OnePlus Nord N300 5G review: solid specs for less than $230

Price under consideration

$229.99

Best Prices Today: OnePlus Nord N300

The OnePlus Nord line has grown stronger since its introduction in 2020 with good mid-range phones like the Nord N20 5G, but now it continues to expand into low-end territory in the US with the Nord N300 5G.

With a MediaTek chipset, simple design and affordable price, is the N300 enough to convince you to buy it?

As you will see, I think this is a mixed bag.

Design and assembly

Like its Nord N20 sibling, the Nord N300 has a fairly thin profile that is relatively easy to hold in one hand. The light matte texture on the back of the phone also helps to hold it securely in one hand.

Despite weighing 190g on the phone’s scales, the Nord N300 doesn’t feel overly heavy and is fairly well balanced. This can also be attributed to the phone’s plastic bezel and plastic back, which are nice to the touch and don’t scream like a budget phone.

The phone is only available in the Midnight Jade color scheme, which is a fancy way of saying it’s black. It would be nice to see a second color option like the blue we’ve seen on OnePlus phones before.

There is a slight camera bulge on the back of the phone, which is barely noticeable, but because of this there is very little wobble when the phone is placed on a flat surface.

Sachin Bahal / Foundry

Screen and speakers

• 6.56 inch screen
• LCD display 90Hz
• HD+ resolution

The Nord N300 5G features a 6.56-inch HD+ LCD display. Luckily, OnePlus has opted to use a 90Hz refresh rate, which makes navigating the phone smoother.

The display itself looks good, but nothing special. Some colors and blacks don’t look as strong on the screen as they do on a phone with an AMOLED display.

As with other Nord models, the vibrations and haptics of the Nord N300 5G are not the best. They could be a lot stronger, but for the most part they get the job done.

The phone also has dual speakers, which sound good, but aren’t as full-bodied or rounded as on more expensive flagship Android phones.

Sachin Bahal / Foundry

Characteristics and performance

• Chip MediaTek Dimensity 810
• 4 GB RAM
• Up to 64 GB internal memory
• MicroSD card slot for storage expansion

At the heart of the Nord N300 5G is a MediaTek Dimensity 810 chip with an octa-core CPU and a Mali-G57 MU2 GPU. The phone has 4GB of RAM, which seems like the bare minimum for Android phones these days. With a slight delay, the N300 shows this.

Overall, the Dimensity 810 chip does the job most of the time, but there have been a few instances where it took a while to open an app, such as the Google Play Store.

The Nord N300 5G also marks the first OnePlus phone to launch in the US with a MediaTek chip inside. Previously, the company released phones based on MediaTek chips in India, and Nord 2T in Europe and the UK.

The Dimensity 810 chip not only supports 5G, but also supports Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 5.

Camera and video

• main sensor 48MP
• 2 megapixel depth sensor
• 16MP selfie camera

The Nord N300 5G features dual cameras on the back with a 48MP main lens and a 2MP depth lens.

The main lens was able to take some good photos. In most cases, these photos will suit anyone who is thinking about buying this phone.

Sachin Bahal / Foundry

This comes with a caveat, as the Nord N300 5G’s main cameras only work well in good lighting conditions where there’s a lot of light.

If you’re shooting in low light, you can take some decent photos, but nothing that blows your mind. Pictures can be grainy with lots of noise where detail is lacking.

The camera app has a dedicated night mode, but it can be a bit slow and it may take a few seconds to take a photo.

In terms of video, the Nord N300 5G can capture videos up to 1080p at 30fps. The quality of the recorded videos is good, although slightly desaturated.

There is a 16-megapixel selfie camera on the front, but it’s frankly bad. Even in good lighting conditions or during a day with lots of ambient light, selfies look very washed out.

Battery life and charging

• 5000 mAh
• Wired charging 33 W
• Adapter included

Battery life shouldn’t be an issue as the Nord N300 5G packs a massive 5000mAh battery that easily lasts all day.

If you need to recharge, the Nord N300 5G comes with a 33W SUPERVOOC fast charger included. It’s decent, but not as fast as many other more expensive Android phones.

Using the included charger, the Nord N300 5G scored around 26% in 15 minutes and around 50% after 30 minutes of charging. A full charge from 0% to 100% took about 90 minutes.

Sachin Bahal / Foundry

Software and Applications

• Android 12
• OxygenOS 12
• Promised only one OS update

In terms of software, the Nord N300 5G runs Android 12 with Oxygen 12 on top. In recent years, OxygenOS has visually changed and began to mimic Samsung’s OneUI in many ways.

In OxygenOS 12, the user interface (UI) is a bit similar to Samsung, but also has some of the features of Oppo’s ColorOS. This is no coincidence, as Oppo and OnePlus are owned by the same company, BBK Group, and share a common codebase for their software.

OxygenOS 12 brings a slightly updated design language with bolder text and new icons. There’s also a customizable dark mode that allows you to customize the shade of black or gray throughout the user interface.

Other features of OxygenOS 12 include an improved Zen mode that helps reduce the use of distracting apps, a similar Work Life Balance mode, and new always-on options for the lock screen.

In terms of software updates, the Nord N300 5G will only receive one software update (most likely to OxygenOS 13/Android 13). This software policy is much lower than other budget Android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy A series, which receive Android updates for at least three years.

OnePlus hasn’t announced when the OxygenOS 13/Android 13 update for the Nord N300 5G will be released, but it looks like it will happen sometime in 2023.

Sachin Bahal / Foundry

Price and availability

The OnePlus Nord N300 is only available in the US through US courier T-Mobile and its prepaid subsidiary Metro by T-Mobile.

The phone costs $229 when bought directly, or in some cases as little as $0 depending on T-Mobile deals.

With its price tag, the Nord N300 5G is less than $100 less than its sibling, the Nord N20 5G. There is also Moto G Power (2022) and Samsung A13 5G.

The phone is not available in the UK.

Verdict

Overall, the OnePlus Nord N300 5G is a decent budget phone for several reasons.

First, it doesn’t feel like a cheap phone, the build quality of the phone makes it more expensive.

Secondly, it has an excellent battery life that easily lasts a day or more and can be recharged fairly quickly.

The Nord N300 5G has a few drawbacks such as weak vibration motor and haptics, and only one future Android update, but overall there aren’t many better options in the US phone market at this price point.

Specifications

• Android 12 with OxygenOS 12
• 6.56″ HD+ LCD, 90Hz, 20:9,
• Side fingerprint sensor
• face unlock
• 6nm MediaTek MT6833P Dimension 810
• 4 RAM
• 64GB UFS 2.2 with microSD card slot
• 48MP, f/1.8, main camera with OIS
• 2MP, f/2.4 depth
• Front camera 16 MP, f/2.0.
• Dual speakers
• 5G
• WiFi 5
• Bluetooth 5.3
• USB-C port
• Headphone port
• battery 5000 mAh
• Fast charge 33W
• 163.8 x 75.1 x 8mm
• 190g
• Launch Colors: Midnight Jade