OnePlus Nord CE
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G: Leaks, Rumours, Possible Release Date
OnePlus has been at the forefront of talks for all kinds of reasons these last few years. From becoming an actual flagship brand from flagship killer to a merger with Oppo, OnePlus has steadily secured its position as one of the leading Android manufacturers.
And much of this establishment came as part of diversifying their offerings. With the Nord CE, OnePlus took a proper shot at the mid-range market and it was a huge hit. Following the legacy, this year OnePlus will launch the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, a toned-down version of their Nord CE 2 5G. Here is everything that is known about the rumoured device OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.
Key Specifications of OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G
Design and Build Quality
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G hasn’t been officially announced yet. So, all the information that is available right now is based on rumours and leaks. Some of the renders give a view of what the device might look like but take these with a grain of salt as the final product might be much different than what’s anticipated.
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OnePlus is expected to retain the basic structure of the Nord CE 2 for the lite version. So there won’t be any massive design overhaul with the device. The exact dimensions of the phone aren’t known yet but some key details have already surfaced.
The device is expected to have an all-plastic build with a glass front. The ports and button selection are all as usual. This time around, the fingerprint sensor has been moved to the power button instead of the usual under-display position.
However, notable leaker Yogesh Brar had some ominous news for the fans of the alert slider. The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G will not feature the iconic alert slider OnePlus is famous for. There also won’t be any micro SDXC support on the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.
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Thankfully, the device is slated to retain the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Except for the removal of the alert slider, everything seems to be as usual on the design end for the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.
Display
OnePlus has always gone with AMOLED panels for their devices. The higher-end Pro variants had 2K resolution panels whereas the Nord had consistently featured FHD+ panels. However, OnePlus is moving away from AMOLED for the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.
The device is rumoured to sport an IPS LCD panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. While the fast refresh rate will add a smooth UI experience, IPS LCD still falls short compared to AMOLED panels. The display itself is expected to be 6.58-inches which hints at a sizably large device. Overall, the display might feel like a step down from what’s seen from OnePlus but on the plus side, there is the 120 Hz refresh rate.
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Camera
There has been a lot of buzz around the collaboration of Hasselblad with the OnePlus flagships. The next-gen cameras are supposed to bring better colour accuracy and details to challenge the likes of Samsung and iPhones. However, none of the collaboration or the tech is coming to the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.
Users will be getting a triple camera setup with a 64 MP f/1.8 26 mm wide-angle shooter and 2 MP depth and macro shooter. The depth and macro shooter are mostly gimmicky with the main load of action falling on the 64 MP sensor.
The main sensor is the same one carried on from the Nord CE 2 5G. So users can expect similar performance from the lite version as well. The sensor performed perfectly under direct sunlight. The dynamic range was also preserved in most shots with a decent job at edge detection. Even though the performance slightly falls in artificially lit conditions, the included night mode does a great job at preserving details and reducing grains.
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The OnePlus Nord CE 2 had the support of up to 4K at 30 fps so the same videography can be expected from the Nord CE 2 Lite as well. The camera is definitely one of the highlights of the device as they included a higher model sensor for this lower mid-range device.
Processor and Performance
The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G will be powered by Snapdragon 695 5G based on the 6 Nm architecture. The octa-core processor will have a core configuration of 2 2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold and 6 1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver processor. The processor will be coupled with Adreno 619 GPU for a power-packed graphics performance.
Snapdragon 695 has already featured in devices like Poco X4 Pro and Realme V25 devices. Considering the performance of those devices, the processor should be good enough for all types of casual use. And since OnePlus has included a dedicated Adreno GPU, the phone should be able to handle graphic-intensive games as well.
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All of these are speculations at this point. The real-world performance and benchmark scores can be known once the device becomes available in the market.
After the merger with Oppo, the Oxygen OS has gone through a significant revamp to become more like Oppo’s ColorOS. Now, this is not really a good thing per se considering Oxygen OS was one of the highest-rated Android skins out there. Nevertheless, ColorOS is what the users will be getting.
Battery and Charge Time
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is expected to ship with a 5000 mAh battery. There will be a 33W fast charger included in the box. Given the processor structure, users should get decent all-day usage out of the device.
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Price in Bangladesh
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G has not yet been officially announced. The speculative price for the Indian market is 17,999 Rs for the entry-level model which roughly translates to 20,411 BDT (1 INR = 1.13 BDT). However, the price may differ once the device is officially launched in Bangladesh.
Final Thoughts
OnePlus venturing into the entry-level market has been an absolute game-changer for the company as well as the users. The company is now creating the same hype and buzz as it did back in 2014 with its OnePlus One and affordable flagship idea. The upcoming OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G will embody much of those core ideas with a trendy design, good battery, and camera module.
However, according to leaks and rumours, the phone may slightly fall short on the display and there might be removal of the OnePlus synonymous alert slider. The exact features will be known after the release of the device. Overall, OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is expected to be a good device considering the aggressive pricing policy of the company.
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OnePlus Nord CE Review: Know the Pros and Cons?
