The COVID-19 pandemic was especially tough on smartphone sales, with new research finding the market declined 15% YoY. Unsurprisingly, Apple and Samsung managed to maintain their steady dominance, boosted by major releases at the end of last year. But new data suggests it wasn't just those two juggernauts that survived 2020: OnePlus’ expanding Nord line also performed well.

Wave7 Research (via PC Mag) claims growing momentum could see OnePlus sell more than 2 million Nord phones this year at Metro by T-Mobile. Metro allegedly sells around 15 million devices per year. If OnePlus does push upwards of 2 million Nord phones through the carrier, it would give the company a huge slice of the pie.

A major reason for the Nord line’s increasing popularity is its balance of specs and affordability. Metro offers the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100, which retail for $299 and $179, respectively.

“OnePlus is getting back to its fundamentals, offering good specs at an affordable price,” Wave7 told PC Mag.

OnePlus’ Nord line is also selling well at T-Mobile, according to Wave7. Meanwhile, the company’s affordable devices now have display space at Best Buy, which will help to further elevate visibility among customers.

Wave7’s data seems to line up with a recent report from CounterPoint Research, which called OnePlus a bright spot in a declining market.

“OnePlus continued to be a challenger brand in 2020 as it was able to grow its channel presence and overall size from a small base 163% YoY,” CounterPoint Research said.

OnePlus Nord 10 5G Forums ||| OnePlus Nord N100 Forums

2020 was incredibly busy for OnePlus. The company not only found its footing in the low to mid-range market, but it released a handful of high-end devices, too. The company also continued to roll out software updates and new features, making its devices that much more appealing.

Up next for the company could be the launch of the OnePlus 9 this spring, which reports claim could feature Hasselblad camera branding and a “lite” variant.