After introducing its second-generation Nord series smartphone in India, OnePlus has unveiled the OnePlus Nord 2 5G in a special edition designed for PAC-MAN lovers, this is OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition featuring a PAC-MAN themed design, PAC-MAN case, and OxygenOS 11.3 customized specifically for the PAC-MAN fans. The Nord 2 has been upgraded with 5G capabilities and numerous improvements over its predecessor including the faster processor Dimensity 1200, 65W charging, new cameras, and more.
For those who don’t know about the name, PAC-MAN is a retro-style maze runner video game and the new OnePlus Nord 2 5G is based on it. Features include a glowing fluorescent neon back, 6.43-inch 90 Hz Fluid AMOLED display, 50 MP triple cameras, MediaTek Dimensity 1200 octa-core SoC, 12 GB RAM, 256 GB storage, and packs 4,500 mAh battery with a whopping 65W fast charging support.
OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition Specifications
- Display: 6.43-inch Fluid AMOLED display, 90 Hz refresh rate, Full HD+ resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels, 441 ppi), 20:9 aspect ratio, sRGB, DCI-P3, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Design: Glossy Fluorescent Neon Back with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Software: OxygenOS 11.3, Android 11, PAC-MAN Themed
- CPU: 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G octa-core CPU up to 3.0 GHz frequency
- GPU: Mali-G77 MC9 (9-core) Graphics
- Memory: 12 GB RAM
- Storage: 256 GB UFS 3.1 on-board, no microSD card support
- Main Camera: Triple Cameras (50 MP f/1.9 primary Sony IMX766 + 8 MP ultra-wide-angle + 2 MP monochrome), dual-tone LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 32 MP Sony IMX615
- Connectivity: USB Type-C, 3.5 mm port (via adapter), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS
- Security: In-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Cellular: 5G network, dual nano SIMs
- Battery: 4,500 mAh
- Charging: 65W WarpCharge 65 fast charging (10V, 6.5A), 100% charge in 30 minutes
- Price: ₹37,999 (12 GB RAM & 256 GB Storage)
- Availability: 16th November onwards, OnePlus.in, Amazon India
Design, Display, & Build
The OnePlus Nord 2x PAC-MAN Edition is a special edition smartphone packed with PAC-MAN themes, wallpapers, PAC-MAN 256 game, and OxygenOS optimized with PAC-MAN’s stuff. What’s interesting is its back, the smartphone has a glossy fluorescent neon back protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and it glows literally in the dark. If you see in the daylight, the back has PAC-MAN eating dots connecting to the OnePlus logo at the end, but when you see it in the dark, you will find a glowing maze with NORD written inside along with a OnePlus symbol just above.
For the rest, it’s the same OnePlus Nord 2 5G, and since it has got some improvements over its predecessor, i.e. a larger battery, faster charging, and Stereo speakers, and a flagship-grade processor, this is a significant upgrade over its first-generation OnePlus Nord. The OnePlus Nord 2 5G comes in Green Woods (leather design), Gray Sierra, Blue Haze (glass design), and lastly the PAC-MAN Edition.
The back has two big camera housing in its triple camera setup, OnePlus has used a 50MP Sony IMX766 image sensor. The back also holds the OnePlus logo, not in the center, but at the end.
The sides are made of plastic, not metallic which describes minor tradeoffs in the material of the frame. Plus, there’s no IP certification, you can’t take it underwater or take it to the shower. The competition already offers dust and water resistance in this segment.
Flipping the phone and you will see a gorgeous 6.43-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a 90 Hz refresh rate, Full HD+ resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels, 441 ppi), 20:9 aspect ratio, and it supports sRGB and DCI-P3 color profiles. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and offers an in-display fingerprint scanner.
The box comes with a PAC-MAN themed protective hard case which looks amazing, other contents in the box include a 65W fast charger, USB Type-C to Type-C cable, OnePlus stickers, quick start guides, manuals, and stuff. It also bundles a special LEGO-styled building blocks DIY mobile holder if you purchase the phone from the OnePlus store.
You will find a USB Type-C port at the bottom side that doubles as the audio output, no 3.5 mm jack is available for earphones/headphones. You have the option to use a Type-C to 3.5mm converter, or use either Type-C enabled wired earphones or Bluetooth earphones. The bottom side also holds a 5G SIM tray that carries dual SIM slots with dual standby, a microphone, and loudspeakers, no slot for a microSD card in the tray. On the top side, a second microphone is available.
The right side has a power key and alert slider in theme whereas the left side has two separate volume keys. The smartphone has NFC, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2 onboard as well as comes with Stereo speakers, one at the bottom and one at the earpiece.
Software & User Interface
The OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition comes with OxygenOS version 11.3 based on the Android 11 with security patch 5th September 2021. The OxygenOS 11.3 has an independent design and some additional features on top of Android 11, but what’s new here is the customized interface in a PAC-MAN theme.
There are a bunch of things you will see in this phone when you start using it, we found PAC-MAN wallpapers, retro-style app icons, ringtones, and sounds from the game, as well as the interface looking dark as the game suggests, and the original PAC-MAN 256 game. Although it isn’t an exclusive game, you will find it on Google Play Store for any Android smartphone.
It still has some easter eggs hidden inside and you have to figure it out, the ones we know are its glowing back, the charging animations, and even small things like pulling down the notification panel will show you PAC-MAN eating dots when you swipe through it.
You will find the least apps installed on the phone, most of them are from Google, a few from OnePlus, and the game itself, no more third-party apps found on the phone.
