OnePlus started their brand as an affordable phone. The original OnePlus One had some stellar specs at a price that was half of what the flagship of the day would run you, and that launched one of the most iconic brands of the Android space for a decade.
We've all seen those prices climb and climb the last few years, though, which seemed to indicate OnePlus leaving the budget-friendly market behind, but they've come back around with the Nord line of phones. These aren't the flagship phones of 2014, but they're capable in their own way, and they won't cost you very much either.
We're taking the OnePlus Nord N300 5G for a spin today, checking out T-Mobile's exclusive OnePlus offering.
Modern design
I really like the way the N300 looks. OnePlus has opted for a very boxy design, with very flat edges and a very flat back (and minimal camera bump) to give it a modern design that does differentiate itself from other phones these days. The camera module is still placed in the top left like everyone else, but it's not a huge stovetop looking design that we're all probably a little tired of.
I wouldn't say it's premium, however. This phone doesn't feel like a flagship at all. It's priced at $228 so you really shouldn't expect it to, but I've handled cheaper phones that didn't compromise quite so much here. Honestly, if you powered it off, I think it could pass for a demo phone at a retail store. It's that kind of plastic.
It's a pretty standard phone as far as button placement and layout goes. The hybrid power button/fingerprint scanner sits on the right side, with the volume buttons and SIM tray on the left. No OnePlus volume slider here.
The bottom houses the USB-C charging port, speakers, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which we almost never see on OnePlus phones.
Dimensity performance
Instead of a budget Qualcomm processor, OnePlus went with the MediaTek Dimensity 810. Years ago MediaTek was not what you wanted in your smartphone, but now? Honestly, not so bad.
The Dimensity 810 isn't going to blow you away. It's still a CPU for $200 phones. But the N300 generally handled most things I threw at it, even if it struggled to push that 90Hz screen all the time. YouTube videos are fine, web browsing was solid, and it'll play most games, even if they're not at max settings.
But again, the 90Hz screen sometimes makes it more apparent when the CPU doesn't keep up. I'd still rather have it than a 60Hz display, but it takes some extra juice to push these high refresh rate screens, and the N300 feels like it only has about 80% of the horsepower that you need. Maybe it's just something that you want to look better on the spec sheet, but that budget might've been better spent on a higher resolution display, better CPU, or something else.
Okay screen, okay speakers
OnePlus has started to use some very high quality screens on their phones lately, so naturally that's what you'd expect out of the Nord N300 here. Well, it's not a bad display, but it certainly won't wow you, either.
Colors are good and it's bright enough for most situations, but you're stuck with just a 720p resolution. For a 6.5-inch phone, that's just not great, even at this price. A Moto G Stylus, as an example, costs about the same (pretty rarely over $249 on Amazon and frequently lower) but sports a larger screen that's also 1080p. It doesn't trade the 90Hz refresh rate, either.
The speakers are about what you'd expect here, too. Not great, but serviceable. The phone has a headphone jack anyway, so we can plug some old-school headphones in and avoid that problem entirely.
Good battery life
With a 5000mAh battery and only a 720p display, the OnePlus Nord N300 does pretty well keeping a charge going all day. You shouldn't struggle to make it through your schedule unless you're playing games, but even if you dip a little low you can take advantage of OnePlus's fast charging.
The N300 supports 33W charging, and OnePlus includes a 33W charger in the box. You can snag a full charge from 0% in about an hour and a half, which beats out most if not all of the budget phones that we ever get to test. OnePlus likes to brag about their fast charging capabilities, but it's well deserved.
Simple Android, but only one update
If you've used a modern OnePlus phone, you know what to expect out of the software. It's mostly basic Android with a few OnePlus apps and tweaks, like a custom clock widget, the shelf for holding other data and widgets, themed apps for your games, files, notes, and more, and tons of customization options.
Unfortunately, as a T-Mobile exclusive phone, there's no shortage of T-Mobile bloat. You'll get prompted to install a lot of carrier apps during the setup process, and some of them are mandatory. There are ads for games and promoted apps, apps for T-Mobile carrier features like call screening and account management, and a couple other magenta things in your app drawer. It's not the most intrusive we've seen, but it's a stark contrast from the usual OnePlus phones that ship without much bloat.
OnePlus has promised one major software update for their budget phones, and two years of security updates. That's obviously not going to match up with the bigger phones that get three or more years of updates, but at $228, it's hard to expect much else.
Camera quality
Cheaper phone cameras have gotten better, but it's definitely still a struggle point for these cost effective phones. The Nord N300 is no exception.
You can get good shots out of the phone, especially if you take care to catch good lighting first. The second camera on the phone is pretty much only a depth sensor, but even that struggles to turn out great portrait shots.
Low light performance is barely average. You won't be taking much nighttime photography with the N300, and even indoors with poor lighting is a situation you'll want to plan around.
Video is also pretty lackluster, with the phone only able to record 1080p at 30fps. Not really up to snuff in 2023.
Worth it?
Depending on what you're looking for, the Nord N300 might be a good option. It's locked to T-Mobile, so only a small subset of customers can pick one up, but it might be worth looking at equivalent phones in the same price range. I did really enjoy the Moto G Stylus, and it's almost always priced around the N300's $228 price tag.
You get a bigger, better screen, a stylus, and slightly better build quality. Cameras are close with a slight nod towards the OnePlus, though, so the N300 does still have a chance in head-to-head comparisons depending on what you're looking for.
But if you like OnePlus, you're already on T-Mobile, and you're trying to stick to a budget-friendly phone, it's a solid option worth checking out.
