The OnePlus Nord 2 is expected to have a major chip upgrade, comparable to Samsung's Galaxy S21.

The latest rumor from Android Central is that the OnePlus Nord 2 will skip Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7 series chipset in favor of the MediaTek Dimensity 1200. This may surprise you, but it is a decision that could work in OnePlus' favor.

MediaTek's chipsets are not as common as Qualcomm's and as a result are usually more affordable. This means that the company's chips are often found in inexpensive phones, rather than in expensive flagships that boast the latest and most powerful hardware.

Nevertheless, the Dimensity 1200 may have a special advantage because it is MediaTek's top-class processor. In other words, it is technically comparable to Qualcomm's flagship 8-series chips, which is a win for the Nord 2. [The Dimensity 1200, announced earlier this year, has eight cores: a 3GHz Cortex A78 prime core, three 2.6GHz A78 cores, and four 2.0GHz efficiency cores. The Snapdragon 765 in the original OnePlus Nord has a 2.3GHz Cortex A76, a 2.2GHz performance A76, and six 1.8GHz efficiency cores.

MediaTek has a clear advantage in terms of raw numbers, which is a tailwind for OnePlus. Not only is it a significant upgrade over the original OnePlus Nord, but MediaTek's chip is also more affordable. This means that the Nord 2 is unlikely to be more expensive as a result. In addition, the Dimensity 1200 also has 5G.

The only thing we don't know is how the Dimensity 1200 will perform in real-world conditions compared to Qualcomm's chip. After all, MediaTek does not have a history of offering high-spec chips at lower price points, and we cannot comment on the Dimensity 1200's performance until it is thoroughly tested.

According to Android Central, the OnePlus Nord 2 will launch in the second quarter of this year. We just have to get past the impending OnePlus 9 launch event first.