OnePlus Nord 3
The OnePlus Nord 3 boasts a powerful processor, high refresh rate display, advanced camera system, and 5G connectivity for seamless performance.
Best price in South Africa: 10500 ZAR
Released: 2023, July 11
Specifications
OnePlus Nord 3 in South Africa
Pros and Cons
OnePlus Nord 3 in South Africa
Pros of the OnePlus Nord 3
Flagship-Level Performance: It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset (a former flagship processor), which provides excellent, fast performance for intensive gaming and heavy multitasking, especially paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM.
Premium AMOLED Display: It features a high-quality 6.74-inch Super Fluid AMOLED panel with a sharp 1.5K resolution (1240x2772) and a smooth 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, offering a vibrant and immersive viewing experience.
Flagship Main Camera with OIS: The main camera uses the 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor (the same sensor found in the flagship OnePlus 11) and includes Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), resulting in highly detailed photos and stable video, especially in low light.
Super-Fast 80W Charging: The phone includes the 80W SUPERVOOC charger in the box, which recharges the large 5,000 mAh battery from 1% to 100% in a very fast 32 minutes.
Alert Slider is Back: A highly requested feature, the physical Alert Slider returns on the side of the phone, allowing users to quickly switch between Ring, Vibrate, and Silent modes.
Cons of the OnePlus Nord 3
Subpar Secondary Cameras: The auxiliary cameras are mediocre; the 8MP ultrawide lens and especially the 2MP macro lens offer significantly lower quality and less detail compared to the excellent main camera.
Plastic Frame: While the phone has a premium glass back (Gorilla Glass 5) and front (Dragontrail Glass), the frame is made of plastic, which compromises the premium in-hand feel of the device.
No Wireless Charging: As is common in this segment, the Nord 3 lacks wireless charging support, a feature available on some competitors.
Heating/Throttling Issues: Some users have reported that the Dimensity 9000, when pushed to its limits during extended, intensive gaming sessions, can lead to the device getting significantly warm and performance throttling.
Lower IP Rating: The phone only carries an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance, which is adequate but lower than the full IP68 rating offered by some competing mid-range devices for better water immersion protection.
Features
OnePlus Nord 3 in South Africa
Network
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
Body
| Dimensions | 162 x 75.1 x 8.2 mm (6.38 x 2.96 x 0.32 in) |
| Weight | 193.5 g (6.84 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Dragontrail Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
Display
| Type | Fluid AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1450 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.74 inches, 109.2 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1240 x 2772 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~451 ppi density) |
| Protection | Dragontrail Glass |
Platform
| OS | Android 13, up to 3 major Android upgrades, OxygenOS 15 |
| Chipset | Mediatek Dimensity 9000 (4 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.05 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.85 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | Mali-G710 MC10 |
Memory
| Card slot | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm 2 MP (macro) |
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
Selfie camera
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.4, 24mm (wide), 1.0µm |
| Features | HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
Sound
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
Comms
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | Yes |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
Features
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
Battery
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh |
| Charging | 80W wired, 60% in 15 min, 100% in 32 min |
Misc
| Colors | Misty Green, Tempest Gray |
| Models | CPH2491, CPH2493 |
| SAR | 1.13 W/kg (head) 0.87 W/kg (body) |
Our Tests
| Performance | AnTuTu: 844865 (v9), 916086 (v10) GeekBench: 3136 (v5.5), 3296 (v6.0) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
| Display | 1114 nits max brightness (measured) |
| Camera | Photo / Video |
| Loudspeaker | -25.8 LUFS (Very good) |
| Battery (old) | Endurance rating 103h |