The cat is out of the bag. This phone is priced at 399 Euros but the price will definitely be cheaper in China and India. Just like the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are cheaper in these countries. In india this phone will be priced around $350 at launch. In Kenya, the phone will cost around 50K at start coz of the hype but over time it will be priced around 35K.
Big question what will be Xiaomi’s, Huawei’s and Oppo’s (OnePlus’ brother) response?
First, OnePlus must produce this phone at Huge numbers in order to make profits which is bad news for xiaomi $ Co. This is a phone with thin profit margins so it must be produced in bulk and will eat into Xiaomi’s and Samsung’s market share. So what competition does Xiaomi have in store?
Looking at Xiaomi phones with SD-765, only the Redmi K30 5G and Mi-10 Lite 5G qualify. Let’s go deeper
Redmi K30 5G
The K30 5G costs $500 which is $100 dollars more expensive and employs an LCD instead of AMOLED. K30’s advantage is the 120Hz refresh rate and a slightly bigger display. The battery may be bigger than OnePlus Nord but I suspect the OnePlus will have a better battery life.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
This costs $314 which is comparably priced to the Nord. Fortunately it has an AMOLED but a 60Hz refresh rate. But has zero advantage over the Nord yet it’s similarly priced. In fact it is heavier.
The reason I cannot compare this Nord with phones with Dimensity and Sd-730G as well as 4G handsets is because the 765 is more expensive than these and is preferred to other Snapdragons except for flagships.
OnePlus is a Premium Brand
OnePlus is a premium device. It will have a more accurate display than the K30 and Mi 10 lite 5G. The Oxygen OS is better than Mi Ui - at least there are no ads. OS support is also better on OnePlus phones as compared to Xiaomis. The Camera’s will also be very close to flagship and will keep improving over time.
Where does this leave Xiaomi $ Co
Xiaomi must come up with an Answer for OnePlus Nord. Xiaomi is also not a flagship brand and will have to price such a device cheaper - at least $50-$100 cheaper. India is very price sensitive and will not forgive Xiaomi. One problem though; a similarly specced Xiaomi device must be priced between $270 - $300. Which will trigger product cannibalism within the brand.
The @Nyamgondho says do not buy this phone if you’ve a tight budget wait for 3-5 Months and buy competing devices from Samsungs and Xiaomis of this world. Kama uko na pesa nunua Oneplus 7T.