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MagyarOnePlus Nord N100 smartphone review: 200-Euro phone with premium features?
OnePlus is actually known as a manufacturer of high-quality smartphones that can also compete with high-end devices but at upper mid-range prices. Last year, OnePlus also ventured into more affordable territory and introduced devices for those who have a smaller budget for their phone with the OnePlus Nord series.
The most affordable device so far is the OnePlus Nord N100, a device that we want to take a closer look at in this review: It comes with a large battery, stereo speakers, and a camera with two useful lenses on the back. However, OnePlus is no longer the only manufacturer offering good smartphones for little money, and the competition is especially fierce in the budget sector.
Possible contenders in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77.2 % | 01/2021 | OnePlus Nord N100 SD 460, Adreno 610 | 188 g | 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.52" | 1600x720 | |
| 79.7 % | 11/2020 | realme 7 Helio G95, Mali-G76 MP4 | 196.5 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.50" | 2400x1080 | |
| 81.8 % | 10/2020 | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC SD 732G, Adreno 618 | 215 g | 64 GB UFS 2.0 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 77.9 % | 10/2020 | Motorola Moto G9 Play SD 662, Adreno 610 | 200 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 76 % | 12/2020 | Nokia 3.4 SD 460, Adreno 610 | 180 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.39" | 1560x720 |
Case – Blue plastic
The OnePlus Nord N100 is average in size with a 6.52-inch screen diagonal size, but it's quite light with a weight of only 188 grams. Midnight Frost is a blue-gray shade and the only available color. The back is matte and shimmers slightly under incident light, which looks good.
Plastic is used as the case material, and the back yields quite noticeably under pressure. On the front, moderate pressure also gets through to the screen. The smartphone's rounded edges make it fit ergonomically in the hand. Material transitions are well finished.
Connectivity – OnePlus Nord N100 without NFC
64 GB of storage is not outstanding, but there's fast UFS 2.1 storage in return. The 4 GB RAM is also rather tight in view of the competition, but it should be sufficient for everyday use.
We find it difficult that there is no NFC in times of contactless payments. OnePlus doesn't actually use microSD cards for storage expansion in its smartphones, but the company apparently deviates from this corporate philosophy when it comes to their budget smartphones. Users who want to use a microSD card have to give up one of the two SIM slots, though.
There's no DRM L1 certification, meaning that streaming content from many providers can only be viewed in SD resolution.
Software – OxygenOS with less updates
OnePlus's in-house OxygenOS is based on Android, in this case on Android 10. The low-priced smartphones of the Nord series are not expected to receive software support for as long as we are used to from the manufacturer's more expensive devices: Android 11 is supposed to mark the end of the updates.
Fortunately, the smartphone is quite clean in terms of bloatware or third-party ad apps out of the box. The security patches are from December 2020 and, therefore, still fairly up to date at the time of testing.
Communication and GPS – Fast Wi-Fi 5
Wi-Fi 5 is usually the fastest standard in this price range. The OnePlus Nord N100 is definitely in the upper third among the comparison devices, but it can't keep up with the Xiaomi POCO X3. We determine the speeds in our standardized test with the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reference router.
The OnePlus Nord N100 comes with 14 LTE frequencies and a maximum LTE download rate of 400 Mb/s, which should be sufficient in many cases. However, the smartphone might not be able to connect to LTE networks if you travel to very exotic countries.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Average of class Smartphone (16.9 - 1368, n=70, last 2 years) | |
| realme 7 | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Average of class Smartphone (32.7 - 953, n=71, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
Outdoors, it doesn't take very long for the OnePlus Nord N100 to discover enough satellites to be able to determine its position. The positioning accuracy of three meters is at a high level.
Because of the wintry road conditions, we performed our practical test in the car as an exception. Our test device is accompanied by the Garmin Edge 520 as a reference navigation device. The OnePlus Nord N100 proves to be quite accurate in tracking routes; it even recognizes the side of the road precisely almost all of the time. There are minor inaccuracies, but the smartphone can still be recommended to anyone who depends on accurate navigation data.
