OnePlus Nord 2 First Impressions: Does the Dimensity gamble pay off?

OnePlus and Qualcomm have had a long and fruitful relationship. Barring the hot Snapdragon 810 on the OnePlus 2, all OnePlus smartphones have paired fantastically with a Snapdragon SoC. The company had also largely stuck to flagship SoCs, but that changed with the launch of the OnePlus Nord last year. The Nord was the first mid-range smartphone from the company since the 2015 OnePlus X, and it received a positive reception from both reviewers and customers, running forward to become one of the most successful OnePlus phone in several regions. OnePlus followed it up with the Nord CE this year, and just a few months later, we now have the OnePlus Nord 2. And for the first time, OnePlus is looking beyond the formidable Snapdragon army and placing its trust and confidence on a MediaTek flagship SoC instead. Will this gamble with the Dimensity 1200 pay off?