Verdict
This mid - reach smartphone offer good overall carrying out , with a quality screen , comparatively high-pitched processing power and dandy fast charging – but it is n’t an particular buy for the damage , and it does n’t look quite as attractive in 2023 .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
OnePlus ’ Nord range promises the benefits of the stain ’s expertise , especially in processing execution and screen technology , at a low price than the the likes of of its flagships ( such as theOnePlus 10 Proand more recently , theOnePlus 11 ) – which have become prohibitively expensive compare to the early models in the series .
This model retails for £ 279 , and yet amount packing some telling specifications such as a 120Hz screen , a 64 - megapixel main camera , and a 5000mAh shelling that ’s plunk for by 33W fast charging . In fact , you may get it even cheap at third - party retailers like Amazon in 2023 , though that ’s likely down to the fact that it has recently been interchange by the upgradedOnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite .
With its successor now available , is this still a buy for a 5G - capable handset , or could you get more thrill for your buck elsewhere ?
Design and Screen
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5 G is by no agency a brassy phone to take care at , especially when compared to some of the multi - coloured glossy headphone you ’ll sometimes find for this price ( not to note the gorgeous Nord CE 3 Lite ) but I like its muted feeling .
The rearward panel is dominated by a matte - blackened finish , but a small textured showy section at the top does lend some interest in condition of both sight and touch . This matt back is a pragmatic choice , too : like some reflective instrument panel , it is n’t prostrate to picking up fingerprint , with that aforementioned shiny part being above the part where your fingers normally take a breather .
The camera module protrudes slimly from the back , and although it is n’t noticeable , I did discover that junk could quickly assemble around it . It ’s a small defect that more swimmingly contour mental faculty could neatly quash .
Nonetheless , this gadget is very manifestly made of plastic , and the bare action of picking it up reveals that the Nord CE 2 Lite 5 chiliad is n’t a premium gadget , lacking the coolness of glass and metal that marks out thebest phonesin the range . That ’s hardly surprising , though , given its price – and bear in mind the telephone set ’s comparatively trashy expression caliber , it looks ok .
TheNord CE 2 Lite 5 G does have a 3.5 mm headphone jack , which is good news if you either have n’t yet made the leap toBluetooth headphones , or would like a backup selection for the times they lose their flush . There ’s also expandable storage usable in the SIM tray – you ’ll have to opt between adding a microSD or a 2d physical SIM board . Unfortunately , though , this gadget lacks anIPrating , which would have told us how it may have react when display to H2O or dust .
For quicker unlocking than just move into a PIN or practice on the screen , you could use either the fingerprint scanner that ’s embedded in the power button or else face unlock . I started out by using the fingermark electronic scanner , but in reality happen it frustratingly undependable , frequently misread my prints and neglect to take into account access to the gadget . I tack to face unlock rather , but this is often cite as a less unassailable method of screen unlock due to its relative unreliability .
The screen measures a healthy 6.59 inches , and has one particularly impressive specification give the damage : a 120Hz refresh charge per unit . This entail that the display update itself 120 times each 2nd , make it crack - smooth in action , specially when scrolling down societal media feeds for example .
OnePlus take that this feature is dependent to “ AI dynamic refresh rate direction that adjusts the refresh charge per unit ground on your utilisation habit to save barrage fire life ” . However , it ’s undecipherable exactly how adaptative this refresh rate is , and in the configurations app you could only opt between 120Hz and 60Hz .
The resolving power is just as sharp as you could expect at this cost distributor point , being 1080p ( Full HD ) , and I always found it to be light and decipherable . However , unlike many other smartphone CRT screen these days , this one is n’t anOLEDpanel – it ’s LCD . This mean that you wo n’t get the gross contrast and recondite pitch blackness that OLED can deliver .
I enjoyed watching YouTube video and rewatching old Seinfeld episodes on this projection screen , as well as scrolling through my increasingly depressing newsfeed ; but it does n’t do full Department of Justice to footage that demands HDR or deep contrast to really appreciate .
Camera
The television camera system is led by a 64 - megapixel detector , along with two 2 - megapixel secondary sensor ( a macro camera and a astuteness detector ) – which , frankly , do n’t do much . Let ’s be clear : this headphone ’s photographic merit rest entirely on its main lens , but that does n’t make it much unlike from other crummy phone , few of which tender corking versatility .
As you may see from the sampling shot above , this is n’t a poor shooter by any means , with images being reasonably discriminating and clear . However , it miss the item and dynamical range that you might require from classier camera phones – or even the ilk of theRealme 9 Pro Plus , which is within the same price stove but far superscript in this wish .
As mentioned , there ’s no telephotograph zoom , so you ’ll be reliant on using digital rapid climb instead for shoot closer to your subject field . The above picture was taken at 2x , and it ’s still crisp enough to be usable .
When you ’re shooting in low-down sparkle , it ’s worth noting that picture are near - unusable unless you have Night mode apply . As you could see from the above photo , lights are all bungle out and the detail is catastrophically pitiful otherwise .
When Night modeisapplied ( as above ) , keeping your phone still for a few irregular while it influence its legerdemain , shots were still far from perfect – with glaring highlights . But at least objects are actually distinct again .
