OnePlus Nord SE apparently isn't a new cheap phone after all

OnePlus Nord
OnePlus Nord (Image credit: TechRadar)

Earlier in 2020 we heard rumors that a OnePlus Nord SE was on its way - this was expected to be a budget version of the OnePlus Nord using the same naming convention as the iPhone SE, Xiaomi Mi 9 SE and more. However, we might have been totally wrong.

According to information provided to PhoneArena, the OnePlus Nord SE is a special edition of the Nord created in collaboration with designer Joshua Vides. Apparently the phone will be the same as the original Nord except with custom wallpapers and a redesigned rear.

This information hasn't been confirmed by OnePlus just yet - the existence of a Nord SE hasn't been mentioned by the company at all - but now we're less confident that we'll see a budget version of the original device.

A disappointing change

While the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 launched a few months after the original Nord, some phone fans were hoping for a budget version of that original that stuck closer to its DNA.

According to this new leak, that mystical phone is not to be, at least not for now. However a Nord phone in 2021 could fill that void.

We may well see loads of OnePlus Nord phones in 2021 - it's a new line OnePlus launched in mid-2020, and we've already seen a few devices in the range, so if OnePlus keeps launching them at this speed there should be lots more on the way.

So while the Nord SE possibly isn't what many hoped for, maybe the OnePlus Nord 2 will be.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford joined TechRadar in early 2019 as a staff writer, and left the team as deputy phones editor in late 2022 to work for entertainment site (and TR sister-site) What To Watch. He continues to contribute on a freelance basis for several sections including phones, audio and fitness.

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