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When OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei launched the Nord series two years ago, he said he wanted to strip away superfluous smartphone features and "get back to basics."

The new OnePlus Nord N300 takes that mantra maybe a bit too far. It is a no-frills budget phone exclusive to T-Mobile in the U.S. that makes no attempt to appeal to anyone other than the super budget-conscious. From the lack of an alert slider to the not-exactly-fast UI, it doesn't feel too much like the OnePlus we know. But it's OK because this thing can be had for basically free if you sign up for a T-Mobile contract, and at this price, it's hard to nitpick too much.

About this review: OnePlus sent us the Nord N300 for review. It did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

OnePlus Nord N300
OnePlus Nord N300 5G

The OnePlus Nord N300 is a 5G-enabled budget phone that's exclusive to T-Mobile and Metro PCS in the US.

Brand
OnePlus
SoC
MediaTek Dimensity 810
Display
6.56-inch LCD
RAM
4GB
Storage
64GB
Battery
5,000 mAh
Ports
USB-C; 3.5mm
Operating System
OxygenOS based on Android 12
Front camera
16MP
Connectivity
5G, LTE, WiFi
Dimensions
163.8 x 75.1 x 8 mm
Weight
190g

Pros

Cons

Free if you commit to a two-year contract with T-Mobile or MetroPCS

Unsightly notch

Fast charger with charger included

No ultra-wide or zoom lens

Excellent battery life

Not the fastest performance

OnePlus Nord N300 5G: Pricing and availability

  • This phone is available exclusively in the U.S. through T-Mobile and MetroPCS
  • You can get it for free if you sign up for a two-year plan

The OnePlus Nord N300 is available now in the U.S. exclusively for T-Mobile and its subsidiary MetroPCS. The phone can be purchased outright with no strings attached for $228, but if you sign up for a two-year plan with T-Mobile or MetroPCS, you get the device for free.

Hardware and design: Check your expectations

  • Adequate display with 90Hz refresh rate, but the notch is an eyesore
  • Lightweight and easy to hold
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I'll be honest, when I first laid eyes on the OnePlus Nord N300, I thought the device looked really, really outdated. A waterdrop notch and sizable chin bezel in late 2022?

But then I remembered that I'm looking at the phone through the eyes of a spoiled reviewer who gets his hands on every flagship phone, and who had previously been covering the far more competitive phone scene in Asia before relocating back to the U.S.

Stateside, there are significantly fewer phone brands and options available, and most people get their phones via carrier subsidies. So when I consider that the Nord N300 is clearly aimed at those on a budget and that it can be had practically for free with a T-Mobile contract, I was able to adjust my expectations.

From that perspective, the OnePlus Nord N300 is ... fine? The 6.5-inch 720 x 1612 LCD panel is clearly not the sharpest panel around, but it still produces vibrant colors, and the 90Hz refresh rate is very welcome. The screen gets up to around 500 nits of brightness, which does look a bit dim under direct sunlight, but again, it's hard to gripe too hard at this price.

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Measuring 8mm in thickness and tipping the scales at 6.7 ounces (190g), the Nord N300 is easy to hold, particularly since the phone has a flat display and sides. Unlike the recent iPhones, which have a flat design that results in harsh angular corners, OnePlus cut down the corners slightly so they won't dig into the palm.

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The back side is plastic, but it has this grippy textured material that feels fine. The buttons are clicky and do not wobble, and the dual speakers produce an OK sound. There's also a headphone jack and SD card slot. You'll need the latter because the Nord 300 only comes with 64GB of storage. Powering the Nord N300 is the MediaTek 810 with 4GB of RAM. This combination is no powerhouse but the phone chugs along, even if it clearly takes a beat longer to launch apps. The Nord N300 also packs a large 5,000 mAh battery that can be fast-charged at 33W speeds using the included charger.

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Cameras: Does it even have 'three' cameras?

  • The Nord N300 has three cameras, but one lens is mostly useless
  • OnePlus' image processing software helps you take decent-looking photos

There are "three" cameras on the phone: two on the front and the selfie. I put quotation marks around the word three because one of the two lenses on the back is a useless 2MP depth sensor. Consider this phone to have two functional cameras instead. The main camera is a 48MP, f/1.8 shooter. The camera is pedestrian; there's no Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), and the image sensor is small.

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Thankfully, OnePlus' image processing software is quite good. In the samples below, you can see it handled dynamic range quite well, even in tough, high-contrast scenes.

