The OnePlus Nord is the next smartphone from OnePlus, coming in to resuscitate the brand's presence in the more affordable segments of the smartphone market in Europe and India. It has been five years since the launch of the OnePlus X, the company's first phone outside of the flagship space and the Nord is expected to come in and provide more options to consumers looking to buy a new smartphone. Now, OnePlus has officially announced that they will be launching the OnePlus Nord on July 21 through the world's first AR smartphone launch.

OnePlus Nord XDA Forums

Spicing up online launches is not entirely new to OnePlus, as we have seen the company hold a virtual, VR launch for the OnePlus 2 back in 2015. With the Nord, OnePlus will pivot to AR for the launch and provide users a different kind of hands-on experience with the device.

OnePlus Nord represents a new beginning for OnePlus, giving us an opportunity to share our technology with more people around the world. For this launch, we want everyone to sit back, relax, and experience our new phone for the first time right in the comfort of their living room. We feel that introducing this phone in a more personal and intimate way perfectly reflects our ambition to make the OnePlus experience more accessible to users.

To experience the launch, download the OnePlus Nord AR App from the Play Store or the App Store. Install and launch the app to grant it requisite permissions for the AR experience and to complete the avatar setup. On launch day, i.e. on July 21 at 10 AM EDT/7.30 PM IST, launch the app and follow the on-screen instructions to start the immersive AR experience.

OnePlus has also created a physical AR invitation that will give users a unique hands-on experience of the OnePlus Nord. OnePlus has not yet shared how to receive the physical invitation, but you would need to scan the QR code on the physical invitation to begin the AR hands-on experience. We reckon that the experience would open up to other users too, perhaps at a later date.

The OnePlus Nord has been confirmed to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC. The camera setup on the phone will have OIS. Further details have not yet been confirmed, but we expect more to be revealed in the coming days.