OnePlus has enjoyed making a range of successful smartphones and while they have branched out into a larger line-up, their Nord line of devices have garnered a lot of interest. That is primarily because the Nord was one the OnePlus phones in a long time to be priced under the Rs. 30,000 mark. The new OnePlus Nord CE 5G takes steps to make the deal even sweeter, with prices starting from as low as Rs. 22,999*. What do you lose out on, and what do you gain from this price drop? The new devices should be out shortly, and so we are here to find out.
The last Nord was launched about a year back, and while it did not run the flagship class processor, it still ran a mighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. The new Nord CE 5G, with its CE standing for ‘Core Edition’, runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor. It still is a powerful octa-core processor that clocks all the way up to 2.2GHz, and it is still 5G-capable like the older Nord. That’s a big deal, since 5G is the future and a phone priced this low comes prepared for it. OnePlus even claims it should reach theoretical speeds of up to 2.95Gbps when the technology is mature and easily available.
The pricing for the OnePlus Nord CE 5G starts at about Rs. 22,999*, and it goes higher depending on the variant you choose. The base models ship with 6GB of RAM, but there are 8GB and 12GB ones as well. The 6GB and 8GB models come with 128GB of internal storage but if you choose the 12GB RAM variant, you get up 256GB of storage which gives a certain peace of mind, since you won’t have to worry about running out of space anytime soon. There is no microSD storage expansion on this device so that’s a big deal.
OnePlus has some great design sense as far as smartphones go. The Nord CE 5G goes by the tried-and-tested template. The new phone is slim, at 7.9m in thickness, and it’s also quite light, weighing at 170g. There are also some nice bold colours to choose from, namely Blue Void, Charcoal Ink and Silver Ray.
Upfront is a large 6.43-inch AMOLED display and that is a good thing. For one, it’s a large screen that is perfect for gaming, for browsing, and multi-tasking. The AMOLED screen has its own set of advantages, some of which include, great colour and good contrast rendition, where the whites stand out and the blacks are truly deep black. It also helps in preserving the battery, since all the dark parts of the screens are truly off. The resolution is also amazing, and a big notch up from what you see on affordable devices. It runs a resolution of 1080 x 2400, which averages to about 410 pixels per inch, a very good pixel density. What’s more, the screen has a 90Hz refresh rate, which helps when you are gaming, but also everything that scrolls and moves, looks so much smoother than traditional displays that were limited to 60Hz.
The rear cameras on the OnePlus Nord CE 5G help it compete with the best of the challengers. There are three cameras up back. The biggest one of the 64MP camera, with an aperture of f/1.79. This is a larger aperture lens, and it should help the Nord click great photos regardless of how bright or dark the environments are. The second camera in the array is an 8MP Ultra Wide camera with a 119-degree field of view, and an aperture of f/2.25. This camera is better suited for clicking wide landscapes, typically of a hillside, a sunset point, architecture along a long, narrow street. The last camera is a 2mp monochrome camera that helps you play with your creativity.
The cameras are accompanied by a LED flash unit, which can come handy when you absolutely need it. OnePlus however tells us to put more trust in their Nightscape mode, which lets you get bright photos without a flash. This is done by compiling a set of photos captured at various apertures along with all kinds of detail. There is also AI scene detection, that helps with the process. There is more though. The rear camera can capture 4K content at 30fps, and you can shoot slow-motion footage at 120fps at a 1080p resolution or at 240fps if you choose 720p.
Up front, behind the punch-hole gap on the left top of the screen is a 16MP front-facing camera. It’s a large resolution camera, so you can be sure you get bold selfies. The Portrait mode is present for this camera, as it is for the rear one. It should help create those smooth, soft bokeh shots we are used on professional cameras. What’s more, the front- camera can also shoot 1080p videos at 60fps.
OnePlus are among the pioneers of fast charging, and their Warp Charge feature hasn’t been skipped on the OnePlus Nord CE 5G. It’s called Warp Charge 30T Plus, and OnePlus claims it can take the Nord CE’s 4500mAh battery from 0 to 70 per cent in just 30 minutes. The 4,500mAh battery should let you go through a day or more without any trouble but charging it for 30 minutes should get you through another day.
OnePlus has returned to the basics, and we are happy with their move to include a 3.5mm audio jack again. This gives users the flexibility to choose any pair of wired earphones with the new Nord CE 5G, without having use a separate adapter. Other benefits stay the same. These include the in-screen fingerprint scanner that is easy to access. Wi-Fi 802.11ac is built-in so you can be rest assured of good wireless transfer speeds and internet access from Wi-Fi hotspots. The new Bluetooth 5.1 standard is also part of the package, which is great for reducing power consumption and improving signal strength. NFC, an excellent feature that is often missed by most manufacturer in their lower priced phones, is present on the Nord CE 5G. It can be used for everything from easily pairing wireless peripherals, for payments and automating tasks on the phone using NFC stickers.
OnePlus ships their new Nord CE 5G with OxygenOS 11, which is built on top of Android 11. OnePlus is known for its software enhancements, and they can be seen with their improved dark modes. There is also a one-handed use mode, which can be handy with a screen this large, and when you are out shopping and need to use the phone only with one hand. The AMOLED display also lets the OnePlus Nord CE run an Always on display, that is great for checking notifications and alerts without having to unlock the device. These can be customized to your liking on the new OxygenOS 11.
There are a ton of reasons to be excited about the OnePlus Nord CE 5G. We are as excited as you are for the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it. For purchase inquiries, pre-ordering and further details, you can reach out to your nearest Reliance Digital store or visit www.reliancedigital.in.