From the early of this year, more midrange smartphones have been released than cheap and premium smartphones combined. As a result, the midrange category has become the new battleground for smartphone makers worldwide.
The Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus brought midrange smartphones back into fashion with the debut of the OnePlus Nord in 2020. Despite its flaws, the Nord series garnered a positive response among customers. In this legacy, OnePlus Nord Core Edition (CE) has been released globally on 11th June 2021. In this review of the OnePlus Nord CE, we lay all the crucial details of the phone.
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Key Features of The OnePlus Nord CE
Design and Features
The OnePlus Nord CE features a similar design as the previous Nord phone, but instead of the Nord's premium glass back cover, it has used a more modest plastic one. The phone also uses a plastic body. However, the plastic body is strong and won't bother the users much.
As the Nord CE follows a generation-old design, it could play a negative aspect for the phone. The design even resembles some realme and OPPO smartphones. That's a huge drawback for Nord CE.
Furthermore, OnePlus has removed Nord CE's custom alert slider. This slider used to be a standard feature of every OnePlus phone. This removal done to stick to the key features will severely influence the user experience, especially on current OnePlus users.
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The OnePlus Nord CE is under 170 grams and maintains a 159.2 x 73.5 x 7.9mm dimension. This makes it significantly slimmer than the original OnePlus Nord. The Nord CE comes in three different color variants- void blue, charcoal ink, and silver ray.
The power button appears on the right side, and it is easily accessible with a single hand. The volume controllers are located on the left. You'll find a 3.5mm jack, a single speaker, and a USB Type-C connector on the bottom. A dual-SIM slot is placed on the upper left side of the phone.
Display
Last year's OnePlus Nord installed one of the best quality displays of its generation. Whereas the Nord CE has come with a less quality screen. There is nothing new to add about the Nord CE display. A fullHD+ 6.43 inches fluid AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate is featured on the Nord CE.
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Although it still suffers from flaws that typically plague the OnePlus 9 phones, the display is laudably responsive and vibrant. Like it is sometimes unresponsiveness to touch and cannot use full-screen apps.
Hardware and Performance
The Nord Core Edition and the original Nord are nearly identical in terms of performance, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G chip in both phones. Theoretically, it has a slower clock speed (2.2GHz) than the original phone's Snapdragon 765G (2.4GHz), but practically, both processors perform the same.
Regarding gameplay, heavy and midlevel games like Call of Duty, Forza Street, and Alto's Odyssey can play without dropping any frame. COD Mobile and PUBG run flawlessly at extremely high frame rates and graphic settings. However, if the frame rate is set to the Maximum, mild jitters appear. Games like Forza Street and Alto's Odyssey also run smoothly on the OnePlus Nord CE. The OxygenOS 11 features a number of gaming aspects, like FPS meter, Do Not Disturb, mistouch protection, and disable auto-brightness.
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Lenses and Shots
In terms of lenses, the Nord CE has received both an improvement and a downfall. The Core Edition has a triple-camera set up on its back instead of a quad-camera set up of the previous Nord. The primary lens on the rear, however, has been boosted to 64 MP from 48 MP on the Nord.
Two other back sensors have remained the same. They are an ultrawide 8MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.3 and an FoV of 119-degree. And a depth sensor of 2MP and f/2.4 aperture. In this Core Edition, a 16MP single-lens has replaced the two lenses of 32MP of the previous version of Nord.
The imaging quality has become a little better in the OnePlus Nord CE. The primary camera is considerably good at capturing detail in daylight. However, the color output doesn't seem natural. Hence, the images may seem over-processed but still good for social media uploads.
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The low light performance of all the lenses seems poor. None of the cameras can capture detail in insufficient light. The primary camera raises exposure randomly in auto mode. It results in a noisy and poor resolution output.
Battery and Charging
The OnePlus Nord CE's 4,500 mAh battery lasts longer than a day on typical use. With heavy use, it can last about a day. The phone can handle graphically demanding games while draining the battery. When it is utilized for gaming, imaging, or multimedia streaming, its battery drains faster. The phone charges quickly as it comes with a 30W rapid wired charger. The battery takes around an hour to be fully charged.
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OnePlus Nord CE Price in Bangladesh
The OnePlus Nord CE is currently available in Europe and India. This phone doesn't appear to be available either in the United States and Australia. The company has released three variants of the phone. But only two variants are available in Bangladesh.
The unofficial price for the basic (8GB × 128GB) variant is around BDT 32,500. While the unofficial price for the top variant (12GB × 256GB) is around BDT 37,000. The price may vary depending upon sellers.
Final Verdict
The OnePlus Nord Core Edition (CE) is a newcomer to the market. It has neither brought exactly game-changing features, nor has overpowered the original Nord phone. In fact, because of its lower cost and simpler linear design, it struggles to find a place in the huge competition of similar price ranged phones. However, if anyone is looking to save a little money, have a stable battery, and a decent display, he should put the phone on his shortlist. The OnePlus Nord CE won't let him down despite it all its shortcomings.
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