
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite review
A notch down
(8GB+128GB)

Design

The Nord CE 2 Lite design is quintessentially OnePlus, and is easily recognisable even when kept in a stack of Android phones (perks of a tech journalist). The polycarbonate body, with its mix of glossy and matte finish looks good, but gives away its budget credentials when holding it.

The sides are slightly curved with buttons on either side. On the right side, the Alert Slider is missing, and instead you do get a power button with a fingerprint scanner embedded. The sensor is quick, but there were times it failed to recognise our finger, and we had to revert to unlocking the phone using a password.
Display


You’re however likely to be a bit disappointed with the speaker onboard. There are no stereo speakers, and what you get is a single bottom-firing speaker. It can get plenty loud, but it sounds one dimensional, and can get muffled when gaming in landscape mode. We highly recommend using a pair of headphones when gaming or listening to music.
Performance

Cameras

The four cameras onboard are a mixed bag at best. The primary 64MP camera shoots decent photos in ideal lighting conditions with good colour accuracy, dynamic range, and sharpness. That said, we did notice the photos leaning towards the warmer side, especially with skin tones. In low light conditions, photos tend to lose details and noise creeps in. The night mode improves things a bit, but not by a lot.




Verdict: Should you buy?

Stuff Says
A well built value-for-money smartphone with a bigger list of pros than cons
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Specifications
Display: | 6.59in LCD 2412x1080 pixels 120Hz refresh rate |
Chip: | Snapdragon 695 5G |
RAM: | up to 8GB |
Storage: | 128GB |
Cameras: | 64MP+2MP+2MP (rear) / 16MP (front) |
Battery: | 5,000mAh 33W SUPERVOOC |
OS: | Android 12 (OxygenOS) |
Dimensions: | 16.43 x 7.56 x 0.85 cm |
Weight: | 195 grams |