After weeks of teasers and mini announcements the OnePlus Nord has finally been unveiled in full. This upper mid-range handset has a lot going for it, from six cameras in total to a 90Hz refresh rate, 5G support, and more. But it’s also got some tough competition, most notably from the iPhone SE (2020).
That’s Apple’s first real mid-range handset in a long time, and with the Apple name behind it, plus a lot of things to recommend about it – including a truly top-end chipset and a lightweight design – it’s a major rival to the OnePlus Nord.
But while these can both be seen as budget alternatives to big-name flagships, they’re also very different to each other in a lot of ways. Below you’ll find a rundown of all the key similarities and differences, so you can make a decision as to which is right for you.
OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE (2020) price and availability
(Image credit: TechRadar)
The OnePlus Nord is out properly in the UK on August 4 (though before that there is a pop-up sale event on July 31). It costs £379 for a model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while a version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will set you back £469. It’s worth noting however that there’s currently no availability in Australia or the US.
The iPhone SE (2020) on the other hand is out already and starts at $399 / £419 / AU$749. That’s for a model with 64GB of storage and as those prices suggest, it’s available in the US, the UK, and Australia.
If you want more storage, you can also get the iPhone SE (2020) with 128GB for $449 / £469 / AU$829, or with 256GB for $549 / £569 / AU$999.
So the OnePlus Nord starts a chunk lower than the iPhone SE (2020), at least in the UK, where they’re both available.
OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE (2020) design
The OnePlus Nord has a glass back in Blue Marble or Grey Onyx shades, with a camera block running down the top left edge. Flip it over and you’re greeted with basically nothing but screen – the bezels are small, and the dual-lens front-facing camera is housed in a cut-out in the top left corner.
The iPhone SE (2020) meanwhile has a glass back in black, white, or red, with a much smaller single-lens camera in the top left corner of the rear.
The front has large bezels above and below the screen, with the front-facing camera housed in the upper bezel, and a home button (which doubles as a fingerprint scanner) in the lower one.
(Image credit: Future)
It’s an altogether less modern design than the OnePlus Nord’s, but one thing the iPhone SE (2020) does have going for it is a much smaller, lighter shell. The SE (2020) is just 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm and 148g, while the OnePlus Nord is 158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2mm and 184g. So the Nord is bigger in every dimension, as well as being heavier.
OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE (2020) display
The main reason the OnePlus Nord is larger than the iPhone SE (2020) is its screen, as the OnePlus Nord has a 6.44-inch one, while the iPhone SE (2020) has just a 4.7-inch one.
The Nord’s display is a 1080 x 2400 Fluid AMOLED one with a pixel density of 408 pixels per inch, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a 90Hz refresh rate.
The iPhone SE (2020) on the other hand has a 750 x 1334 IPS LCD screen with a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, a 16:9 aspect ratio, and a 60Hz refresh rate. So as well as being smaller it’s less crisp and likely to feel less smooth in operation, due to the lower refresh rate.
(Image credit: Future)
That smaller size however is likely to appeal to anyone who wants to easily be able to operate their phone with one hand, or fit it in a small pocket.
OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE (2020) camera
(Image credit: TechRadar)
There are big differences between the cameras of these two phones, not least because you get a whole lot more lenses with the OnePlus Nord. In fact, it has six in total – four on the back, and two on the front.
Starting with those rear lenses, there’s a 48MP f/1.75 main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), and that’s joined by an 8MP f/2.25 ultra-wide one, a 2MP f/2.4 macro one, and a 5MP f/2.4 depth one. So there’s no telephoto camera, but otherwise this has the main lens types accounted for.
On the front meanwhile, the OnePlus Nord has a 32MP f/2.45 main camera and an 8MP f./2.45 ultra-wide one.
The iPhone SE (2020) on the other hand has just a 12MP f/1.8 snapper with OIS on the back, and a 7MP f/2.2 camera on the front. But while it lacks the Nord’s versatility, we were fairly happy with the snaps it took in our review, so it remains to be seen how the OnePlus Nord will compare in practice.
OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE (2020) battery
The OnePlus Nord has a 4,115mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging, which the company promises will get it from empty to 70% full in half an hour. The company hasn’t said how long it will last between charges, but it’s a reasonable size.
The iPhone SE (2020) meanwhile has a much smaller 1,821mAh battery. This supports 18W charging and also wireless charging, the latter of which you don’t get on the Nord, and while it’s a lot smaller, it’s also powering a much smaller phone. In our tests we found it lasted around a day, which is fairly average.
OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE (2020) specs and features
The core specs of the OnePlus Nord include an upper mid-range Snapdragon 765G chipset (with 5G support), 8GB or 12GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of storage, and an in-screen fingerprint scanner.
The iPhone SE (2020) has a higher end A13 Bionic chipset (the same as you’ll find in the iPhone 11 Pro Max), but no 5G support, and just 3GB of RAM. Storage meanwhile comes in at 64GB, 128GB or 256GB, and while there’s a fingerprint scanner it’s in a button rather than the screen.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
It’s hard to say which will perform better, though in our tests the iPhone SE (2020) certainly did very well for what it costs. Of course, for some buyers the lack of 5G on Apple’s phone will push them towards the Nord.
Another big difference between the two is their operating systems, as while the OnePlus Nord runs Android 10 (with the company’s OxygenOS overlay on top), the iPhone SE (2020) runs iOS 13. So if you have a strong preference for one operating system or the other, then you already know which you’ll prefer on that front.
Takeaway
(Image credit: TechRadar)
The OnePlus Nord looks set to be one of the most exciting mid-range phones of 2020. Its starting price is very low for what’s on offer, and there’s a lot on offer – from a quad-lens rear camera, to a dual-lens front-facing one, 5G, a big battery, lots of RAM and a large screen.
The iPhone SE (2020) though will appeal to fans of compact phones, fans of iOS, and those who want a top-tier chipset.
We’ll have to put the OnePlus Nord through a full review before we can say definitively how good it is, but on paper it sounds very promising, and we already know that the iPhone SE (2020) is great.
Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
