The OnePlus Nord will run Google Phone, Messages and Duo out of the box

OnePlus currently touts its unexpected return to the mid-range smartphone arena as "pretty much everything you could ask for" in a mobile device. Now, apparently, it seems that this includes Google's calls and messaging apps as standard. The OEM's latest Instagram post on the subject of its upcoming Nord device reveals this potential selling point ahead of its launch.

Therefore, it seems that Google Phone will be the stock dialler in the Nord's version of OnePlus' OxygenOS (OOS) Android skin. Similarly, it will get the increasingly effective and feature-rich Messages app from the Mountain View company, as well as Duo for voice calls.

OOS has shipped with its own calls and SMS app in the past: now, it is not clear whether OnePlus is switching to their Google counterparts permanently in the future, or if this is just a once-off for the Nord's benefit. In more upcoming OnePlus release news, the company's CEO Pete Lau has given something of a preview of its first-gen Buds.

The executive did so by confirming an important spec for these TWS earbuds: an estimated battery life of 30 hours. Lau's post also included a new image for the same products, which appears to validate many design details from their recent leaks. To this end, they show a form-factor with the expected stems, which appear to taper toward their outer edge once they engulf their shiny gray top ends.

Furthermore, OnePlus' Carl Pei may have leaked the Buds by wearing them during his recent interview with the tech YouTuber MKBHD. Should this be the case, they will also come in a shade that matches the Nord's "teal" colorway and have small silver end-caps. Both of these new devices may launch during the same July 21, 2020 AR event.