Telephone and call quality – Loud but droning
The phone app on the OnePlus Nord N100 still has the old design, corresponding to Google's standard app.
The voice quality is moderate via the earpiece: Although the other person's voice can be turned up quite loud, this results in a noticeable droning noise, and high frequencies sound uncomfortably overemphasized in your ears.
The person calling sounds much better via the hands-free function. The microphone can also transmit our voice quite loudly, but that doesn't work without an accompanying droning noise entirely either. In addition, if you speak too quietly, the smartphone doesn't transmit your voice.
Cameras – Little flexibility
On the back, there's a 13-megapixel camera as the main lens. In addition, there is a macro lens that can be used for extreme close-ups in a special mode, but it only takes 2-megapixel pictures. A monochrome lens assists with portrait effects, but it can't be used for taking photos on its own.
Due to the fact that there is no pixel-binning and no wide-angle lens either, the OnePlus Nord N100 loses flexibility when taking photos if you compare it with its rivals. Moreover, the light sensitivity is not that high.
Photos still look quite well exposed in normal light, but the pictures look a bit blotchy in detail. In the surroundings picture, you can clearly see that the camera's light sensitivity is not that high; again, the picture looks quite grainy in detail, while sharpness is at a medium level. The smartphone's camera is also quite weak in terms of lighting when it comes to dark subjects with a lot of contrast, but details are still reasonably sharp in the exposed area.
Videos can be recorded in a maximum resolution of 1080p and 30 fps. Sharpness is okay, and exposure changes are well balanced, although brightness transitions are clearly visible.
The front-facing camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels. It takes decent selfies in good light.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main lens plantsMain lens surroundingsMain lens low light
In the lab, pictures taken with the main camera show a clear graininess in larger color areas with good exposure. Furthermore, the contrast of black text against a red background is not optimal. Sharpness is good in the picture's center, but it decreases significantly towards the edges. At a luminosity of 1 lux, you can hardly recognize anything on the images.
If you don't take pictures in the dark that often, you will get good image quality for the price range, but other smartphones offer much more flexibility.
Accessories and warranty – Affordable fixed-price repairs
Apart from the charger and a USB cable, there's only a SIM tool and some documents in the box. OnePlus usually offers a good selection of accessories for its smartphones, but with the OnePlus N100 it's limited to a screen protector and a bumper case; both are available for just under 15 Euros (~$18) each.
The corresponding charging adapter isn't available in the store either, but you can use the Warp Charge 30 adapter that costs just under 40 Euros (~$49) with a cable included.
OnePlus offers a 24-month warranty for its smartphones. You can send in the devices and also have them repaired outside of the warranty for quite a reasonable fixed price: For example, a new screen costs just $31 (taxes and labor have to be added).
Input devices and handling – Physical fingerprint scanner
GBoard, Google's standard keyboard, is used as the on-screen keyboard. The 90 Hz touchscreen can be used very smoothly and is sensitive up to the corners. A hardware switch for vibration and silent mode isn't available in OnePlus's most affordable model so far. The hardware buttons on the sides for standby and volume are nothing special, but they are easy to find and have a good pressure point.
A hardware fingerprint scanner is found on the back; it recognizes placed fingers with a minimal delay and unlocks the device. Only immediately after switching to standby mode does the sensor need a few seconds to activate. Moreover, unlocking via facial recognition is also possible. This works quite reliably as well and is supported in dark environments by the screen, since it lights up your face.
Display – Color-accurate and fast
The IPS display of the OnePlus Nord N100 has an extended 720p resolution. This is not unusual in the price range, but the realme 7 and Xiaomi POCO X3 offer Full HD. Both are also ahead in terms of display brightness; the OnePlus smartphone offers average rates here. Since it's a 90 Hz display, scrolling through apps and navigating through menus is very smooth.
