fraction of the price. In recent years, though, the company's devices kept creeping up the price brackets, with its latest OnePlus 8 series being its most expensive devices to date.

The first smartphone coming out of this new Nord series will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, which Pei already confirmed. Other rumoured specs claim it'll have 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, 6.55-inch OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, 48-megapixel primary camera, 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a single selfie shooter. But there are contradicting reports about the camera specs. The OnePlus Nord is expected to launch in India on July 10.

The OnePlus Nord is coming to Europe and India first. While "a select number of users" in North America will get a chance to experience the new device through a highly limited beta program after launch." We're hoping to get an update on when it'll be available and how users can participate.

Why come back to the midrange now? Pei told TechRadar it believes the company is at a place technology-wise to offer a successful midrange handset. 

"We've been looking at the mid-range smartphone market for a while," Pei said. "It's just that we felt like the technology wasn't really there to be able to create a mid-range product that also lives up to our 'Never Settle' philosophy. But we're pretty confident that this time around the OnePlus Nord will do just that."

And while we don't have the official specs yet, Pei explains the concept behind this first Nord offering: "A great camera, a really fast, smooth and fluid experience, and a device made by somebody you trust to make a good phone. That's the entire concept behind the first product, the OnePlus Nord."

OnePlus is promoting the Nord line through a documentary series it recently debuted. It's also seen for the first time in this teaser video from the company.

Source: Android Authority + Revu