OnePlus Nord CE 2 first impressions

The phone’s design doesn’t scream as much as it whispers that it is an affordable phone. It looks premium-ish at first glance, but it’s when you hold it, the materials give away its price. There are two colour options to choose from, and the Bahama Blue does stand out. 

The back is however a glossy polycarbonate and a huge fingerprint magnet. Within a couple of hours of using the phone, the back panel had more fingerprints than a crime lab’s database. You can either keep wiping it clean or use the bundled case. 

The rest is quite a standard affair, and the overall build quality (despite the materials used) feels solid. Another thing that stands out is how slim and lightweight the device is. The missing Alert Slider on the side has helped OnePlus keep the thickness down to a pleasing 7.8mm.

The 6.43in screen is just about the right size so that it doesn’t become uncomfortable for one-handed use, and the display looks bright and sharp. Under the hood is a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chip, and in the little time we have used the phone, everything seemed smooth and snappy.

The snappy experience is also down to the excellent OxygenOS 11. That said, it is disappointing to see OnePlus phones continue to run Android 11 out-of-the-box. The 4,500mAh battery is good enough for a day’s usage, and juices up quite quickly courtesy of the bundled 65W charger.

The Nord CE 2 features a triple-cam setup at the back, which includes a 64MP primary lens, 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. Upfront, for selfies and video calling, is a 16MP lens. We will reserve our judgements till we have tested all three lenses under various lighting conditions.

In the little time, we have spent with the OnePlus Nord CE 2 there doesn’t seem to be a lot to complain about. It is after all a OnePlus phone for those who don’t want to shell out a lot of money for a flagship killing smartphone. 

With prices starting from ₹23,999, the device is in a segment where choices are plenty and competition fierce. We will be putting the Nord CE 2 through its paces in the coming days to tell you if it is worth buying. So stay tuned.