The user interface is clean and lag-free, the experience is super smooth, thanks to the 90 Hz display and the OxygenOS optimizations. The interface seems ad-free as far as we have used it and does not hamper the user experience. A DRM-L1 certification is available enabling users to enjoy streaming content in High Definition. Also, the stereo speakers experience will be an added benefit.
For updates, the company ensures two years of new Android operating system versions and three years of security updates.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
OnePlus has picked up a MediaTek chip instead of a Qualcomm for its Nord 2 5G smartphones, the OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition equips a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G flagship-level CPU which is capped at 3.0 GHz at max. The CPU is another major highlight of the phone aside from its design and fast charging capability.
About the CPU, the Mediatek Dimensity 1200 is a high-end SoC with 5G support consisting of 1+3+4 core configurations, one high-performance ARM Cortex-A78 core clocked at 3.0 GHz, three performance ARM Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.6 GHz, and four power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. Furthermore, the chip integrates a 9-core ARM Mali-G77 MC9 GPU for graphics application and GPU-intensive tasks.
There is no change in the hardware, it’s the same you see on the top-end OnePlus Nord 2 5G. The OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition is the highest variant among all with as much as 12 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 onboard storage. The storage cannot be extended via a microSD, no dedicated microSD card slot is provided on the phone.
On the performance side, the new SoC delivers 18% reduced transistor density and 8% reduced power consumption as compared to the Dimensity 1000+. In addition to that, it now comes with faster storage, dual-channel UFS 3.1 resulting in 50% increased read/write speed as compared to a single-channel UFS. The chip can be compared with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 flagship SoC, the performance of the Dimensity 1200 would be similar to it, hence, the OnePlus Nord 2 x PACMAN Edition competes with the realme X7 Max (Dimensity 1200) and Mi 11X (Snapdragon 870) in terms of performance.
For gamers, the Dimensity 1200 will not let you down, it is recommended for a multitasker and heavy gamer, it performs similar to the Snapdragon 865 SoC. Gaming can be fun, the Mali-G77 MC9 (9-core graphics) can be squeezed out for gaming, you will be able to play almost all games in high graphics without any visible lags.
Cameras
The OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN offers the same camera specs as seen on all Nord 2 smartphones. The backside has a triple setup with two big camera housing and one small with a dual-tone LED flash. Compared to the predecessor, it sounds like a degrade in the camera department, no fourth camera is found on the back, and it’s the macro camera that lacks the phone.
Another major highlight of the phone is its primary camera, the 50MP (Sony IMX766 sensor) is the main camera with f/1.9 aperture, 1.0µm, and OIS support. This is great since you don’t often find an optical image stabilizer in this segment. The rest two cameras are an 8 MP wide-angle and 2 MP mono. No dedicated telephoto lens and macro lens are available on the phone. The front has a 32 MP selfie camera using Sony IMX615 sensor for selfie and video calling needs.
The 50 MP camera appears to be surprisingly good, but the big change here is the stabilizer, the camera has now an optical image stabilizer which adds to its camera features, the OIS is rare in this range and usually found in flagship-grade cameras.
For its camera interface, there’s a bunch of features to play with, Portrait, Night, Dual Video, Slow-Mo, Expert, Movie, Ultra Resolution, and a few more. For its video capabilities, it can record up to 4K at 30 fps; for 60 fps, it records in 1080p mode. You can also record wide-angle videos which is a great feature.
The image quality, when clicked with the primary sensor, looks quite detailed, the reproduction is exceptional in the bright daylight and good in low light. The wide-angle camera is solid, takes great wide-angle shots, and also performs better than others in this segment. Selfies turn out to be fair and decent from its 32 MP selfie camera.
OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
Moving to its battery, the OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition packs a dual-cell 4,500 mAh battery. The OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition can last up to 1.5 days or 2 days depending upon the usage, it offers good battery performance, the phone can easily survive the next day on moderate use.
That’s not all, the charging speeds are incredible, with its WarpCharge 65 fast charging, the phone is capable of charging at 65W speed. The charging speed is one of the major highlights of the phone, the WarpCharge 65 can charge the OnePlus Nord 2 5G in ~30 minutes from 0% to 100% which is by far one of the fastest charging currently available in its class. Charging for about 15 minutes and the phone can last as much as a full day.
Verdict
OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition is packed with PAC-MAN themes, wallpapers, retro-style app icons, charging animation, ringtones, and sounds from the game along with the original PAC-MAN 256 app pre-installed on the phone, and a protective case covering almost every bit of the PAC-MAN video game giving all that nostalgic feeling for its fans. It also bundles a special LEGO-styled building blocks DIY mobile holder if you purchase the phone from the OnePlus store.
What’s also interesting is its design, the glowing fluorescent neon back is impressive and unique, and it definitely grabs one’s attention. However, it carries the same hardware as the standard variant, the performance, the cameras, and fast charging capabilities are all from its standard variant, costing ₹3,000 additional compared to the top-end variant of the standard edition.
Aside from these, the OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition offers exceptional performance, great cameras with OIS support, stereo sound experience, and super-fast 65W charging with incredible charging speeds. The OnePlus Nord 2 x PAC-MAN Edition is one great smartphone to be considered, it costs ₹37,999 on Amazon India and on the OnePlus store.
Strength
- Glowing fluorescent design | PAC-MAN themed all over
- 90 Hz Fluid AMOLED display
- Fast 6nm Dimensity 1200 SoC | Good gaming performance
- Fast storage performance (UFS 3.1)
- Mind-boggling 65W charging | 100% in ~30 minutes
- Impressive 50 MP camera
- Stereo Speakers
- 5G SIM Support
- Good battery performance
Weakness
- No IP rated
