A report from The Mobile Indian (opens in new tab) claims that OnePlus is considering spinning off Nord, similar to what Xiaomi did with POCO. The report suggests that Nord will run as an independent entity going forward, with its own team and a slight rebrand. This means it will replace its current branding with a lighter shade of blue. Future Nord phones may also drop the OnePlus brand from their names as part of the alleged spin-off, according to the report. That said, the brand could retain its parent company’s name in some cases by including the phrases “by OnePlus” or “a OnePlus brand” in its branding. For consumers, this will result in a wider range of choices. The spin-off is supposed to lead to the brand’s expansion into the market for the best cheap Android phones. According to the report, the Nord will specifically target the slightly higher and lower price segments, ranging between INR 15,000 (approx. $189) and INR 35,000 (approx. $441). The latter price point is supposed to be for a “budget flagship” phone. Beyond that, Nord could expand its offerings to include smart TVs, fitness bands, smart watches, Bluetooth neckbands, power banks and other accessories. OnePlus already sells a pair of headphones called the Nord Buds, and we can expect the line to expand in the future. As for its phones, the report claims future Nord phones will run a custom interface on top of Oxygen OS. The brand may also see a significant offline presence if this is completed. OnePlus’ rumored plan reflects a growing trend among Chinese phone makers to spin off their smartphone brands after a while. Apart from POCO, a number of brands come to mind such as iQOO from Vivo and Realme from Oppo, all of which fall under the BBK umbrella. Android Central has reached out to OnePlus for comment and will share more details when we hear back. For now, take this information with a grain of salt.
