OnePlus’s Nord line was born relatively recently as a cheap alternative within the premium range. A new member has just been added to this family of the Chinese manufacturer, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G. As its name suggests, the device comes with the latest in connectivity, but that’s not the only thing it offers for a price that starts at 299 euros.
Nord design at a glance
OnePlus opted in terms of design for that of “better known good than bad to know.” The OnePlus Nord CE 5G looks like the original Nord on the outside, especially its glass-finished back. The unit I tried was in Blue Void (blue), and what I liked the most was its matte finish (with violet sparkles as the light falls on it) that hardly gets dirty and makes it much less slippery. This phone is also very comfortable since its weight and thickness are very moderate: 170 grams and a thickness of only 7.9 mm.
The Nord CE features a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+. In general, the viewing experience with the screen is excellent, with correct color reproduction and a brightness level good enough to use it without problems both indoors and outdoors.
One of the differences with the regular OnePlus Nord is that this device includes a classic headphone jack at the bottom. Like its predecessor, the fingerprint sensor is located on the screen, and this one has an outstanding level of response. Let’s remember that OnePlus was one of the first companies to introduce a sensor under the screen, so they know what they’re doing, and it shows in this device.
cameras
OnePlus includes a triple camera on the back of the phone. The primary sensor is 64 MP with f / 1.79 aperture and is accompanied by a 119 ° ultra-wide angle lens.
The camera of the device surprised me for good. Color rendition and the sharpness of photos in good light are excellent, and although noise does make an appearance when the light is low, it takes a long time to do so. In general, even indoors and in artificial light, the silhouettes and figures are well defined, and the colors do not tend to be cake (as with the regular OnePlus Nord).
OnePlus Nord CE 5G
Portrait mode also gave me a satisfying experience. Cropping is quite natural, and the degree of blur, while not manually adjustable, is appropriate in most situations.
For its part, the 16 MP front camera also does a good job. However, it offers a somewhat artificial reproduction of skin color (which many phones from Chinese manufacturers usually sin). Still, the selfies are sharp and bright; portrait mode is also very natural.
The OnePlus Nord CE 5G maintains the excellence of the regular OnePlus and adds details such as the headphone jack or a better design that add points to its experience. Unlike other members of the Nord family like the OnePlus Nord N10 or the Nord N100, the phone features 5G connectivity (and for a much lower price than the N10).
That said, one of the strengths of this device is, in addition to its impeccable design and its price. And precisely thanks to that figure, this device becomes an excellent option for users looking for mobile of higher quality than usual in the mid-range, but at the same time do not want to keep their pockets empty.
Power
For power, the device features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G processor, Kryo 570 CPU, and Adreno 619 GPU. Three versions of memory accompany these chips; my test unit’s configuration was 12GB RAM and 256GB RAM. Internal storage.
OnePlus Nord CE 5G
The phone gave me a perfect user experience daily. I didn’t notice any hiccups or performance glitches like crashes or fps drops. Although the screen does not reach 120 Hz, its maximum refresh rate is more than enough for everyday tasks and other more demanding ones, such as games with high graphic demand.
The phone runs OxygenOS11 on top of Android 11. This customization layer is very clean and easy to navigate, so new users of OnePlus will have no trouble using it. Plus, it offers endless options to customize your phone and gesture commands like flip to mute or lift to answer.
As for autonomy, the phone has a 4,500 mAh battery with Warp Charge 30T Plus fast charging system. Using it regularly, he could get through the entire day without needing to plug it into the mains, though with more extensive use, he needed to charge it at night. According to my measurements, fast charging lives up to its name, going from 0 to 100 percent in just 45 minutes.