Quite a lot of phones in this monetary value bracket offer amacrocamera that ’s rarely of much use , and above you’re able to see the result of this one . It is n’t that big , but you wo n’t often put it to practice . An ultra - wide ortelephotolens would be of far more use in your solar day - to - day shot .
turn to the 16 - megapixel selfie camera , detail is n’t as sharp as the independent camera ( which is to be expected ) ; but you could still get some nice pic from it .
When using Portrait mode , the bokeh gist comes entirely from the computer software – not from any forcible camera core – and , as you’re able to see from the above photo , it ’s more or less flawed in its program . It blurred the edge of my hair and ear slimly in Holy Order to achieve the desired “ pop ” expression with the foggy background . Below is an image without Portrait style applied , which I found preferable given the shortcomings of the software program .
The best video transcription you ’ll get from the rear television camera is 1080p footage at 30fps , and so final result certainly are n’t as smooth or discriminating as you’re able to carry with thebest camera earpiece . Nevertheless , it ’s good enough to capture a passing moment . The dual - view video feature article , where you could shoot from the main rearward camera and selfie camera simultaneously , is sure enough fun to play around with .
Performance
The Nord CE 2 Lite 5 G runs on a Snapdragon 695 5 1000 chipset , which is a somewhat strong mid - range processor , though it ’s beginning to show its years in 2023 . That ’s supported by 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage , though it ’s deserving noting that the newer Nord CE 3 Lite 5 G boasts a boosted 8 GB of RAM as standard with the ability to get an additional 8 GB of virtual RAM by using spare read-only storage and this really help day - to - day performance . The modem delivers5Gconnectivity , plus the headphone boast threefold - band Wi - Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 . Call tone prove super - clear in my experience .
During my time using the speech sound , I did n’t experience any app crashes or lag , and even demanding game ran very smoothly . In the tabular array below , you’re able to see its benchmark performance scores – scroll across to see how it stack up against primal rivals , admit thePoco X4 Pro 5G. The Geekbench slews worry the CPU execution , which is responsible for the primary role of your smartphone , while the GPU weigh more for gaming – and that ’s measure by the 3DMark metrics .
Test Data
The software package at manoeuvre here is OxygenOS 12.1 , which is base onAndroid 12 . I ’m a fan of this substance abuser interface , which is minimalist and unnoticeable – in bare direct contrast to rival handsets from the ilk of Realme and Xiaomi , which often occur pre - stuffed with bloatware . In particular , I ’m a fan of the Shelf characteristic , where you slide down from the top - right of the screen for access ready to hand widgets .
Battery Life
On the grimace of it , you might well be pleased to see that the Nord CE 2 Lite 5 G has a 5000mAh shelling electrical capacity , since this is normally a generous and reliable size of electric battery to admit in such a gimmick .
However , I found that the battery actually drained more chop-chop than might be expected . One 60 minutes of watching Netflix consume 7 % , which is more or less par for the trend ; but an time of day of well out music on Spotify drain the battery by 5 % , which is eminent than expect . Most alarmingly for me , it fall back in the realm of 10 - 15 % of its charge while on standby overnight , when that figure is commonly well down into the undivided dactyl for other handsets .
If I did n’t use the earphone intensively then I found I could get through the day without recharging , with three hours of screen metre or so . This underwhelming final result may part be down to the demand of 5 G , or perhaps the deficiency of a varying refresh rate – either style , it was below my expectations . If you ’re not going to have admittance to charging ports through the day , with more than a few time of day of covert - on time , then I ’d recommend against this phone .
fortuitously , however , tight - charging was a different story . The 33W - rated charger , which is included in the boxwood with the distinctive red - colouredUSB - Ccable from OnePlus , redeem excellent recharging capabilities . From a dead battery , it topped up the gadget to 50 % in 32 minutes , and after just 75 minutes it was all the means back up to full again .
While this is an excellent feature of speech to have , I ’d still have favor more baseline battery to keep my mind at ease during the day , rather than having to vex about whether I ’d make it to a charging embrasure in meter . Note , too , that the Nord CE 2 Lite 5 G does n’t support wireless charging , either .
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Should you buy it?
You ’re looking for a telephone that execute well , offer a adequate cover , and you ’d favor to weigh on tight - charging rather than the battery .
You need a generous shelling to get through the day and a stellar camera is a priority .
Final Thoughts
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5 G is a smartphone that impress across the board , from the high performance standard , to the placid screen , to the satisfying chief camera detector .
In accession , the tight - charging capability is excellent . However , bombardment spirit prove a mo of a disappointment , which came as a surprise yield its 5000mAh capacity , and many of its specs have been supercharge by the ( slenderly more expensive ) OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite in 2023 . If you may get it at a discount and you may live with the strike - and - young woman electric battery , it could still be a tempting buy , but there are more capable pick useable in 2023 .
Trusted Score
How we test
We try out every mobile phone we refresh soundly . We use manufacture - stock tests to compare feature properly and we use the sound as our principal twist over the follow-up period . We ’ll always say you what we feel and we never , ever , take over money to review a product .
FAQs
Yes , you may get 5 G data speeds as long as you have a compatible SIM card and internet coverage .
you may get it in Black Dusk ( as sport in the review ) or Blue Tide .
No , it does n’t have an IP military rating , so we do n’t know how well it would view as up when exposed to water or detritus .
