Smartphone OnePlus N100: the whole truth about the new model 1+

At the end of last autumn, the OnePlus Nord line of smartphones was introduced, which included the N10 and N100 models. The N10 is a mid-range Snapdragon 690 based device, while the N100 is clearly a budget Snapdragon 460 powered device.
And if the N10 turned out to be quite an interesting device with a Snapdragon X51 5G modem, NFC and the presence of WARP Charge 30T, then the N100 is a dark horse, which I will introduce you to today.

Since the OnePlus Nord line is a common feature, the packaging is made in the same style.

• Link to OnePlus N10
• Link to OnePlus N100

The package is quite limited and includes:

• phone
• charger 18W
• USB-typeC cable
• waste paper

After testing any other devices, it seems that 1+ saves on components, because here you will not even see a silicone case (and I am silent about the lack of a screen film). And this applies to both the younger model and the older one. Fortunately, Aliexpress is already selling protective cases, films for the camera unit / screen and a similar set of glasses.
Since the tested model is a US version, naturally the charger plug will be appropriate. Now, when ordering, you can choose an EU plug, a US plug and a set of 2 chargers at once (with this choice, a 33W charger from Black Shark arrives).

Specifications:

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (GPU Adreno 610)
• Screen: 6.52′, 1600×720 FHD+ 20:9, 269 ppi, IPS, 90 Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• RAM/ROM: 4 Gb LPDDR4x 1866 mHz / 64 Gb UFS 2.1
• Expandable Memory: Supports MicroSD cards up to 256 Gb
• OS version: stock Android 10 with Oxygen OS 10.5 shell
• Connection:
  EDGE/GPRS/GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
  WCDMA band: B1/2/4/5/8
  FDD-LTE band: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/28
  TDD-LTE band: B38/40/41
• Camera: triple sensor main camera:
  Main sensor (wide) OmniVision OV13B10: 13mp, 1/3.06 inch, F/2.2, 1.12μm, PDAF autofocus
  Additional sensor (macro) GalaxyCore GC02M1: 2mp, 1/5 inch, F/2.4, 1.75μm
  Additional sensor (depth) GalaxyCore GC02M1: 2mp, 1/5 inch, F/2.4, 1.75μm
• Front-camera:
  Main sensor (wide) OmniVision OV8856: 8mp, 1/4 inch, F/2.0, 1.12μm, Fixed focus
• Connections: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz), GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, A-GPS, Galileo, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC not supported, USB Type-C 2.0
• Sensors: Rear fingerprint scanner, Accelerometer, Electronic Compass, Gyroscope, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, SAR sensor
• Sound: Quallcom Aqstic WCD9370 codec, Stereo speaker, 3.5mm jack
• Battery: 5000mAh, fast charging 18w (9v-2a) with support for Quick Charge 3.0/4.0 and PD 2.0
• Dimensions: 164.9 x 75.1 x 8.49 mm, 188 g

As for the device itself, everything is simple — a plastic case with a slight overflow and a camera unit for 3 lenses. The color scheme is the only one and is represented by a gray color called Midnight Frost.

The camera block is made concisely and in the same style of the entire Nord line. So what do we have:

• Main sensor OmniVision OV13B10: 13mp
• Sensor (macro) GalaxyCore GC02M1: 2mp
• Sensor (depth) GalaxyCore GC02M1: 2mp

According to the description, the camera modules are not the best, but we will study them later. You can also see the location of the fingerprint sensor here. The operation of this sensor as a whole is not the fastest, but it works without problems. There is also a remark about the location of the sensor itself, it is not particularly recessed and sometimes it is impossible to find it by touch.

The case itself is made of plastic, both the main frame and the back cover. The texture is barely perceptible, matte. Collects prints reluctantly.
On the edges:

• bottom — speaker, typeC connector, main microphone, miniJack connector.
• top — additional microphone
• left side — volume keys, slot for a memory card / microSD. Since the device is budget, the slot only supports 1*nanoSIM
• right — on / off key

The front of the smartphone is occupied by a 6.52-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1600 × 720 pixels (HD +, 20:9 ratio, 269 ppi density, Corning Gorilla Glass 3). What is remarkable, although the N100 is a budget model, the screen refresh rate, like in the N10 model, is 90 Hz. This function is adaptive and will change to standard 60 Hz in some modes. But HD + resolution affects most interface elements and applications.
The front camera is made in the form of a cutout in the left corner of the screen. Camera — OmniVision OV8856 (parameters 8mp, 1/4″, F / 2.0, 1.12μm), fixed focus.

There are no complaints about the viewing angles:

Oxygen OS (current version 10.5.6.BE81AA) is used as a graphical shell, which is based on Android 10. Oxygen OS is a proprietary skin for OnePlus devices, which is a slightly redesigned user UI, adding interesting add-ons. There are no third-party applications and other garbage in the system. There is also an application menu that is called up by swiping up on the main screen.

