OnePlus Nord SE may not be special, likely to offer same specs as original Nord

OnePlus launched its affordable Nord smartphone back in July and since then the phone has been very popular with buyers across the globe. The company has previously hinted that there soon will be more phones launched under the Nord line-up. After this, reports started to emerge that the next Nord phone will be called the Nord SE and will likely come with better hardware and upgraded cameras.

However, it now appears that may not end up being the case, as contrary to early leaks, a Phonearena report now says that the new phone will feature more of an artistic change, rather than bring actual hardware upgrades.

According to the new report by PhoneArena, Nord SE is merely a Special Edition of the existing OnePlus Nord. What's new here is that OnePlus will design it in partnership with designer Joshua Vides -- a graphic artist popular for creating everyday objects in monochromatic hand-drawn illustrations.

The report adds that the Nord SE will only bring aesthetic changes like a revamped rear panel and custom wallpapers, but not bring any upgrades in terms of specs. This essentially translates to the Nord SE being the same phone as its predecessor, but with slight design changes.

Interestingly, this goes against previous reports that Nord SE will bring improvements in specifications like a 4,500mAh battery, 65W Warp Charging and more. Besides, the previous report also mentioned that SE will be available in India and Europe.

According to previous reports, there's no set timeline or even a suggestion from the company about the launch date of the device. However, the expectation is that the phone could launch in the first quarter (Q1) of 2020. Reports suggest the launch could even be around the same time as the company is expected to launch the OnePlus 9 series including the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. As such, we could be looking at a March-April launch for the OnePlus Nord SE in India.

As of now, there's no information on the launch date of the OnePlus Nord but reports claim that the Nord SE could be launched soon after the release of the OnePlus 9, which is expected to go official in March. Interestingly, the phone is expected to come to India while OnePlus is set to give the OnePlus Nord N10 and N100 a skip for the Indian market.