It really shows how far mobile smartphone image processing has improved in recent years. Even four years ago, a flagship LG or Samsung phone would blow out the highlights in some of the shots below. Now, even a budget phone can find the right balance.

The main camera does exhibit a bit of shutter lag, and the lack of OIS means any video not shot on a tripod appears shaky. The selfie camera is fine too, but it doesn't handle harsh highlights as well as the main camera.

The lack of an ultra-wide or dedicated zoom lens does limit versatility, but the group this phone is aiming at likely wouldn't mind.

Software: Fine, but no longer special

  • Android 12 with OxygenOS on top
  • OxygenOS is nowhere near as one-hand friendly as before

There was quite a bit of backlash among phone fans and mobile writers when OnePlus admitted it was indeed part of Oppo in 2021. It wasn't so much the news that OnePlus was not an independent start-up that annoyed us. Most of us who follow smartphones already knew that. The facade was only really built for the western market anyway; in China and Asian regions like Singapore and Malaysia, OnePlus had always been marketed under the Oppo umbrella.

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Instead, what disappointed many was the news that OnePlus' beloved OxygenOS would be merged with Oppo's ColorOS. To be clear, ColorOS is not a bad Android skin. I quite like it, actually. But OxygenOS had long been considered the gold standard of Android skins, and many of us (including myself) considered it superior to even stock Android.

That's no more. The OxygenOS running here is in name only, and it really behaves like ColorOS. Again, this is fine, but some of the little touches that made OxygenOS a joy to use, such as its very one-hand friendly UI (apps in folders would open at bottom of the screen) are not here anymore. Instead, the version of OxygenOS here feels a bit generic.

But I don't think those who opt to get this phone from T-Mobile will notice, or even mind. The software behaves fine and gets the job done. But for us phone fans, this is just another UI.

Performance: Excellent battery life and fast charging

  • The Nord N300 uses a basic MediaTek Dimensity 810 processor with 4GB RAM
  • It can easily get 13-14 hours of battery on a single charge

As mentioned, the MediaTek Dimensity 810 with 4GB of RAM is hardly a powerhouse, but while the phone can't be called fast, it isn't slow either. If you're just using this phone for texting, Instagram, checking emails, and even casual gaming, you won't experience many issues. If you try to do anything more intensive, like editing a video on a device or playing a graphically intensive game like Genshin Impact, then yeah, the phone bogs down.

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Where the Nord N300 outperforms many phones is battery life and charging. The 5,000 mAh cell can easily finish a full 13, 14-hour day with 40-50% battery to spare, and the 33W charger that's included tops up the phone from 0 to 100 in about 70 minutes. Considering that you can pay $1,300 for a phone these days and not get a charger, or have charging speeds top out at 30W, the Nord N300 giving you a 33W charger is a major bonus.

OnePlus Nord N300: Should you get this phone?

oneplus-nord-n300-xda-55509288

You should get the OnePlus Nord N300 if:

  • You want a free phone that gets the basics done
  • You're fine with committing to a two-year contract with T-Mobile or MetroPCS

You should not get the OnePlus Nord N300 if:

  • You do not want to commit to a two-year contract
  • You do not mind paying a bit for a superior phone experience

Other than the fast charging and the surprisingly solid main camera, the OnePlus Nord N300 is a no-frills, slightly generic entry-level phone. If you are remotely a smartphone fan, you'll likely want something that looks a bit better (without the notch) or with a more versatile camera system.

OnePlus Nord N300 5G

But this phone isn't aimed at those people, obviously. The OnePlus Nord N300 is meant for people who wouldn't mind using a free phone offered by a carrier. And for the most casual of smartphone users, this phone is more than good enough.

If you are not getting the Nord N300 for free, if you plan on buying it outright from T-Mobile, I'd suggest you reconsider. I'd recommend spending that $230 on Amazon for an entry-level, unlocked Xiaomi phone (usually under the Poco branding). Yes, Xiaomi phones do not have an official warranty in the U.S., but Xiaomi's $200-ish phones are better than anyone else's $200-ish phones.

If you do want a phone that's officially supported in the U.S., and you also like OnePlus, then the OnePlus N20 is perhaps a better option. It costs only a bit more ($299 from T-Mobile), but it has a better OLED screen and a more versatile camera system. Plus, it doesn't have a notch.

OnePlus Nord N300
OnePlus Nord N300 5G

The OnePlus Nord N300 is a 5G-enabled budget phone that's exclusive to T-Mobile and Metro PCS in the US.