Nord CE 2 Lite: Here’s OnePlus’ most affordable phone yet

OnePlus is really taking it down a notch. With their Nord line, the company has been extending its portfolio to reach more customers, not just power-hungry tech enthusiasts. The recently launched Nord CE 2 Lite is another step down the price ladder. The new entry-level smartphone costs ₹19,999 or ₹21,999.

The CE 2 Lite 5G is an extension of the CE or Core Edition line, which in turn is part of the Nord line. In this family tree, the CE 2 Lite obviously comes without many things that makes a OnePlus phone, what it is. The most noticeable physical aspect is the Alert Slider, beloved by all OnePlus users; no CE phones have that. The design of this device has a slight look of other OnePlus phones, including the shade of blue used by Nord phones.

The case doesn’t seem necessary for the matte-finish back, atleast for the blue unit we reviewed. It’s an all-plastic phone so the back won’t shatter. It could, however, get scratched over time.

This is a medium-weighted phone and its ergonomics aren’t a strong point. The phone is broad and if you use it without a textured case, it will be a bit slippery and require more effort to grip, which can be tiring.

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A few more noticeable things about the design is that you have the headphone jack on the bottom, but just one speaker grill. The sound is loud but not rich and deep. The power button — for the first time on a OnePlus — houses the fingerprint sensor, but it’s so flush against the body of the phone that it can be confusing in a tactile sense. Overall, plastic or not, it’s still a seemingly sturdy phone.

A good view

All design points aside, the CE 2 Lite 5G should have the heart of a OnePlus phone, seeing as it’s positioned as having core features. As it turns out, that’s a little debatable. First off, the 6.56-inch and 1080x2412 pixels display is an LCD, not AMOLED. It’s obviously not as vivid and rich, but it’s not a bad LCD. Colours look pretty good and viewing angles are fine.

As a nice bonus, you also get a 120Hz refresh screen so it feels fast and brightness is good. The bottom bezel is a little thick, which can annoy some users when they remember. The camera dot is also quite prominent and looks as if it’s been deliberately made so for reasons of differentiation.

The CE 2 Lite is powered by Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G (6 nm), a chip used by a whole lot of other budget phones right now. It comes with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. There’s a hybrid slot that lets you use a memory card, if you don’t put both SIMs in.

Smooth ride

While not blazing fast like the more expensive OnePlus phones, the CE 2 Lite 5G is quite fast and smooth in the way it works. Navigating, scrolling, using multiple apps, using the camera etc are quite hiccup-free. The software — OxygenOS 12.1 with Android 12 — is better than most budget phones and adds to the ease of using the CE 2 Lite. Thankfully, few unwanted apps are included and no pushy notifications. The Netflix and Spotify included are unlikely to cause objection from most users, but can be uninstalled in any case.

Of the triple cameras included on the CE 2 Lite 5G, two can be all but ignored — the 2MP macro and 2MP depth. The primary camera is a 64MP lens which yields good colours if you like them strong, but is otherwise unremarkable. Shutter speed is quick, but all else is average. There’s no ultra-wide lens on this phone. The front camera is a 32MP. The phone does have a night mode that does a good job of lighting up a dark image, though it can be a little soft.

The 5,000mAh battery lasts pretty well and charges with a 33W charger in under an hour.