OnePlus Nord pre-orders sold out — here's how you can still buy one

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By Roland Moore-Colyer
published

OnePlus Nord online pop-up store means you can still get the phone before it goes on sale

OnePlus Nord
(Image credit: MKBHD)

If you’ve missed out securing a OnePlus Nord in the last three pre-order windows, you’re in luck, as the phone maker will be holding an online pop-up event for people to buy the upcoming budget phone before it goes on sale fully. 

OnePlus has a tradition of running such pop-up shops, and shortly after the Nord’s launch on July 21 it will have another pop-up store for OnePlus fans to get their hands on the new phone. Like the pop-up for the OnePlus 8 Pro, this event will be a virtual one. 

OnePlus has yet to confirm when exactly the pop-up store for the Nord will open. It has only said that the "OnePlus Nord will be made available through an online Pop-up event shortly after it’s revealed in the world’s first AR smartphone launch on July 21st." OnePlus has advised people to watch its @oneplus.nord Instagram account for more details to come as the Nord’s launch draws closer. 

We suspect the pop-up store will go live on July 21 very quickly after the Nord phone is announced and fully detailed. The launch event itself is expected to be rather interesting as it will be live streamed at 10 a.m. EST and will have augmented reality elements, though you’ll need to download the OnePlus Nord AR app first. 

Pre-order windows and pop-up stores might seem like a lot of fuss to get a smartphone. But the OnePlus Nord is shaping up to be a very interesting phone for under $500. 

Going by the leaks and rumors we’ve seen and heard so far, the OnePlus Nord will offer a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 5G-compatible Snapdragon 765G chipset, up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It also promises strong battery life with a large 4,115 mAh battery, 

We’re also expecting the OnePlus Nord to have a quartet of rear cameras, featuring 48MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 5MP macro, and 2MP portrait sensors, combined with the two selfie cameras made up of 32MP main and 8MP ultrawide lenses. 

With these specs, the OnePlus Nord looks to beat the iPhone SE 2020 in everything other than raw performance - the budget iPhone has Apple’s mighty A13 Bionic chip. And it could also have the upcoming Pixel 4a on the ropes, with the Nord sporting a larger screen, more cameras, and a more powerful processor. 

We will need to test the OnePlus Nord before we decide if it’s a new mid-range smartphone champ. But all the signs look promising so far. 

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.