OnePlus Nord 3 Launch Tipped for Q2, May Come With 150W Fast Charging Tech

OnePlus Nord 3 is tipped to launch in the second quarter, with 150W fast charging support. The new OnePlus phone is expected to be the successor to the OnePlus Nord 2 that was launched in July last year. The last year model carried Warp Charge 65 (65W) charging technology that is rated to charge the battery from zero to 100 percent in 30 minutes. At MWC earlier this week, OnePlus sibling Oppo announced its 150W SuperVOOC charging standard that is claimed to fully charge a 4,500mAh battery in 15 minutes. Realme also introduced its 150W charging standard that it calls the 150W UltraDart Charge.

Citing a person familiar with the matter, Android Central reports that the OnePlus Nord 3 will essentially be based on the Realme GT Neo 3 that was announced at MWC 2022 with the company's proprietary 150W charging technology.

At MWC, Oppo and Realme showcased their new fast charging standards as two distinct technologies. Oppo confirmed that its 150W SuperVOOC will be introduced on select OnePlus phone models in the second quarter. Exact details on the models that will come with the technology are yet to be revealed, though. Realme, on the other hand, stated that its 150W UltraDart Charge will debut specifically on the Realme GT Neo 3.

Realme, OnePlus, and Oppo — all three owned by Guangdong-based BBK Electronics — are working quite closely nowadays to take on their homegrown competition Xiaomi. All three brands have already become known among smartphone customers worldwide. But the 150W charging technology is likely to help them gain a first-mover advantage as Xiaomi has not yet announced whether it is also working on bringing its phones with a similar battery charging technology.

OnePlus has not yet confirmed any details about the OnePlus Nord 3. But nonetheless, the smartphone maker has maintained a record of introducing a new Nord flagship once in a year since the launch of the OnePlus Nord in July 2020. Looking at OnePlus' historical records of the last two years, the OnePlus Nord 3 may debut sometime in July itself.

The OnePlus Nord series that included the regular OnePlus Nord and OnePlus Nord 2 as well as the OnePlus Nord CE and OnePlus Nord N models recently crossed the sales of 10 million units, according to the brand's claim. It is marketed to offer a value-for-money proposition to customers.

Alongside claiming the growth of the Nord series, OnePlus earlier this week announced that it plans to launch its “most affordable 5G smartphone” in India and Europe. It is, however, unclear whether that phone will be a part of the Nord series or a new model altogether.