OnePlus returned to its roots this year with the release of the value-oriented OnePlus Nord. Two more Nord devices followed later on, and last month we heard rumors of a Nord SE that sounded pretty exciting. Now new information about the phone has come to light, and even though SE may stand for Special Edition, it doesn't sound quite as special as some hoped.

Rather than offering an entirely new form factor like Apple does with its iPhone SE, a new report claims that the upcoming Nord SE is merely a new edition of the original Nord that is unlikely to include significant upgrades when it comes to the internals. Instead, it's being created in collaboration with designer Joshua Vides to provide mostly aesthetic changes like unique custom wallpapers and a redesigned rear panel.

The Nord SE may feature a different rear panel, but it probably won't differ much internally.

Since significant hardware upgrades are probably not in the cards, fans can expect to see the same 6.4" 90Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 765G, and rear quad-camera setup. Previous rumors indicated that OnePlus might bring its Warp Charge 65 technology, which debuted on the OnePlus 8T, to the new Nord — which could be one way to distinguish the new model without costly component upgrades.

We'll know the truth of the SE soon enough, as OnePlus is likely to introduce new hardware earlier than normal. We could hear more about the OnePlus SE along with the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus smartwatch as soon as March of 2021. Whatever the SE turns out to be, let's hope it turns out better than the last Nord phone the company released, which we called "a disappointment at any price."