The black level of 0.35 cd/m² is at a good level, so that the contrast ratio is decent as well. We did not detect PWM flickering on this display.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 474 cd/m²
Contrast: 1354:1 (Black: 0.35 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.7 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 1.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
94.6% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.31
| OnePlus Nord N100 IPS, 1600x720, 6.52 | realme 7 IPS, 2400x1080, 6.50 | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC IPS, 2400x1080, 6.67 | Motorola Moto G9 Play IPS, 1600x720, 6.50 | Nokia 3.4 IPS, 1560x720, 6.39 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -36% | -4% | -55% | -50% | |
| Brightness middle | 474 | 525 11% | 623 31% | 450 -5% | 440 -7% |
| Brightness | 456 | 512 12% | 600 32% | 428 -6% | 417 -9% |
| Brightness Distribution | 86 | 90 5% | 93 8% | 88 2% | 91 6% |
| Black Level * | 0.35 | 0.55 -57% | 0.54 -54% | 0.23 34% | 0.4 -14% |
| Contrast | 1354 | 955 -29% | 1154 -15% | 1957 45% | 1100 -19% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.7 | 4.4 -63% | 1.8 33% | 5.49 -103% | 4.77 -77% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.89 | 6.75 -38% | 4.7 4% | 10.19 -108% | 8.85 -81% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.9 | 4.3 -126% | 3.3 -74% | 7.5 -295% | 5.7 -200% |
| Gamma | 2.31 95% | 2.3 96% | 2.26 97% | 2.495 88% | 2.156 102% |
| CCT | 6430 101% | 7472 87% | 6712 97% | 8711 75% | 7660 85% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18889 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Color reproduction is already very accurate out of the box as we found in our tests with the CalMAN software. There's no blue tint, and the color-space coverage in sRGB is decent but not perfect.
Furthermore, the response times are probably too slow for gamers.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 11 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 45 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 46 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 23 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 23 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 74 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.2 ms). | ||
Since the screen of the OnePlus smartphone is an IPS display, brightness deviations are quite visible from lateral viewing angles but more so for the camera than for the human eye. However, image content remains well recognizable even from very flat viewing angles.
Outdoors, the display performs averagely. It's probably too dim for extremely bright environments, but it can be read well in normal lighting conditions.
Performance – The SoC slows down the N100
The choice of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 is a bit surprising: The SoC is certainly intended for this price range, but OnePlus is actually known for always offering a bit more performance than what's usual in the given price range. However, the Nord N100 is clearly beaten by the realme 7 and the POCO X3 in the benchmarks. Consequently, it offers class-typical performance but not more.
This means that you can usually navigate smoothly through menus, but as soon as a more complex app is running, additional tasks become difficult. However, the 90 Hz display provides a perceived speed bonus for many operations, which makes using the device feel very responsive most of the time.
| Geekbench 5.4 | |
| Single-Core (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (246 - 256, n=5) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (119 - 1885, n=241, last 2 years) | |
| Multi-Core (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (1135 - 1270, n=5) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (473 - 5538, n=241, last 2 years) | |
| Vulkan Score (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (347 - 356, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (79 - 9992, n=178, last 2 years) | |
| OpenCL Score (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (255 - 261, n=5) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (368 - 10711, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| PCMark for Android | |
| Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (7036 - 7779, n=5) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9875 - 19297, n=4, last 2 years) | |
| Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (5316 - 5869, n=5) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5279 - 13282, n=28, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (36 - 38, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=187, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (24 - 25, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (19 - 497, n=187, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (24 - 25, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 161, n=188, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (14 - 14, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 331, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (19 - 19, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 143, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (9.3 - 9.5, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 223, n=189, last 2 years) | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (143097 - 154839, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (101336 - 725649, n=40, last 2 years) | |
| AImark - Score v2.x (sort by value) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| realme 7 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Nokia 3.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (4490 - 4919, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (1043 - 286905, n=121, last 2 years) | |
