OnePlus Nord CE 2 review: Banking on the OnePlus-factor

OnePlus expanded its affordable smartphone portfolio with another Nord, dubbed Nord CE 2, in February. The smartphone competes in a highly-aggressive price point, making it hard even for a brand like OnePlus to stride effortlessly. The Nord CE 2 could easily get lost in the masses if not for its signature elements.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 is OnePlus' way of getting the attention of the masses through affordable pricing. In fact, the Nord-series gained popularity for that purpose, showing what OnePlus is all about without having to spend a small fortune.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 comes in two variants, one with 6GB RAM and the other with 8GB, priced at Rs 23,999 and Rs 24,999. The onboard storage on both models is 128GB, although there's an option to expand it further via a dedicated microSD card slot, which is sort of a rarity these days.

The sub-Rs 25,000 smartphone category in India is extremely crowded with offerings from a wide range of brands. OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G doesn't necessarily stand out, but it's also fair to say it has its own moments under the sun.

Let's talk specifics.

Design

OnePlus Nord CE 2 appears more Oppo than OnePlus, taking major inspirations from the Reno 7. The Bahama Blue is uncanny. OnePlus Nord CE 2 gets a compact design, with its frame made of plastic and the back is made of polycarbonate. Thanks to the plastic construction, the device is made lighter and easy to use with single hand.

The biggest disappointment we found in the Nord CE 2 is the missing Alert Slider, which has become synonymous with OnePlus. A huge loss for those who were accustomed to it and an even bigger one to those who want that true OnePlus-experience.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 is adorned in a glossy finish, which also means you'd be cleaning its surfaces more often. The camera module is fused into the back panel like melting ice, giving it a nice look and feel. The OnePlus logo takes its regular positioning. The camera rings are enlarged, giving the impression that the sensors are actually bigger.

The rest of the phone's design is pretty standard, including the power button on the right, volume rocker on the left, a 3.5mm jack at the bottom and the SIM card tray on the left.

Overall, we didn't find any complaints with the design. In fact, in terms of practicality, the Nord CE 2 is a solid phone for day-to-day use. It is handy, light and reflects a sense of premium-ness. But you don't get any major wow-factors, if that's what you're looking for. For one, there are no stereo speakers.

Display

OnePlus Nord CE 2 has a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, which is great to use. The animations are smooth as ever, and the touch response is accurate. The Corning Gorilla Glass 5 offers some level of protection, but no one would judge if you put a protective film on top. They run for as low as Rs 80—Rs 100.

There's nothing much about the actual display, as it is similar to the one we saw on the original Nord CE. It's good for consuming multimedia content, thanks to the HDR10+ certification. But don't get too excited as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video content is limited to SDR playback. The high refresh rate is incredibly good, as navigating UI, browsing social media and internet is easy on eyes.

Camera

Don't be fooled by that bold camera module, but don't be disappointed too. The Nord CE 2 comes with a 64MP f/1.7 aperture, EIS camera with 8MP wide-angle lens with 119-degree FoV. The third sensor is a 2MP macro and the front camera is fitted with a 16MP sensor for selfies. There's an AI Mode, which kicks in to breathe some life into your photos, and it surprisingly worked well in certain scenarios, but in some cases, it just boosted colours unnaturally.

The Nord CE 2's camera performance is decent. It handles its shots pretty well during the day, colours are balanced, good details and the dynamic range is acceptable. In low light or dim lighting, taking photos with the same quality becomes challenging. Photos would then pick up visible noise.

The bokeh in portrait shots is done through software and does a fine job at blurring the background while keeping the subject in focus. We found it interesting how the wide-angle lens produced more vibrant photos than the main camera. It's usually the opposite. Again, the wide-angle shots came out better during the day, and in many cases, you'd find them to be more saturated. There's also a 64MP option, which slightly increases the details and colours come out brighter. You can leave it turned on for slightly better photos. 

The third sensor is for macros, which is pretty average and strictly to be used under good lighting or focusing becomes a pain-point. 

Finally, on the front is a 16MP selfie camera. A 32MP snapper would have been a more fit choice. Despite that, the selfies are reasonably good and should suffice your social media needs.

Overall, the Nord CE 2 cameras work to support the entire package rather than being a strong USP for the phone.

Performance

OnePlus Nord CE 2 is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor, supported by 8GB RAM as standard. Disappointingly, the Nord CE 2 runs Android 11-based OxygenOS 11, which means it is lagging behind many phones that have already been upgraded to Android 12. For a company that has built a strong impression around software, this is a rather disappointing move.

However, on the experience front, you don't miss much. The animations and customisations are as good as they get. We did not notice any lags, any changes in settings take place in real time and the dark mode has a true dark appearance.

From gaming to day-to-day use, the Nord CE 2 handles most of the tasks well. There's Game Pro mode to add some extra smoothness and speed during those gaming sessions. There were no noticeable drops in frames, but don't expect to enjoy high-graphics games at their maximum graphics settings. For the pro gaming experience, OnePlus flagship series is more apt.

The Nord CE 2 has an in-display fingerprint scanner, which works accurately and reliably fast. But the face unlock works faster, when there's enough light around.

Battery

OnePlus Nord CE 2 is powered by a 4,500mAh battery, which charges using a 65W fast charger. One of the things OnePlus' commitment to speed consistently reflects in is the charging speed and it's intact in the Nord CE 2. The phone can charge fully in under 45 minutes, but without just 15-20 minutes of charging a day's worth use can be handled.

It's a solid phone in terms of battery. It consistently delivers a full day's worth of use. Binge-watching or extending gaming sessions can drain the battery sooner, but plugging in the phone for a short while can keep you going.

Verdict

OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G is has some things working in its favour, and some not so much. The phone has a good design, reliable performance and solid battery package. The display, with its 90Hz refresh rate, is a modest offering, which makes day-to-day user experience pleasant. You also get 2+3 years of software support, so you will be good for at least two years of major Android updates, which will reform your user experience.