With a 90Hz OLED screen, 5G connectivity, and six cameras, all for under $500, the OnePlus Nord is one of the best phones you can't buy in the US.

According to Wired, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei said the Nord-branded phone will be available in the US "later this year." However, there is a catch to this statement.

The OnePlus Nord phones to be released in the U.S. may not be the same phones that will be released in Europe and India on August 4. All OnePlus promises is that the new devices will carry the Nord brand.

It is hard to imagine a mid-range phone that is more cost-effective than the OnePlus Nord. It offers many premium features for less money than you might think. These include a 6.44 AMOLED display with a 90 Hz refresh rate, an attractive glass design, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage.

Most importantly, the OnePlus Nord can connect to 5G networks thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset. We expect the U.S.-focused Nord to connect to at least a sub-6GHz network, if not a more limited mmWave network, as well.

The OnePlus Nord also features a 4,115 mAh battery with an impressive battery life of over 11 hours on a charge. It also offers a fast 30W charge right out of the box, which allowed the device to be fully charged to 68% in just 30 minutes.

The current OnePlus Nord is not perfect. It doesn't have a headphone jack, wireless charging, water resistance, or a microSD card slot. But the price is definitely right, and OnePlus appears to have made the right trade-off for the first Nord.

Then again, the US is a competitive market, and Google may be redefining expectations for a good mid-range smartphone with the Google Pixel 4a. Rumored to launch on August 3 at a price of just $349, it is said to feature a 5.8-inch OLED display, Snapdragon 730 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

However, the Pixel 4a will not offer 5G based on the leaks we have seen and should be a cheaper plastic design than the current Nord. Additionally, the current OnePlus Nord has a faster processor and a smoother display. Therefore, the OnePlus Nord could be a headache for the Pixel 4a, depending on the final specs.

The U.S.-based Nord will also have to contend with the $399 iPhone SE, which offers a great camera experience along with the incredible performance of the A13 Bionic. At 4.7 inches, however, it won't be able to move in this direction unless it really likes the smaller screen.

Perhaps OnePlus will announce the new OnePlus Nord for the US at the same time as the OnePlus 8T. With only a few months left in the year, the USA Nord will be here sooner than you think.