The OnePlus N100 has an average speed when surfing the Internet. You occasionally have to wait for a website to load completely, and images only appear after a slight delay when scrolling.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (16.9 - 282, n=165, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| realme 7 (Chrome 86) | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play (Chrome 85) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Nokia 3.4 (Chrome 87) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (17.8 - 26.8, n=3) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (26.7 - 414, n=79, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| realme 7 (Chrome 86) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Nokia 3.4 (Chrome 87) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (25.5 - 39.7, n=4) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.3 - 375, n=154, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| realme 7 (Chome 86) | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play (Chome 85) | |
| Nokia 3.4 (Chome 87) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chome 87) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (15.3 - 23.6, n=4) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - --- | |
| Average of class Smartphone (28 - 292, n=145, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| realme 7 (Chrome 86) | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play (Chrome 85) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Nokia 3.4 (Chrome 87) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (31 - 44, n=4) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 74261, n=194, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| realme 7 (Chrome 86) | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play (Chrome 85) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Nokia 3.4 (Chrome 87) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (4832 - 7517, n=4) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (5433 - 8215, n=4) | |
| Nokia 3.4 (Chrome 87) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Motorola Moto G9 Play (Chrome 85) | |
| realme 7 (Chrome 86) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (414 - 10797, n=168, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
With UFS 2.1, the OnePlus phone comes with fast storage that can keep up with even the fastest rivals. Our microSD card from Toshiba, an Exceria Pro M501, which we use as a reference, shows good read and write speeds.
| OnePlus Nord N100 | realme 7 | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | Motorola Moto G9 Play | Nokia 3.4 | Average 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 11% | -6% | -13% | -15% | -1% | 137% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 504 | 529 5% | 506 0% | 315.2 -37% | 301.9 -40% | 697 ? 38% | 1180 ? 134% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 219 | 200 -9% | 173.1 -21% | 187.2 -15% | 221.6 1% | 217 ? -1% | 741 ? 238% |
| Random Read 4KB | 106.1 | 153.3 44% | 123.4 16% | 98.4 -7% | 123.1 16% | 136.6 ? 29% | 207 ? 95% |
| Random Write 4KB | 120.8 | 151.3 25% | 112.6 -7% | 96.1 -20% | 42.5 -65% | 81.6 ? -32% | 217 ? 80% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 85.2 ? | 84.6 ? -1% | 75.2 ? -12% | 85.4 ? 0% | 85.8 ? 1% | 68.6 ? -19% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 64.3 ? | 66.3 ? 3% | 55.6 ? -14% | 65.3 ? 2% | 62.4 ? -3% | 52.2 ? -19% |
Games – Gaming at 60 Hz
When it comes to gaming, the OnePlus Nord N100 can be used for simpler games without any problems. League of Legends: Wild Rift runs quite smoothly at 60 fps, even at higher settings.
However, when you take a look at the more demanding PUBG Mobile, you only get a reasonably smooth 30 fps at minimum settings. We tested the frame rates with the GameBench app.
The controls using the position sensor and touchscreen work without problems.
Emissions – Throttling forbidden
Temperature
The maximum temperature increase under load of 41.2 °C (~106 °F) is within the usual range. Therefore, it doesn't pose a problem, except perhaps in very hot environments. If you only put the device under low load, no temperature rise is noticeable.
We want to know whether the smartphone can maintain its performance under prolonged load and run, therefore, the GFXBench battery test; the same benchmark is executed 30 times, and the computed frames are logged.
Only a minimal performance drop is visible in the Nord N100, which is in the range between 1% and 2%. This is not noticeable in practice; consequently, it can be assumed that the smartphone can deliver its full performance at all times.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.2 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 34.9 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 52.9 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.2 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.3 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.6 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
Only a few smartphones in this price range offer stereo speakers, but the OnePlus Nord N100 does. The maximum volume is good, but voices always sound a bit muffled. However, the speakers are perfectly suitable for listening to music from time to time, and video sound is also reproduced in decent quality.
The aptX HD codec is available, so that sound can be transmitted in better quality over Bluetooth. There's also a 3.5 mm audio jack, which has long since been eliminated in OnePlus's more expensive phones.
