Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus pulled the curtains on its newest handset, emphasising the device’s affordability and performance features during what it claimed to be the world’s first phone launch in an AR setting.

During the digital event marking the launch of OnePlus Nord, the company said it aimed to bring “a great product at an affordable price”. It will be available from 4 August in India priced from INR24,999 ($335) and in Europe for €399 ($459) or £379 ($483) in the UK.

Nord comes with a 6.44-inch 90Hz Fluid AMOLED display and is packed with a quad camera system on the back, including the 48-megapixel (MP) Sony IMX586 sensor introduced in OnePlus 8.

The company said the phone featured “the highest resolution front camera set-up on any OnePlus phone”, combining a 32MP sensor and an ultra-wide angle lens.

Nord is 5G compatible, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G processor, and runs on OnePlus-developed OxygenOS based on Google’s Android 10.

The phone comes with up to 12GB RAM, a feature allowing users to seamlessly switch from one app to another, the vendor stated.

Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight commented the Nord was a return to OnePlus’ “roots of offering a great product at a great price”, but noted it was arriving in times of heated competition in the mid-tier segment.

He believes the company must differentiate itself, and availability “across a wide range of channels is going to be a key factor in beating its rivals”.