The first onePlus Nord (review), who came first, raised expectations in the segment below 30 thousand rupees. The fans were also expecting the Nord phone to come in the segment below 20 thousand rupees, and now in 2022, the Nord finally was finally launched in the segment of 20 thousand rupees. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is the most affordable OnePlus phone that starts from Rs 19,999. As the name suggests, it Nord Ce 2 5G (Review) is a light version, but in some cases it gives better specifications than that. Does Nord CE 2 Lite 5G have everything that we expect in OnePlus less than Rs 20,000, or is there someone among its rivals that seem better for you?
OnePlus Nord Ce 2 Lite 5G Price In India
ONeplus Nord Ce 2 Lite 5G The base variant of this comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, which starts at Rs 19,999 in India. Its 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model is Rs 21,999. Both either come in blue tide or black dusk color. I had its top and variant in blue color for review.
OnePlus Nord Ce 2 Lite 5G Design
Blue Tide color OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite gives 5G the identity of a Nord phone. OnePlus has used these shades of Blue for Nord models. Even OnePlus Buds are available in Nord Blue Shed. The black dusk variant has a sandstone finish.
In the first glimpse, you can also think of the phone Realme or Vivo device. Rather, Realme Q5 And Vivo t1 (Review) also looks almost like this. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G has a 6.59 inch full-HD+ resolution display, which has a camera hole in the top left corner. However, it is a LCD panel, not amoled, which we are looking at the OnePlus phone. The good thing is that you get a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, which is more than 90Hz of expensive Nord CE 2 5G. I like the thin bezel on the edges of the display but the chin is thick. This is the simple thing for this segment phone, except for Motorola G52.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is of frame and back panel plastic. The power button on the right has a fingerprint scanner. Due to the slight mourning in the frame, it is easy to find and reach it. The volume buttons are on the second side with sim tray. OnePlus has given a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom. Here you will also find a single speaker and USB Type-C port.
Like the rest of the models of the Nord CE series, OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is missing an iconic alert slider from 5G. The weight of the phone is 195G which is heavier than Nord CE 2 5G. The weight of the phone is obviously detected at hand. If you put the case together, it seems even more heavy.
The camera module in the back panel has a texcharged finish. When the phone is seen on different angles when placed under the light, the color changes from Sky Blue to yellow. The rest of the back panel is a static blue shade and has a OnePlus logo.
OnePlus Nord Ce 2 Lite 5G Specifications and Software
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G has simple specifications but it is correct according to the competition in this segment. I found it a little disappointing because OnePlus is often known to set the trend, but this time the company did not do so. For processing, it is equipped with Snapdragon 695 SoC, which we have already seen in the same price like Vivo T1, Moto G71 and Redmi Note 11 Pro + 5G. It also has a software RAM boost feature that can use up to 5GB internal storage as virtual RAM (in top-end variants).
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G has support for Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi AC, 4G VoLTE, five 5G bands and six satellite navigation systems. It also has a hybrid SIM slot in which microSD cards can be used up to 1TB instead of another SIM. The phone has a 5,000mAh battery and supports 33W Supervooc fast charging.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G runs on Oxygenos 12 based on Android 12. My unit had an Android security patch of April 2022. The company guarantees two Android OS version updates and three -year security updates for Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. This is quite better than the rest.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G Oxygenos 12 has some new features that we first saw in OnePlus 10 Pro (Review). OnePlus Scout gives you the convenience of searching the contacts, apps and web on the web, as is seen in the spotlight on the Apple device. Work-Life Balance 2.0 now allows you to make profiles so that you can keep the apps used for work separately. You can also do a notification female to maintain focus during work. These profiles can be commissioned on themselves according to time, location or Wi-Fi access points.
OnePlus Shelf can be accessed through a bridge-down gesture from the upper edge of the display. With the help of Private Safe, you can protect your media files and apps through passcode. OnePlus has kept pre-installed apps at least, which is a good thing.