OnePlus Nord N100 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 31.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 8.5% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.6% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 65% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 79% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 16% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (89.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.5% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.9% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 14% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 78% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 40% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 52% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Battery life – The N100 is a long-distance runner
Energy consumption
The OnePlus Nord N100 may not be particularly powerful, but at least it's efficient in terms of consumption in return: The device requires significantly less energy than the Xiaomi POCO X3 in every scenario and should, therefore, also be able to get better battery runtimes out of its battery, right?
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.1 Watt |
| Idle |  0.56 / 1.8 / 2.3 Watt |
| Load |
3.9 / 5.6 Watt |
    
| |
| OnePlus Nord N100 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC 5160 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -36% | 7% | -10% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.56 | 0.93 -66% | 0.4967 ? 11% | 0.884 ? -58% |
| Idle Average * | 1.8 | 2.47 -37% | 1.79 ? 1% | 1.485 ? 17% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.3 | 2.51 -9% | 2.13 ? 7% | 1.699 ? 26% |
| Load Average * | 3.9 | 5.62 -44% | 3.51 ? 10% | 4.27 ? -9% |
| Load Maximum * | 5.6 | 6.93 -24% | 5.4 ? 4% | 7.08 ? -26% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery life
A 5,000 mAh battery has become standard now, and the OnePlus Nord N100 lasts a long time with it: 1,149 minutes or 19:09 hours in our WLAN test, and that in the display's 90 Hz mode, meaning that the 60 Hz mode could provide even more.
The differences compared with other smartphones in the price range aren't huge, but they are quite noticeable. The OnePlus Nord N100 can easily run for several days without a power outlet if you use it normally and don't play games all the time.
OnePlus doesn't include any of its ultra fast-charging technologies for charging, but at least 18-watt fast charging is available. The device is full after two hours tops in every charging situation. In addition, you can recharge the battery for several hours of light use within 15-20 minutes.
| OnePlus Nord N100 5000 mAh | realme 7 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC 5160 mAh | Motorola Moto G9 Play 5000 mAh | Nokia 3.4 4000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -12% | -1% | -16% | -27% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2513 | 2427 -3% | |||
| H.264 | 1206 | 1188 -1% | |||
| WiFi v1.3 | 1149 | 1006 -12% | 1116 -3% | 962 -16% | 843 -27% |
| Load | 267 | 280 5% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict – Not perfect but a decent overall package
The OnePlus Nord N100 is an inexpensive smartphone that certainly looks high-quality. The color-accurate 90 Hz display, the long battery life, stereo speakers, a decent camera, and fast storage are definitely a good offer at a price of less than 200 Euros (~$242).
However, when it comes to its low-cost smartphones, OnePlus even drops some of its previously sacred certainties, which could definitely upset fans of the brand: For example, the manufacturer has announced that it will only release smartphones with 5G, but the OnePlus Nord N100 comes without 5G support. There is no slider to quickly mute the smartphone, and you will probably also have to live with fewer software updates.
Nonetheless, this mindset change also has positive sides: OnePlus has installed a microSD reader, although the manufacturer has always emphasized that it considers this kind of data storage to be too slow and inconvenient for the user. A 3.5 mm port is also present; it has long since been removed from OnePlus's more expensive devices.
The OnePlus Nord N100 is a good choice for under 200 Euros (~$242) that offers a lot of features and long battery life.
The strong competition has to be considered: realme and Xiaomi both offer smartphones with more performance, brighter displays, more flexible cameras, and partly faster WLAN. The OnePlus Nord N100 is a good smartphone in itself and offers a lot for the money, but the manufacturer didn't do itself any favors with the slow SoC.
Ultimately, the details determine whether you will like the OnePlus smartphone: Do you like the software, is the good-but-not-very-flexible camera system enough, and can you get by without so much performance? If so, the OnePlus Nord N100 is a good choice.
Price and availability
The OnePlus Nord N100 is directly available from the manufacturer. You can currently also find the unlocked global version on Amazon.
OnePlus Nord N100
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01/27/2021 v7
Florian Schmitt
Pricecompare
