Editor's Note: The first wave of OnePlus Nord pre-orders has sold out. We've updated the story below with information on the next date when pre-orders will go live.
OnePlus is returning to its roots with the launch of its OnePlus Nord line, by focusing on crafting a well-rounded device at an accessible price. The first device in that series will be out soon, and, thanks to OnePlus co-founder, Pete Lau, we now know how cheap it'll be.
"Nord will be our first product below $500 in recent years," Lau said during the first part of a documentary series that OnePlus began posting to the Instagram page OnePlusLiteZThing on June 30. The first wave of pre-orders for this hot device has sold out, but you'll have another chance to buy one soon.
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100 pre-orders went live today (July 1) for the OnePlus Nord, and sold out almost instantly. The company noted that a new wave of pre-orders will open up on July 8 at 10 a.m. CEST/1 a.m. PT/4 a.m. ET. Yet another wave will begin on July 15 at the same time.
If you want the best chance at securing one, you can sign up for notifications on the official OnePlus Nord pre-order page. According to OnePlus, you can pre-order the phone with a £20 payment, which will also get you some exclusive merchandise. Once the phone comes out, you'll get an invitation code, as well as a £20 voucher to go towards your purchase.
While OnePlus hasn't revealed an exact price, we do know that the phone will cost $500, and will be the latest notable edition to a string of affordable flagship releases. Google set the stage last year, with the $399 Pixel 3a and $479 Pixel 3a XL. Apple has carried that torch with the second-generation iPhone SE for $399. And Samsung's Galaxy A series has put the Galaxy S' design and elaborate multi-lens imaging stacks within reach of more budget-minded shoppers.
With this upcoming Nord device, OnePlus will look to offer something different to the fray. Although OnePlus has acknowledged the Nord's existence, the firm hasn't spilled any details on the handset itself yet, and so all we have to go on in terms of design and specs are rumors.
Those rumors suggest the first OnePlus Nord product will be powered by a Snapdragon 765 chipset, offering 5G connectivity despite lacking some grunt compared to the flagship 865 chipset that's inside the $699 OnePlus 8 and $899 OnePlus 8 Pro. The exact number of camera lenses is still unclear, but you can expect several of them — perhaps on both the front and back. And the display is expected to measure 6.4 inches from corner-to-corner, though the jury is still out on whether the OnePlus 8's 90Hz refresh rate will make it to the cheaper device.
We'll likely learn all these details soon. OnePlus' first documentary episode ends with the line "Our journey continues July 7th." That means either the next episode may drop then, or perhaps the OnePlus Nord will be fully revealed on that date or even begin shipping. Mark your calendars, folks.
