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OnePlus' Carl Pei explains why the Nord is more than a OnePlus X successor
June 08, 2025
TheOnePlus Nordis the first mid-range phone from the company since 2015’sOnePlus X, and a lot has changed since then. OnePlus flagships havegradually increased in price, multi-camera setups are commonplace, and5Gis now available in many countries.
Another thing that has changed is the firm’s approach to making mid-range phones. In aninterview withAndroid Authority, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei revealed how things are different this time around.
Read more:This is the OnePlus Nord: See the first look in new teaser video
Pei explained that the OnePlus X was influenced by theOnePlus Oneand OnePlus 2. More specifically, the OnePlus co-founder said the notoriousinvite systemresulted in the first two flagships gaining a tech enthusiast fanbase that wanted the latest specs.
The OnePlus executive explained:
Pei also pointed to hardware as a factor that’s changed, as they’re using a mid-range QualcommSnapdragon 765Gprocessor as opposed to anolder flagshipchip like the OnePlus X. The executive said they “didn’t feel like there was a good time in the market before this where a mid-range chipset delivered this type of experience until now.”
Do you think the OnePlus Nord is going to be a worthy successor to the OnePlus X?
It’s interesting but not surprising to see the firm foregoing last year’s flagship silicon then, but this is likely due to price considerations. Update commitments could also have been a factor when it comes to skipping older flagship power, as older chipsets aren’t supported as long as newer SoCs.
It’s also noteworthy that Pei says they weren’t happy with mid-range processors until now. Sure, mid-range phones generally lack the power of flagship handsets, but we’ve seen loads of cheaper phones that still offer good performance. Nevertheless, we’ve found inour own testingthat the Snapdragon 765G is a capable performer with a near-flagship feature set.
In any event, OnePlus is clearly hoping to attract a wider audience than just tech-savvy people. But will they be able to please both the average consumer and enthusiasts? You can read Pei’s comments on that tricky balancing act in the longer interview linked above.
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