OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, palms on: OnePlus’s most inexpensive handset may provide higher worth

OnePlus has a fame for strong service within the mid-range smartphone market, however I used to be disillusioned that some elements had not been upgraded within the not too long ago reviewed OnePlus Nord 2T 5G, which begins at £369. There may be additionally disappointment with the brand new Nord CE 2 Lite 5G — not a lot with the cellphone itself, however as a result of in a crowded market this £279 cellphone is arguably costlier than it ought to be: on condition that the ‘Lite’ model is barely £20 cheaper than the Nord CE 2, which we reviewed again in March, OnePlus may have pushed its least expensive handset additional on worth (see specs comparability beneath). Like its Nord CE predecessors, the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is not formally on sale within the US. 

There are two color choices, Black Nightfall and my evaluation handset’s reasonably arresting Blue Tide, whose light-refracting again morphs between child blue and barely deeper shades. The higher part of the again homes a big digicam digicam which stands very proud, inflicting important rock-and-roll on the desk when the uncased cellphone’s display screen is prodded. Vertically stripes operating the complete depth of the digicam bump and full width of the cellphone is not one of the best design concept I’ve ever seen – it seems like somebody put sticky tape on this part of the cellphone. 

As with the Nord CE 2, OnePlus omits its trademark Alert Slider, which helps you to change between silent, vibrate and ring modes. Nevertheless, the interior specs impress. The Nord CE 2 Lite is powered by Qualcomm’s quick mid-range Snapdragon 695 5G chipset with 6GB of RAM, a platform that delivered Geekbench 5 CPU scores of 685 (single core) and 1945 (multi core). By the use of comparability, the MediaTek Dimensity 900-based Nord CE 2 with 8GB of RAM scored 719 (single core) and 2143 (multi core). 

There may be 128GB of inner storage of which 108GB is free out of the field. The 5G assist is obvious within the handset’s title, and customers have the selection of utilizing both two SIMs or one SIM and a MicroSD card. 

There is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the underside edge, and a fingerprint sensor constructed into the ability button on the correct facet.  

The display screen is fairly good contemplating this handset’s worth. It is an IPS panel reasonably than AMOLED (as on the Nord CE 2), however at 6.59 inches and delivering 2,412 by 1,080 pixels (401ppi) it seems clear and sharp. The 120Hz refresh price can also be good to see in a cellphone at this worth. 

There are few surprises on the software program entrance, with Android 12 and OxygenOS 12 offering a reasonably clear expertise, with a gratifying lack of bloatware. I may do with out Netflix and TikTok cluttering the place up, however each might be uninstalled. The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G contains the OnePlus ‘shelf’, the place you sweep down from the display screen’s high proper to entry a variety of widgets. Some customers discover this distracting as they’ll hit it by mistake when accessing the notifications bar, however I discover it straightforward sufficient to work with. 

SEE: The perfect 5G telephones: Which flagship comes out on high?

There are three rear cameras, the primary one being a 64MP f1.7 unit that shoots a good image. The opposite two are reasonably much less helpful: a 2MP f/2.4 depth-assist digicam and a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens that must be 4cm from the topic for finest impact. You may shoot 1080p video at 30fps, and slow-motion 720p video at 120fps. The entrance digicam is a 16MP f/2.0 unit that shoots acceptable selfies and captures 1080p video at 30fps. 

The battery capability is a beneficiant 5000mAh. Though the Nord CE 2 Lite refused to finish the PCMark for Android Work 3.0 battery life take a look at, I discovered it misplaced 15% of a full cost after operating YouTube video repeatedly hours. This means whole battery lifetime of 20 hours. OnePlus supplies a 33W charger, which ought to take the handset from empty to 50% in half an hour. There is not any assist for wi-fi or reverse charging, as you’d count on with a handset on this worth bracket. 

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is a neat and decently specified handset, however it’s arguably a bit of overpriced contemplating that, for simply £20 extra, the Nord CE 2 offers you an AMOLED display screen (albeit with 90Hz reasonably 120Hz refresh), barely higher efficiency, comparable battery life, quicker (65W) charging, an ultra-wide angle digicam, and Wi-Fi 6 reasonably 5. 

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite specs

Options to contemplate

As the price of dwelling rises, many smartphone patrons are shifting their focus from costly flagships to mid-range and funds handsets. There’s an growing vary of alternative at lower cost factors — listed here are three main contenders across the £300/$350 mark.

RECENT AND RELATED CONTENT

OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G evaluation: A succesful mid-range 5G cellphone with glorious battery life 

OnePlus Nord CE 5G evaluation: A succesful and inexpensive Core Version 

OnePlus Nord 2T 5G evaluation: Lengthy-lasting, fast-charging mid-range 5G cellphone will get a chipset improve 

The 6 finest Samsung telephones: Discover a brand new Galaxy

The 5 finest low-cost telephones: Flagship options for beneath $450

Learn extra critiques