OnePlus has finally raised the curtains off its affordable 5G smartphone, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G during the ‘Summer Launch Event’ on Thursday. The Nord CE stands for Core Edition and appeals to the youngsters who don’t want to compromise on design, performance, and features. Nord CE has a similar pill-shaped rear camera design and a punch-hole selfie camera. However, the new Nord is slimmer and comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The primary camera has been bumped to 64MP from 48MP while keeping the rest of the goodness intact. Yes, the Nord CE comes with a 90Hz AMOLED panel and a 4500mAh battery with 30W fast charging support.
The phone will go head-on against the Samsung Galaxy M42 5G, Realme X7 Max, and the new iQOO Z3 in the affordable segment.
OnePlus Nord CE 5G: Specifications
Now that we have an official confirmation, let’s discuss the specifications in detail.
Nord CE Silver Ray 
Nord CE Blue Void 
Nord CE Charcoal Ink
Display
The Nord CE 5G sports a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It comes with a 2400 x 1080p resolution, a pixel density of 410ppi, and a punch-hole cutout for the front camera.
Performance on OnePlus Nord CE
The new Nord is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC coupled with Adreno 619 GPU. The 750G mobile platform uses a smart AI engine delivering impressive power efficiency along with speed. It will be available in up to 12GB RAM, and up to 256GB internal storage variants. Like all other OnePlus devices, there will be no expandable storage on the device.
The phone runs on Android 11-based OxygenOS custom skin and houses a 4,500mAh battery with Warp Charge 30T Plus fast-charging support.
Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, the smartphone includes 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC, and USB Type-C port for charging and data sync. As far as 5G is concerned, it only comes with only NSA: N78 and SA: N78 bands in India.
Camera
Talking about the cameras, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G has a triple camera set-up on the back. The primary sensor is a 64MP sensor that has a 6P lens and an f/1.79 aperture. The ultra-wide-angle lens is an 8MP sensor with f/2.25 aperture, a 119-degree Field of view, and supports EIS. The third one is a 2MP macro lens with an f/2.4 aperture.
At the front, there is a 16MP Sony IMX471 sensor for selfies and video calls. The front camera also comes with EIS support. The smartphone is capable of recording 4k videos from the rear camera at 30 fps while both front and rear cameras can record 1080p videos at 30fps and 60fps. The camera features include Face unlock, Portrait Mode, Nightscape, Smart Scene recognition, Pro Mode, etc.
Other features include an in-display fingerprint sensor for security, thanks to the AMOLED panel. In terms of audio there is a superlinear speaker, and noise cancellation support for recording.
| Dimensions | Height: 15.92cm Width: 7.35cm Thickness: 0.79cm Weight: 170g |
| Display | Size: 6.43-inch Resolution: 2400x1080p 410ppi Aspect Ratio: 20:9 Type: 90Hz AMOLED Features: Ambient Display, Dark Mode, Reading Mode |
| Performance | Software: Android 11 based OxygenOS CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G GPU: Adreno 619 RAM: 6GB/8GB/12GB LPDDR4X Storage: 128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 |
| Battery | 4500mAh Warp Charge 30T Plus charging (30W) |
| Camera | Rear Camera: Main Sensor 64MP, 6P lens with f/1.79 aperture Ultra-Wide Camera 8MP with f/2.25 aperture, 119-degree FoV and EIS Mono Lens 2MP with f/2.4 aperture LED Flash with Multiple Autofocus (PDAF+CAF) and 0.6x to 10x zoom Video 4K at 30fps 1080p at 30/60fps Super Slow Motion: 1080p at 120fps, 720p at 240fps Time-Lapse: 1080p 30fps, 4K at 30fps Front Camera: 16MP Sony IMX471 sensor, pixel size of 1.0um and f/2.45 aperture EIS support Video 1080p at 30/60fps Features: Face Unlock, Nightscape, Ultrashort HDR, Portrait, Smart Scene Recognition, Panorama, Pro Mode, Filters |
| Connectivity | LTE, 4G, 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, A-GPS, NaVIC |
| Sensors | In-Display Fingerprint Sensor, Accelerometer, Electronic Compass, Gyroscope, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor |
| Ports | 3.5mm Headphone jack USB 2.0, Type C Dual nano-SIM slot |
| Buttons | Volume Key Power Key |
| Audio | Super Linear Speaker Noise Cancellation support |
OnePlus Nord CE 5G: Price and Availability
As leaked earlier, the price starts from ₹22,999 for the base model in India. The base model of the OnePlus Nord CE 5G comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The 8GB+128GB variant is priced at ₹24,999, while you will have to spend ₹27,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant. The device is available in Blue Void, Charcoal Ink, and Silver Ray color options. The Nord CE will be available on the OnePlus website and Amazon.
The Nord CE 5G was available for Pre-Order from 11th June on Amazon. However, the open sale starts at 12 PM, 16th June. You can avail an additional ₹1000 off on shopping with HDFC bank credit cards along with exciting No-cost EMI offers.
My Thoughts on OnePlus Nord CE
Considering the price point, it is a good device to buy. Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G is capable of delivering some decent performance along with the promise of 5G. However, every manufacturer in India is using 5G as a gimmick as 5G is far from deployment in the country.
| The GOOD | The Bad |
|---|---|
| AMOLED Display 4500mAh battery 30W fast Charging Great Software Experience Premium design with Slim form factor | No Alert Slider The processor used is old No Gorilla Glass Slightly Overpriced |
Compromising on the Alert slider might not be an issue for a lot of us. On the other hand, there are better processors available in the market. IQOO Z3 was recently launched with a 768G processor but it has its own compromises.
To sum it up, I think the Nord CE is a good value-for-money device. However, if you are looking to save some money and want to go for a better processor, the IQOO Z3 is a better choice.
That is all in this one. Tell us what you think about the new Nord in the comment section below.
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