OnePlus Nord Ce 2 Lite 5G Performance and Battery Life
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is a capacity budget phone, which ran smooth during the review period. Everyday items used to go very easily but it took some time to load heavy apps and games. Scrolling in the interface was smooth due to high refresh rate. Multitasking was happening very easily and I was able to switch without stopping among many running apps. With the help of fingerprint scanner and face unlock, the phone was unlocked rapidly. The speaker is loud but it would have been better if the dual speaker setup had been.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G scored 4,00,763 points in AnTuTu benchmark. The phone scored 687 points and 1951 points respectively in Geekbench 5’s single core and multicor test. It scored 17fps and 60fps in the Carchase and T-Rex of GFXBench. If compared to other rival phones with this processor, then these scores are the same.
As far as gaming is concerned, Call of Duty: ‘High’ was smooth on the ‘High’ preset for mobile graphics and frame rates. After playing the game for about 15 minutes, I saw a five percent decline in the battery level, which is not bad.
OnePlus Nord Ce 2 Lite 5G battery life was also good. For me, it lasted for more than one and a half days in ordinary usage. In our HD video loop test, the phone lasted for 23 hours 35 minutes, which is quite a good time. The 33W Supervoooc Charger found with the phone charged the phone up to 50 percent in 30 minutes and 93 percent in one hour.
OnePlus Nord Ce 2 Lite 5G Cameras
The phone has three cameras at the back, with a 64 -megapixel primary lens, a 2 -megapixel depth lens and a 2 -megapixel macro camera. For selfie, it has a 16 -megapixel front camera like OnePlus 9 Pro. One thing that does not cost is an ultra-wide camera, which is found in Nord CE 2 5G.
The camera app is quite easy to use and there are many shooting modes to choose from. Through the viewfinder, you can togle for image capturing HDR, AI Scene Enhancer and Main camera on full 64 megapixel resolution. It also has a ‘Pro’ mode that gives you the convenience of manually adjusting different exposure parameters.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite from 5G photos taken in daylight with good dynamic range and colors. The phone maintained exposure well. Small things seen at a distance in landskep shots were also recognized. AI Scene Anhansar boosted Colors a little but the result did not seem artificial. The photo taken from the 64 -megapixel camera was good but there was a slight lack of details.
Close-up shots were crisp, including light blur in the background for the subject. When the subject goes close, the camera app also suggested how to position the phone. Edge detection was good in the image captured in portrait mode and the intensity of background blur was also adjusted. The 2 megapixel macro camera clicks good pictures but I say that if these two lenses were not in exchange for an ultra-wind-angle camera, I would be happy.
The low-light camera performance was average. Things in the photo were not with sharpness and in the dark parts of the scene, the phone was struggling to capture a photo of sufficient details. After turning on the Night Mode, it took 3 to 4 seconds to take a shot but the photo bright came. With this mode, the phone was also able to get good details in the shadow area.
OnePlus Nord Ce 2 Lite was good in daylight to daylight and a selfie drawn in low-light was good. Portrait shots also came well. In low light, it used screen flash to take bright photos on its own.
Talking about video recording, the phone can record videos up to 1080p. Stabilization was good in day-light footage, only the footage was getting a little shake while walking.
Verdict
I am glad that we finally have an onePlus smartphone which comes below 20 thousand rupees. But at the same time, I am also disappointed that Nord CE 2 Lite 5G did not significantly increase the competition. The features that give this phone are good but not as good, which can make it different in the market. The software updates and fast charging available with it are some attracted points, in addition to this phone, BBK -owned brands such as Realme and Vivo’s handset are the mashup. It is similar to them in appearance and performing.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G gets a tough competition from Vivo T1, which is also 3 thousand rupees cheaper than its base variant, and is the same in the specifications. Moto G71 5G (Review) is also cheaper by 2 thousand rupees, but it does not get a screen with high refresh rate. The phone has an AMOLED display and ultra wide camera.
If you have made up your mind that you have to take an onePlus smartphone and get the software update for a long time in your top list, then you can see Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. For the rest, I think Vivo T1 and IQO Z6 give this performance at a lower price. Moto G71 5G is another option, if you can go with 60Hz displays.