OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G with Snapdragon 695 launched: First look

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G comes as the toned-down version of the Nord CE 2. The recently launched OnePlus Nord CE 2 is a good mid-range smartphone, priced under Rs 25000, and it offers excellent software, solid battery life, and good overall performance. Additionally, this OnePlus Nord CE 2 phone is one of the hottest selling smartphones for April.

The OnePlus smartphone features a 120Hz refresh rate display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite supports an AI-powered triple rear camera setup headlined by a 64MP primary camera sensor. Furthermore, the OnePlus smartphone comes with a list of preloaded camera modes, including nightscape and Bokeh mode.

Additionally, there is a Game Mode, which allows users to disable unwanted message alerts. The 5000mAh battery on the smartphone comes with a 33W SuperVOOC fast charging solution. Along with Nord CE 2 Lite, the Chinese smartphone makers also launched the OnePlus 10R and the OnePlus Nord Buds earbuds in India.

Let’s check out if this smartphone has managed to keep the same balance of features and performance.

Table of Contents

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G price in India

The latest OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G in India starts at Rs 19999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. The smartphone also comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. This OnePlus variant carries a price tag of Rs 21999. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite comes in two distinct color options- Black Dusk and Blue Tide.

Meanwhile, the blue shade makes the device instantly recognizable as a Nord phone. However, it is not an as solid shade of blue this time. When the light is shifted, the color changes from sky blue to a yellowish tinge.

As for the availability, the latest OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is available for purchase on Amazon India, the OnePlus India official website, Reliance Digital Stores, Croma Stores, and other online and offline retailers. To recall, the Chinese brand OnePlus launched the sibling OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G phone earlier this year in February. OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G price in India starts at Rs 23999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G: Unboxing

The latest OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite comes inside a regular black-themed box packaging. We can see the Nord branding on the brand’s top in big and bold font. Once we open the box package, we get the mobile unit, some documentation, and paperwork.

In addition, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite box contains a good quality TPU case, a SIM ejection tool; some Nord branded stickers. There is a Red Cable Club Invite card. The box includes the typical OnePlus Red-colored USB type-A to type-C cable for charging and data transfer. With OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, the company offers a 33W SuperVOOC charger inside the box.

Design

With a massive 6.59-inch display, the OnePlus Nord Lite is not a suitable smartphone for users with small hands. We get the Black Dusk color OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G in our box packaging. Talking about the design, we get a Full-HD+ display with a hole-punch design that accommodates the front selfie camera at the front, and the punch-hole camera sits in the top-left corner. The bezels around the display are thin on the sides, and however, the top and bottom chin are thicker.

Physical Overview

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite frame is flat, and the flat sides make it easier for the users to hold the smartphone comfortably. At the same time, the rear side of the OnePlus handset gets curved sides which manage to maintain the thickness of the device. The rear camera module also sits in the top-left corner as the front camera. The camera module protrudes enough to cause a wobbling effect when the smartphone is kept on a flat surface. Additionally, the camera module itself gets a lined texture.

The fingerprint scanner sits inside the power button in a minor trough on the right edge. The positioning of the fingerprint scanner is convenient, and the trough will serve as a guide for your finger. The volume rockers and the Hybrid SIM Tray will settle on the left edge. On the top edge, we get the secondary noise cancellation microphone. The bottom edge gets the USB Type-C port, primary microphone, a speaker, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The body of the smartphone is made up of polycarbonate material.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G: Specifications

As for the OnePlus Nord details for the specifications, the new OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is a dual-SIM smartphone that runs on Android 12 OS with OxygenOS 12.1 on top. The fresh UI offers a lot of new features and customization options. The unit we received comes with the March 2022 Android security patch.

OnePlus has promised to deliver two major Android updates and three years of monthly security updates for the CE 2 Lite 5G.

Display

The latest smartphone features a 6.59-inch Full-HD+ IPS LCD with a 20:9 aspect ratio. It delivers around 202ppi pixel density and a dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz. Furthermore, the display also supports the sRGB color gamut. The display comes with thin bezels on the sides. Also Read about Snapdragon 750G phones in India

Although, the bezels on the top and bottom sides are thick. OnePlus claims that this display can deliver a 240Hz touch response rate for a better gaming experience during the launch event. The screen on the smartphone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Overall, the display quality is good. But then again, it is not as good as an AMOLED display considering that the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G comes with an IPS LCD panel. The latest smartphone also gets Ambient Mode and Dark Mode.

Performance

Under the hood, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC. This chipset will come along with Adreno 619 GPU. Furthermore, it comes in pair with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage.

We have already seen this processor on various competing devices like the Vivo T1, Moto G71 5G, Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, and the Realme 9 Pro 5G. For the gaming performance, we play CoD at High settings. At High settings, the Game Play is relatively smooth. Based on our experience, we did not notice any lag or frame drop while playing this graphic intensive game. We can easily play games like BGMI, CoD, etc., on this smartphone.

Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, the latest OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G includes 4G, 4G VoLTE, and dual-band Wi-Fi 6. Furthermore, it also gets a 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth v5.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. Similarly, the OnePlus smartphone includes an accelerometer, ambient light, gyroscope, magnetometer, and proximity sensor for sensors onboard.

For device security, it also features an in-display fingerprint sensor for authentication. OnePlus CE 2 Lite 5G gets five 5G bands, and it receives a hybrid SIM card tray. So, it’s up to you to decide whether you need a secondary SIM or a microSD card.

Battery

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G comes with a 5000mAh battery, and 33W SuperVOOC wired charging. The Chinese smartphone makers claim that with this SuperVOOC charging solution, the smartphone can charge from zero to 50 percent in 30 minutes. The detailed review for this OnePlus Nord phone will be published in the coming days.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G: Camera

The all-new OnePlus CE 2 Lite 5G features a triple rear camera setup. The camera module on the back protrudes enough to cause the phone to wobble when placed on a flat surface. This camera setup headlines a 64MP primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture.

The primary camera also gets Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) support. The secondary camera is a 2MP depth sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. The third lens is also a 2MP sensor for macro shots with an f/2.4 aperture.

One of the significant drawbacks of this camera setup is that we don’t get an ultra-wide camera already available on the OnePlus Nord 2 5G. Even other competing smartphones also come with an ultra-wide camera sensor. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G phone comes with a 16MP Sony IMX471 sensor at the front for selfies and video calling, and it comes with an f/2.0 aperture.

Camera Features

There is no wide-angle mode mentioned above, but we can zoom in by up to 6x. The camera app also gets some pre-installed filters, which can be used while clicking selfies and rear camera photos. We can record a video in maximum 1080p (Full-HD) resolution in videos.

There is an additional Night Mode on the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G phone. Furthermore, this OnePlus smartphone also supports a dual view option. With this feature, we can click both front and rear images simultaneously. We get macro mode, Slow-Mo, panorama, and Pro Mode in terms of other options.

Camera Quality

Overall, the camera samples are decent. During indoor shots on human subjects, the skin tone appears a bit pinkish. The pre-installed filters work ideally. The Black and White photos offer excellent results. Moreover, the outdoor image quality is also good.

The outdoor skin tone color of the human subject is also good. The portrait shots are also decent, with good edge detection. The background clarity is also good in both day and night shots. The selfie camera also performs excellently. For videos, there is no stability option. Overall, the camera quality is suitable both for photos and videos.