The OnePlus Nord will not be available in the U.S. after its July 21 launch, which was only offered through a "very limited" beta program. However, there is still hope that this mid-range smartphone will come to the US.

In an interview with Tom's Guide, Tuomas Lampen, head of European strategy at OnePlus, explained that Europe and India will be used as a sort of test area to gauge buying interest in the Nord phone. And if there really is a hunger for the Nord (and the fact that pre-orders are rapidly selling out would indicate that there is), the Nord could land in the US

. "We will launch Nord in India and Europe first, then take market feedback for our partners, our community, and see how they like the device, and then go back to the planning table and what is the right next step for us to make sure that we are doing the right thing.

"North America is a huge market and very interesting. But for now we will start this product line in India and Europe and then see when the time is right to expand."

Lampen did not specify that the upcoming Nord phone will be the first Nord device to enter the US. However, in response to our speculation that if Nord gets off the ground, it will expand into other markets, including the U.S., he replied: "Yes, that makes sense."

Given that the OnePlus 8 Pro starts at $899, OnePlus' flagship now comes with a proper flagship phone price tag; even the OnePlus 8, at $699, is still a distance from the likes of the OnePlus 5, which once started at $479 There are.

In short, Nord is a move by OnePlus to go back to its roots and offer a smartphone with adequate specs at an affordable price, while not abandoning its commitment to premium smartphones.

Previous rumors have suggested that the OnePlus Nord will feature a 6.4-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 765G chipset, up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, and 5G connectivity. It is also said to have a 4,115mAh battery, four rear-facing cameras, and two front-facing cameras.

This is quite a spec sheet for a phone that OnePlus has confirmed will cost less than $500. (And this estimate was provided by OnePlus in dollars; OnePlus has not released figures in euros or pounds. This could end up being a Freudian slip of sorts.)

Furthermore, there is a reasonable gap in the U.S. market that a phone like the Nord should fill. There are plenty of mid-range phones, but many of them are lackluster.

Perhaps only the iPhone SE 2020 and Pixel 3a stand out as truly impressive affordable phones in the US. However, the rumored weak Snapdragon 730 chipset and small 5.8-inch display could lose out to the Nord, despite its reportedly low $349 price tag.

The iPhone SE has the fastest processor in its price range, the A13 Bionic, and a very capable camera, but only one rear lens and selfie cam. Furthermore, the iPhone SE's 4.7-inch screen is tiny compared to the OLED panel rumored to be on the Nord. The Nord will also be bundled with a larger battery and fast charging.

Thus, the US cell phone market is ripe for Nord. However, Lampen noted that although OnePlus is a global company, it is still relatively small and is trying to grow "healthily and steadily" by focusing on what it does best. Essentially, that means first learning what works in a particular market before expanding once they are confident of success.

All of this means that there is a very good chance that Nord-branded phones will eventually land in the US. Whether that means a widespread rollout of the first Nord phone, or perhaps a second generation Nord phone (Nord T?), one thing is certain, however: OnePlus is not looking at the US.