The iron component is built on the Snapdragon 460 processor, which was designed for budget devices, contains eight cores with a frequency of up to 1.8 GHz, an Adreno 610 graphics accelerator and a Snapdragon X11 LTE cellular modem. To work with this smartphone, this “stone” is enough, no brakes were noticed in the work.
Let’s run some benchmarks:

• Antutu — 151 458
• 3D Mark Wild Life — 239
• 3D Mark Sling Shot — 1415
• GeekBenchmarks — 258 and 253/1182

And let’s run it with the help of CPU Throttling Test. Let me remind you, the Snapdragon 460 is built on 11nm tech. process and was introduced in early 2020. That is, we have a modern budget «stone» Qualcomm. So, as you can see from the graph, the processor is not subject to throttling.

Internal storage 64GB (UFS 2.1), available memory on first launch is 45.49GB. In this case, all used memory is occupied by system files. 4GB RAM (LPDDR4x 1866 mHz), for correct operation in Oxygen OS, the «optimization» mode is used. Therefore, it will not be possible to regularly see the available volume.
To understand the speed characteristics, let’s run a series of tests.

• RAM — 4612.5MB/s
• ROM — 174.1/401.9MB/s

Autonomy. The battery installed in the smartphone has a capacity of 5000mAh and supports quick charges Quick Charge 3.0/4.0, PD 2.0. At the same time, the N100 itself is maximally capable of accepting up to 18W (9V2A). And since the bundled PSU has a US plug, I immediately used the Black Shark 33W charger. But the miracle did not happen, the peak consumption of the smartphone is no more than 17W.

The screen time during cyclic video playback (100% brightness, 50% volume) shows a rather small result — 11 hours 5 minutes.
Comparison table for the devices I tested, in order of increasing screen time:

• OnePlus N100 — 11 hours 5 minutes (5000 mAh)
• Infinix Note 8 — 13 hours 47 minutes (5200 mAh)
• Vivo V20SE — 14 hours 25 minutes (4100 mAh)
• Poco M3 — 15 hours 26 minutes (6000 mAh)
• Infinix Zero 8 — 16 hours (4500 mAh)
• Vivo V20 — 16 hours 34 minutes (4000 mAh)
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 — 17 hours 27 minutes (5000 mAh)
• OnePlus N10 — 18 hours (4300 mAh)

Although Snapdragon 460 is a budget processor, it was decided to test it in modern games with the ability to customize graphics. If we look ahead, then in general we are expected by medium-low parameters, minor lags during intensive processes in games (for example, explosions, many cars, active hostilities) and a disgusting ladder on all dynamic objects. In most cases, games look as if they launched any game at 800 * 600px resolution on a modern PC with FullHD resolution. In general, click on the screenshots and look at the final result.
CarX Drift Racing 2, medium graphics settings:

Warface, low graphics settings:

Asphalt 9, default graphics settings:

Modern Warships, medium graphics settings:

The N100 has stereo sound in its arsenal (Quallcom Aqstic WCD9370 codec): the right channel is at the bottom end, the left one is combined with the earpiece. Remarkably, the left channel sounds quieter than the right. In the process of watching the video, this nuance is not so much noticed, but it is what it is.
Of the available settings — Dirac Audio Tuner, which is an equalizer with 3 presets: dynamics, film and music. The changes are easily audible and really change the sound picture. The volume is average, there are no complaints about the sound quality, the sound is clear, pleasant. To work with headphones, there is support for aptX.

The Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X11 LTE modem is responsible for cellular communication (supported frequencies are LTE TDD, LTE FDD, WCDMA (DC-HSDPA, HSUPA), TD-SCDMA, CDMA 1x, EV-O, GSM/EDGE). Works flawlessly, VoLTE support is available out of the box. Voice transmission, signal reception — no complaints.
WiFi networks are implemented on the following operating modes: 802.11a/b/g/n, 802.11ax-ready, 802.11ac. The maximum speed during the test rests on the bandwidth of the provider.
The navigation system of the smartphone is quite extensive and supports all modern satellites — GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, A-GPS, Galileo. When using the phone as a navigator, no problems were found (Yandex.Navigator was used).

Well, the final section is dedicated to the photo capabilities of the smartphone, which are represented by the following modules:

• OmniVision OV13B10 — 13MP main rear camera, sensor size 1/3.06″. Average camera with noises even in the daytime. Support for shooting video 1080P@30fps and 720P@30fps without stabilization.
• GalaxyCore GC02M1 — 2MP depth sensor, 1/5″ sensor size. In general, it works adequately, but good conditions are needed.
• GalaxyCore GC02M1 — 2MP macro sensor, 1/5″ sensor size. Fixed focus, high noise, low detail.
• OmniVision OV8856 — 8MP main front camera, 1/4″ sensor size. Soapy and noisy chamber, nothing interesting. When using this camera to unlock a smartphone by face, the operation occurs in 7 out of 10 cases.

Examples of photos taken in different modes (link to full size files):

What can I say in the end, the OnePlus N100 smartphone is not in vain positioned in the 1+ line of devices as a budget one. Its materials, screen resolution, battery life, camera matrices clearly hint at the base line, while stereo sound, adaptive screen frequency (90Hz) and a 5000mAh battery with support for QC 3.0/4.0, PD 2.0 are put in contrast. Still, I can’t say that with the latest features they tip the N100.
This device is unique in its kind. After all, a brand that has always produced expensive and high-quality smartphones decided to get into the niche of budget devices, but they failed to lower the price tag below their dignity. Therefore, it has what we have.