OnePlus Nord CE review: "Core" needs more, otherwise a decent offering

After establishing a strong foothold in the premium smartphone segment, OnePlus made a successful debut in the mid-range space with its new Nord series. While the world awaits the Nord 2 after the success of the original Nord, OnePlus went with a minor upgrade and called it OnePlus Nord Core Edition (CE). OnePlus aims to replicate the success of Nord with its new edition with a much affordable option, targeting the masses.

OnePlus Nord CE is Rs 2,000 cheaper than the original Nord, and one might think there are some major compromises. The cameras are less in number, the battery is bigger, the chipset is different, the iconic Alert Slider is missing, so one might say there's a lot to give up. But OnePlus phones have been more about the experience, which is how we take a deeper look the Nord CE to assess if it still manages to leave a mark.

There are many firsts with Nord CE - it's the lightest, cheapest, slimmest and most underpowered phone produced by OnePlus yet. It is also the first OnePlus phone to have a 64MP camera and first to ditch the Alert Slider.

Design and Display

OnePlus continues its signature look with the Nord CE. It has an ergonomically pleasing design, akin to the original Nord. But the glass and metal body is replaced with a polycarbonate, which makes it light and the matte finish on the back disguises the plastic body well while keeping fingerprints smudges at bay. On another plus side, it is more durable than glass back phones minus the water-resisting powers. Noticeably, OnePlus has also removed the brand name from the back panel and went with just the logo, which in our opinion portrays elegance.

The back panel on the Blue Void brings in some nice shades of blue when light falls on it from different angles, and the curved edges get a purple hue, much like the Horizon light in the display settings of the phone. As a part of the "core" experience, OnePlus retains the 3.5mm headphone jack, to put your good-old earphones to use. The Type-C port is standard and the speaker grille sits right besides it. The missing Alert Slider is just as surprising, something OnePlus fans are going to miss dearly. The rest of the design, however, is spot on. 

The flat display on the Nord CE is largely the same, measuring 6.43 inches diagonally and having a Fluid AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. There's a punch-hole camera cut-out on the top-left, which takes little space as compared to the dual camera cut-out in the original Nord.

There are no major complaints with the display either, as there's no frame stutter, thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate. This will be a welcoming change for those upgrading from a 60Hz display. Like any OnePlus phone, the Nord CE's display is as good as it gets. But the inclusion of HDR10+ would have made our recommendation easier. The colours are vibrant, brightness is good and the viewing angles are satisfactory.

Cameras

The original Nord had a total of six cameras, and the Nord CE is barely surviving with four. Of all the sensors, our money is on the primary 64MP Sony IMX471 sensor, which is optimally good. And from our time with the phone, we often kept going back to the 64MP shooter for most photo needs. The 2MP mono sensor came in use only while shooting BnW photos and the 8MP ultra-wide sensor could've done a better job overall.

Here are our observations:

1. The main lens for daylight shots is decent, retains natural colours in landscapes and manages good details in close-ups. With shifting light conditions, the quality of the images took a hit as colours seemed washed out in some shots.
2. The focusing speed is good and image processing is done almost instantaneously.
3. Low-light shots with the primary sensor are decent with the help of external lighting, however, the dedicated night mode can overexpose images in case of a dark setting.
4. Ultra-wide shots need some serious software optimisations as natural colours, even compared to the main sensor, are hardly retained. As you can see from samples below, the sky's is not as blue as the one shot from the primary sensor. The edges are also slightly smudged.
5. Without the optical image stabilisation, the results can get blurry, which is noticeable in low-light shots and in night mode.
6. The portrait mode on the back adds a nice soft bokeh, and the edge-detection is on point.
7. The selfies using 16MP snapper can manage a better job in focusing the subject, capturing the details and skin tones to a large extent. The portrait mode is not accurate, but gets the job done.

OnePlus has already delivered a strong game with regards to the cameras in its flagship series, and it's about time, the rest of the product portfolio gets a similar, if not the same treatment. The benchmark is high, so are expectations. If only OnePlus could do some software spells on the Nord CE.

Performance

OnePlus phones are synonymous with speed and the Nord CE is the most underpowered phone in its portfolio. Powered by Snapdragon 750G, the Nord CE doesn't raise any red flags in terms of day-to-day use. The 6GB, 8GB, 12GB RAM options are more than capable of keeping your multi-tasking needs and daily activities in check. The goodness of OxygenOS makes things pretty neat on the Nord CE, which is one benefit it has over other phones with a less-cleaner OS. But other brands are catching up very quickly on to the clean-UI trend.

There is ample storage on the device, but it's only UFS 2.1. With the top-end model, you can have as many number of apps in the background and won't feel any heat. Although OnePlus chose SD750G over SD860, the performance dip is natural, which can be felt in the gaming arena. Otherwise, the 5G support is a good addition, even if it is just with one band. Anyhow, we are still far from the 5G bandwagon to be debating deep into this.

The Nord CE worked well with Vodafone Idea on both calls and data in Bengaluru. The Wi-Fi range is good and there's support for Bluetooth 5.1 with Qualcomm aptX and aptX HD codec and Sony's LDAC codec if you've already invested in a wireless pair of headsets and if your headphones support NFC, the Nord will be easier to pair.

OnePlus Nord CE is not here to blow your mind away with the performance aspect, but it's playing on a much safer territory and staying afloat. The fingerprint sensor works effortless, as you would expect, and the AOD display on the ink-black display looks stunning. The customisations that OxygenOS offers are compelling and worth exploring.

OnePlus Nord CE is a straight-up no-nonsense mid-range performer, suiting the budget.

Battery

OnePlus has bumped up the battery size to add a few extra hours, which got us through a full day without having to turn on the power-saving mode. Alternating between 4G and Wi-Fi, without GPS, we got 6+ hours of screen-on-time while using the phone for browsing social media, calls, IMs, emails, catching up on a TV show or two, and maybe throw in a session of Ludo. Mixed usage in moderation will easily get you past the day. In case of heavy usage, the phone charges up to full in just an hour or give 70 percent in 30 minutes, so it should keep you afloat.

Verdict

OnePlus Nord CE is a good enough phone on its own, but the competition and OnePlus' own reputation of exceeding people's expectations get in the way. If you've longed for OnePlus experience and refuse to spend more, OnePlus Nord CE is the right place to start. With some strong points like a compelling design, solid display, a lasting battery with fast charging powers, and an excellent software experience, the Nord CE can still be a strong contender. But the average cameras, performance and a few essential cutbacks are screaming for more. OnePlus loyalists without much need for cameras or intense gaming can easily pick this one up.