If you are a OnePlus fan but haven’t been able to get a OnePlus device because they have been out of your budget mostly, then worry not, OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G can be a great option. It is currently the most affordable OnePlus smartphone available in the Indian market. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G feels like a strange device, to be honest. With OnePlus Nord CE 2 in the market at a slightly higher price, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G could be a confusing deal for many. Regardless, I will tell you what you will get when you purchase this smartphone.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G Review: Design and Body
I wouldn’t say it is the best-looking smartphone, but the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is a cute offering. It is available in Black and Blue colour options, I got the black one for review, which is pretty good. The device has a plastic back with a textured block on the upper side that also houses the camera setup. I guess this is OnePlus’s effort in making the device slightly stand apart from its competitors in the same price range.
There’s a 3.5mm audio jack at the bottom with a USB Type-C port and a speaker grill. The volume rockers and the SIM tray are on the left with the power button on the right. There’s nothing on the top, which is fine. It is a fairly light device to hold with slightly curved sides which makes it comfortable to operate. The fingerprint sensor is mounted on top of the power button and is pretty fast.
Honestly, there’s not a lot to talk about the design of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite. It is average but cute. So, there’s that.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G Display and Audio
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G comes with a 6.59-inch LCD display with resolution support of 2412 x 1080 pixels. A great thing about this device’s display is that it supports 120Hz refresh rate. So you can count on things to be quite smooth.
I have been using the device for three weeks now and so far, the display has been very responsive and hasn’t made me mad. OnePlus Nord CE 2 is pretty good for watching OTT (over-the-top) content as well. While the display is not the most colour accurate, it can still deliver a good content viewing experience.
In terms of audio, the experience is quite good as well. It is sufficiently loud and you can definitely watch video songs on this device without earphones and still get a decent experience. There’s a single speaker for audio output at the bottom. The speaker at the top is only meant to work for voice calling I believe.
The only thing I don’t like a lot about the display of this smartphone is the chin. It just feels bad, but it could be because I am used to the OnePlus 10 Pro by now which has an extremely thin chin. Let’s move on to the performance of the device.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G Performance and Battery
In very simple words, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is a decent performer. If you want to do gaming, you can comfortably do that. Opening multiple apps on the smartphone is also doable. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC which is a pretty good performer for the mid-range.
The device boots on OxygenOS 12 right out of the box. You get the usual OnePlus experience in the software department. I haven’t found any issues with the performance so far. When you use the device for heavy gaming for long hours, then you will see scenarios of overheating and the device lagging a little on certain occasions. Otherwise, the performance of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is simply a treat for an average user.
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is a lovely device when it comes to battery. First of all, it packs a 5000mAh battery. Then, you also get support for 33W fast-charging. At the price of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, I love the fact that there is support for 33W fast charging, at least. Then the device is so well optimised with the OxygenOS 12 that it gives a really great battery backup. The 5G bands this device can support are - 5G SA: 1/28A/41/78; 5G NSA: 41/77/78.
Now, let’s take a look at the camera performance of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G Camera Review
Look, I will just say one thing, compared to other devices in the same price range, you are getting one of the best camera systems with the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. The images are very good with understanding the colours of the subject and everything looks good and original most of the time. There’s a limited number of camera modes, but that’s fine as it is not really a mid-range or a flagship device. There's a triple-camera setup at the rear with a 64MP primary sensor, 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. For selfies, there's a Sony IMX471 16MP at the front.
Take a look at the camera samples below.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G Review: Price and Conclusion
The OnePlus CE 2 Lite 5G is available in India in two memory and colour variants. The base memory variant comes with 6GB+128GB for Rs 19,999 while the 8GB+128GB variant comes for Rs 21,999. It is always better to go for the 8GB RAM variant today where the applications are becoming heavier to load in the background. The colour options are – Blue Tide and Black Dusk.
There are bank offers also included. Users purchasing the device via an ICICI Bank credit card will get a Rs 1,500 instant discount on the purchase. There is also a no-cost EMI available for up to three months with the ICICI Bank cards.
In my honest opinion, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is one of the best devices in the price range it is selling at. The device has surely got my attention and my recommendation as it can be a strong 5G option in the affordable mid-range segment.
