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

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Disappointing

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
Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.