OnePlus Nord CE 5G is a mid-range release from OnePlus in Nepal and one of the many Nord series smartphones from the company. OnePlus has always been a smartphone to watch and has established itself as one of the best smartphone companies in the world.
The release of the OnePlus 9 series directly rivals the best smartphones in the Nepali market not only in terms of specifications and features but also in price. But before OnePlus goes to compete against the best smartphone companies with their own flagships, others are already famous for providing a solid smartphone at a reasonable price.
Since the OnePlus series no longer provides that flagship feature at an affordable price, it has released a different series, the Nord series. The main idea of the Nord series is to regain the popularity OnePlus was originally known for. OnePlus Nord CE 5G, accordingly, has many things to offer. Yet, it seems the phone is not priced rights in terms of its competition in the market.
So, let’s get into the details of the phone to know more.
Specifications
| Dimension | Height: 159.2mm Width: 73.5mm Thickness: 7.9mm Weight: 170 grams |
| Display | 6.43 inches Fluid AMOLED, 90Hz |
| Sim | Dual sims |
| Resolution | 1,080*2,400 pixels |
| OS | Android 11, OxygenOS 11.0.5.5 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (8nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 619 |
| Storage | 128/256GB |
| SD card slot | No |
| RAM | 8/12GB |
| Camera | Front: 16MP, f/2.5 Rear: 64MP, f/1.8 8MP, 119 degrees (ultrawide) 2MP, (depth) |
| Sound | Loudspeakers 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Battery | 4500mAh, Li-Po, non-removable Fast charging 30W |
| Sensors | Under-display optical fingerprint, accelerometer, compass, gyro, proximity |
| Colours | Blue void, charcoal ink, silver ray |
| Price | Rs 44,999 (8/128GB) Rs 51.499 (12/256GB) |
Design and display
OnePlus Nord CE 5G has a simple and elegant design. There are no fancy camera modules or curves on the phone. It has a glass front, a plastic back and a plastic frame build. The back has a soft touch and matte finish that does not allow the fingerprint to stay on the phone. Similarly, the camera module is placed vertically on the phone. With weighing only 170 grams and 7.9mm in thickness, this is one of the lightest and slimmest phones from OnePlus.
The phone features a 6.43-inch fluid AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and has a resolution of 1,080*2,400 pixels. There is a cutout on the display for the front camera which resides at the corner. It also features an under-display fingerprint sensor.
Cameras
OnePlus Nord CE 5G features a triple camera setup on the back. The 64MP main camera is housed together with a 119-degree 8MP camera and another 2MP depth sensor. On the front, there is a 16MP HDR selfie camera.
The camera features portrait mode on both the back and front. It also offers a night mode feature for low light and night photography. The selfies from the camera look good as well.
The rear camera can shoot videos in 4K resolution, but not with the ultrawide lens. The video from the ultrawide lens is limited to 1080p only. Even the front camera is only capable of shooting videos at 1080p resolution only.
Performance and battery Life
OnePlus Nord CE 5G runs on Android 11 with OxygenOS 11.0.5.5 on top. Meanwhile, the phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (8nm) chipset and the graphics are handled by Adreno 619.
The phone features a 4,500 mAh non-removable Li-Po battery that supports 30W fast charging. The phone gets a 70% charge in just 30 minutes. This power should get you throughout the day and even though if you are low on power, just a few minutes of charging should be enough to continue your work.
Storage, connectivity and other features
OnePlus Nord CE 5G comes in two variants. The 8GB RAM variant comes with 128GB of internal storage whereas the 12GB RAM variant comes with 256GB of internal storage. There is no memory card slot on the phone, which means the storage of the phone cannot be expanded.
Along with supporting a 5G network and dual-band wifi, the phone also supports Bluetooth 5.1, is NFC enabled and has a USB Type-C 2.0.
OnePlus Nord CE 5G also features a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio connectivity but does not provide stereo speakers.
The price of OnePlus Nord CE 5G is Rs 44,999 for 8/128GB and Rs 51,499 for 12/256GB variants.
Verdict
In this price range, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G competes against the likes of Samsung A52, Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Lite 5G and Poco F3.
This is one of the most stacked segments in the market and unfortunately for OnePlus, there are many other smartphones that offer a better value at this price. Poco F3, Samsung A52 and even Poco X3 Pro offer a better display with a higher refresh rate than OnePlus Nord CE. This phone may offer a better-looking build, cleaner Android experience and longer battery life although they lack in many other aspects. The phone does not have an IP certification, nor has an HDR10 support display. The phone does not have a microSD card slot as well as stereo speakers.
Although the phone offers a respectable performing SoC (chipset), there are other smartphones on the market that offers a better and newer version. It is really hard to predict how the phone fares in the market with a price tag like this.
