A pair of OnePlus phones, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and the OnePlus Nord N100, will land in the US next week. After all, there is not much in that string of numbers and letters to tell much about OnePlus' latest budget phone, except that one phone's name includes 5G.

Both the N10 and N100 are part of the OnePlus Nord line, a new group of phones that OnePlus introduced last year with the OnePlus Nord as a lower-cost alternative for those still seeking some of the key high-end features. However, while the original Nord never reached the U.S., these two phones will, giving us multiple Nords to consider.

Our OnePlus Nord N10 5G vs. OnePlus Nord N100 showdown revealed some key differences between these new models in terms of price, specs, and features. Below is a comparison of the two newest OnePlus Nord models.

OnePlus launched the Nord brand last year as a way to bring high-end features to low-end handsets, and the $299 OnePlus Nord N10 5G is one of the cheapest 5G phones we have seen. It can be ordered now from the OnePlus website, and if you order by January 14, you will receive a free pair of OnePlus Buds Z earphones. They can also be pre-ordered through Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H.

The OnePlus Nord N100 is even cheaper at $179 and can be pre-ordered at OnePlus and B&H Photo; Amazon and Best Buy will also offer the phone, but are not listed at this time.

The OnePlus Nord N10 5G has been available in the UK since November 14, debuting at £329. The OnePlus Nord N100 costs £179.

Obviously, with these two OnePlus Nord models, you are not paying for design flourishes; they are made of cheaper plastic materials as OnePlus tries to keep costs down. The N10 5G comes in Midnight Ice, and the N100 comes in Midnight Frost color.

The N100 is the larger of the two phones, measuring slightly wider and taller than 6.4 x 2.9 x 0.35 inches; it has a 6.52-inch LCD panel, compared to 6.49 inches for the N10 5G.

Both displays offer 90 Hz refresh rates, one of the most notable features of the Nord lineup, even on the less expensive N100. Most cell phone displays have a refresh rate of 60 Hz, but the faster refresh rate of the Nord handset means smoother scrolling. It is a pleasant surprise to see this feature in such an inexpensive handset.

OnePlus takes a different approach with the cameras on the two Nord models, with the N10 5G offering a more sophisticated camera array; the N10 5G has a 64MP main shooter and an 8MP ultra-wide angle camera. The Nord N10 5G also has dedicated macro and monochrome lenses.

We tested the N10 5G's camera against the Pixel 4a 5G, one of the best camera phones under $500. As you might expect, the Pixel came out on top, thanks to Google's excellent image processing software. However, many photos taken with the Nord N10 5G turned out well, considering this is a $299 phone. However, the N10's camera struggled in low light, and its black-and-white and macro shooting capabilities were not very useful.

The Nord N100's camera is a 13 MP main shooter with an additional dedicated bokeh and macro camera.

Neither of the new Nords will break performance records; unlike the original OnePlus Nord with its Snapdragon 765G system-on-chip, the OnePlus Nord N10 and Nord N100 use lower performance silicon to keep costs down. The OnePlus Nord N10 5G uses the Snapdragon 690 processor, while the Nord N100 uses the Snapdragon 460.

Both processors can handle everyday tasks such as surfing the web, sending e-mail, and streaming video, but may falter when running graphics-intensive apps (especially the N100 with Snapdragon 460). Nevertheless, we tested the N10 5G and found its performance to be comparable to other smartphones in its price range, except for a glitch here and there in processor-intensive games.

The OnePlus Nord N10 5G offers something the N100 does not. However, it should be noted that the Nord N10 only supports T-Mobile's 5G bands. It does not support Verizon's faster millimeter wave-based 5G at all, and can only connect to AT&T's LTE network.

If all-day battery life is your main concern with a cell phone, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G looks like a budget device to get. with a 4,300mAh battery, the N10 5G lasted in our battery test until it turned off while surfing the web on the phone for It lasted 11 hours and 48 minutes. This result puts the N10 5G on our Best Cell Phone Battery Duration list.

But don't rule out the OnePlus Nord N100 with its 5,000 mAh battery. Its larger power pack could make the less expensive Nord last even longer than the N10, but the N100 needs to be tested to confirm this.

One thing that is not in doubt is that the OnePlus Nord N10 5G charges faster than the N100; the N10 relies on OnePlus' WarpCharge 30T fast charging technology and can get up to 68% capacity on a 30-minute charge. The Nord N100 is capable of 18 W charging, not as fast as the N10's 30W charging, but a brisk pace.

Both new Nords run OxygenOS 10.5, OnePlus' improved version of Android 10; an update to Android 11 is expected, but aside from a two-year security update, this is the only OS update for the N10 and N100. only.

It is not uncommon for inexpensive Android phones to get a limited number of Android updates, and that is one of the tradeoffs that come with inexpensive phones. Still, with the release of Android 11 last fall and Android 12 coming later this year, OnePlus Nord shoppers could be forgiven for feeling a little short-changed.

The release of the OnePlus Nord last year showed that OnePlus is serious about bringing better features to less expensive phones, and the Nord N10 5G and N100, while not quite up to the specs of the original Nord, offer fast refresh rates and long-lasting batteries at a low price. and long-lasting batteries at a lower price.

Of the two phones, the N10 5G is clearly the more impressive on paper, thanks to its 5G support (even if it is limited to T-Mobile's network only) and fast charging capabilities. Since there are few, the N100 is a better option if price is a factor.