In an age when style changes as irrationally as WhatsApp status, grey has managed to retain its place. If emerald green was yesterday, today can be baby blue and tomorrow could be a touch of bottle green but grey can always make a man look distinguished while give a she-means-business feel to her wardrobe.
The power of grey has found a place in OnePlus’s colour scheme of its popular Nord series — the Gray Ash Nord. It’s a shade that’s not gloomy or impractical. Of course, you must be wondering should your judgement to purchase a phone be decided by the hue of a phone. Instead of our usual look at a phone, let’s look at the colour aspect and what’s in the device.
Wrapped in grey
Grey or its shade is not new to OnePlus as a brand. The OnePlus 8T in Lunar Silver lends a fantastic touch to your wardrobe while the Onyx Black of OnePlus 8 Pro is for people in suits. The Gray Ash Nord is a touch different. In case the shade you are sporting is overpowering, the phone would help it tone things down. This is a shade that holds well when paired with dusky pinks, purples or blue and white. The finish given by the design team of OnePlus is nothing less than flagship standard. For a phone that’s doesn’t dangle a premium price, it certainly looks and feels like one.
Of course, a big dark-grey slab may be largely reflective of the English weather but this lighter shade of grey is a reminder that you may walk into a cafe to order an Americano and follow it up with a cappuccino dotted with cinnamon.
The finish is such that you wouldn’t have to hide this grey with a cover. Flaunt it. It looks fab. We stored it in the trouser pocket alongside a few knick-knacks but the phone had zero damages.
A well-balanced phone
Grey on the outside but all revved up inside. The OnePlus Nord is certainly in the top three of our favourite mid-segment phones. There’s just about enough power to keep all your wants satisfied. A very well-specced device, the company has made no compromises with the 6.4-inch fluid AMOLED screen. The best part about the OnePlus experience is the OxygenOS launcher. Without much bloatware to tackle, the user can dive into getting a flagship experience, which the company wants to promote. It’s Android with just the right amount of customisation.
Powering the device is Snapdragon 765G, which is not a compromise. The top-end Snapdragon 865 is costly and no way could have OnePlus bunged that in. It is more than enough to make all your work lag free and will surely see you through for a few years.
The camera too is decent. In daylight conditions, there is very little to fault. Although the Nord seems to have ported the primary camera from the OnePlus 8, night snaps are slightlyso-so on the new phone. With night mode on, things improve. And the macro lens wasn’t necessary. We would have liked the phone to have a dual shooter; that way the company could have focused its efforts better on the photo front.
In the battery department, the Nord offers enough juices to last more than a day, which involves movie and music streaming and some gaming. Agreed that the phone comes with a few concessions, like no IP rating for dust and water resistance (though that would increase the device price a bit) or the missing 3.5mm headphone jack (face it, all companies want us to buy wireless options!), but no mid-range phone can offer everything. You have to choose what you want from a device and then go about shopping for one. The Nord is a well-balanced phone. It’s a good bargain and more importantly, a step into the OnePlus world.
OnePlus Nord (Gray Ash) The Telegraph
Is it for you?
The clothes we wear tell a story about who we are. Why not your phone? The Gray Ash version of Nord from OnePlus fits in well with your wardrobe while taking care of all your smartphone needs. Grey highlights qualities like practical and maturity, much like the OnePlus brand, which is taking giant leaps every year.
At a glance
Device: OnePlus Nord (Gray Ash)
Display: 6.44-inches fluid AMOLED with 90Hz refresh rate
Processor: Snapdragon 765G
Camera: Rear — 48MP (sensor: Sony IMX586), 8MP ultra-wide, 5MP depth and 2MP macro. Front — 32 MP (sensor: IMX616) and 8MP ultra-wide
Storage (review device): 12GB+256GB
Price: Rs 29,999
