Credit: David Imel / Android Authority
Better, stronger, faster. That is the mantra. And let’s not forget – more efficient! We got an idea of the level of performance and efficiency of 2020’s best smartphones back in 2019 when Arm announced the Cortex-A77. At the same time, the company also unveiled the Mali-G77 GPU.
At the end of the same year, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 865 based on the Cortex-A77 and its own in-house Adreno GPU. Our initial performance numbers using Speed Test G showed that the Snapdragon 865 had the potential to be up to 20% faster overall than the Snapdragon 855.
And so the stage was set. The new Snapdragon was announced and several companies had committed to using it in their 2020 devices. There was still the question of the latest Exynos processor from Samsung could it beat the Snapdragon? What about Huawei, could it shake things up? And what about the possibility of a boosted Snapdragon 865 Plus?
The OnePlus Nord SE is tipped to be a special edition phone with a new design.
The phone might have the same specs as the original Nord.
Android Central claimed that the company is readying another mid-range phone named the Nord SE. The publication also suggested that the new phone will bring a bigger battery and faster charging speed compared to the existing OnePlus Nord. Now, a new leak seemingly pours cold water on those claims and it looks like the OnePlus Nord SE might not be a new phone after all.
According to
PhoneArena and tipster Max Jambor, the OnePlus Nord SE is nothing but a special edition version of the existing Nord. It reportedly borrows all its key specs and features from the original Nord, except for its design. That means the phone will get the Snapdragon 765G chipset, a 6.4-inch AMOLED 90Hz display, and a quad-camera setup.
2020 was the year of the mid-range smartphone
Credit: Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
2020 is drawing to a close, and it’s been marked by numerous trends in the smartphone space. We saw 5G become a reality for a ton of markets, high refresh rates trend down to budget phones (with mixed success), and quad camera systems become the norm.
Yet, 2020 can certainly be marked as the year when mid-range phones became better and more important than ever.
A ton of high-end features came to mid-rangers
One of the more compelling reasons why mid-range phones thrived in 2020 was because we saw an increase in premium features trickling down the price ladder.
Credit: David Imel / Android Authority
Smartphones with high refresh rate screens have been around for several years, dating back to 2017’s Razer Phone. However, 2020 was the year when high refresh rate displays became more than just a niche feature for gamers and enthusiasts.
From OnePlus and Oppo to Samsung and Xiaomi, it seems like most of the industry has embraced the feature on their flagship phones. In fact, it’s easier to count those that haven’t adopted it in their top phones, such as LG.
It’s not just flagships though. The year has also seen high refresh rate screens come to mid-range phones, with the likes of OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, and Xiaomi all offering devices with the technology for under $300. This may sound like a great deal, but there’s way more to a great high refresh rate screen than simply supporting it.
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