Behind the OnePlus Nord 3: choose the Dimension 9000

OnePlus has been using MediaTek chipsets for some time now, integrating the Dimension 1200 into the Nord 2 and the 1300 into the OnePlus Nord 2T. With the Nord 3, we’ve seen the company packing in a Dimensity 9000, a significant step forward and a flagship chipset that gave Qualcomm more than a run for its money when its plus variant was pitted against the Snapdragon 8 new generation gen 2. We spoke with Kinder Liu, President and COO of OnePlus, and MediaTek’s Dr. Yenchi Lee, Deputy General Manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communications Business Unit, to learn more about the choice of the Dimension 9000 for the Nord 3.

Why OnePlus chose Dimension 9000 for the Nord 3

OnePlus is known for making some of the best Android phones, like this year’s flagship OnePlus 11, but those use the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. So, one of my first questions for Liu was why OnePlus chose the Dimension 9000 for the Nord 3. It makes sense for the company to stick with MediaTek for its more affordable smartphone lineup, and Liu echoes that. He tells me that OnePlus has been “really impressed with the performance of MediaTek’s processors and the price points they’ve allowed us to hit,” which basically says these chipsets are much cheaper to buy for the company to hit this level of performance. performance, rather than an equivalent Qualcomm chip.

Liu also notes that the Dimension 9000 “is actually the same processor that powers our OnePlus Pad,” meaning there’s a level of familiarity the company can fall back on when implementing it. Lee notes that “partnering with OnePlus allows us to highlight the power and capabilities of our advanced chipsets,” which makes a lot of sense. More and more companies are slowly giving MediaTek a chance, and early adopters are the ones who will convince the rest of the pack that these chipsets are worth a try.

Lee would also like to point out that MediaTek has a long history with OnePlus, with MediaTek chipsets powering the Nord 2T, Nord 2, Nord CE2 and OnePlus 10R. Kinder notes that in the case of the OnePlus Nord 2, OnePlus worked with MediaTek and their “Open Resource Architecture” so much that they ended up releasing the Nord 2 with the Dimensity 1200-AI, a new version of the Dimensity 1200 SoC that started as result of this work together.

I asked if there was anything the OnePlus Nord 3 takes advantage of the Dimension 9000 that it couldn’t achieve on a Qualcomm chipset, and was told that there are no specific features OxygenOS has on the Nord 3 that are based on MediaTek. However, Liu told me the Nord 3 will be one of the first phones to run OxygenOS 13.1. To that end, Liu said this update will bring “Zen Space, a new and improved Zen mode, as well as O-Relax, a new app designed to help you unwind from a busy day with relaxing sounds, calming white noise, and mini-games.” designed to relax you.”

What the Dimension 9000 can do for cameras

When developing camera processing software for a particular smartphone, the chipset on which this code will run and the image signaling processor (ISP) are extremely important. This is why the Google Camera ports worked well on Qualcomm smartphones but required a lot of work to work on other devices; they leveraged Qualcomm SoC hardware, so when you ran it on an Exynos or MediaTek device, it couldn’t process them the same anymore

The most interesting part Liu notes is that the Dimension 9000 allows the company to implement its “AI Noise Reduction” feature. I can’t find this feature marketed on any other OnePlus device (certainly not by that name), with the only other device that shares the same being the company’s OnePlus Nord Buds in relation to calls. Liu says this feature improves captured video, which I assume is specifically referring to low-light video.

Lee provides more detail on this, saying that the Nord 3 takes advantage of MediaTek Imagiq AI Noise Reduction (AI-NR) techniques, which aim to reduce ISO noise for a better quality shot. While similar algorithms undoubtedly exist on Qualcomm chipsets as well, it’s important that OnePlus harnesses the power of another SoC platform and works with the chipset vendor to ensure it gets the most out of what’s on offer.

As already mentioned, early adopters can reap the benefits of MediaTek’s powerful chipsets while also signaling to others in the space that these chipsets are viable alternatives to what Qualcomm has in the space, and Lee more or less says exactly that. When I asked how both brands benefit, Lee told me that “our partnership allows us to showcase MediaTek’s advanced chipsets.” Additionally, he said, “This collaboration broadens our reach and allows us to demonstrate the full potential of our chipsets to a larger consumer base.”

It’s pretty clear that this is an outreach exercise for MediaTek, and it essentially serves as a way for the company to demonstrate that it has powerful chipsets that consumers will love. The Dimension 9000 was an excellent chipset when it was released, but very few devices used it at first. Oppo later released the Find N2 Flip, which uses the 9000+, and also the Tecno Phantom V Fold.

As for Liu, he tells me that MediaTek has a “similar desire to be better,” in line with OnePlus’ core principles of “Never Settle.” He goes on to say that “We think we’ve found the perfect processor for this phone’s mix of fantastic performance and fantastic price,” in relation to the Nord 3. From that standpoint, it makes sense, as the Nord series has always been a line of smartphones more attentive to the price.

The OnePlus Nord 2 has been one of my favorite OnePlus phones over the last few years, and as someone who has used devices with the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+, I’m extremely happy to see the Dimensity 9000 making its way to the Nord series. It’s been a phenomenal chipset in every device I’ve used it in, and I have no doubt it will be excellent in the Nord 3 as well. It’s an older flagship chipset in an otherwise mid-range smartphone – an attractive offering if you ask me.