OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G with 65W SuperVooc charging, 4500mAh battery. Mediatek Dimensity 900 5G chipset, 6.43-inch, 90Hz FHD+ AMOLED display, 64MP triple rear camera with 3.5mm headphone jack and up to 1TB micro-SD card support.
This OnePlus Nord CE 2 review will help you make a buying decision. So, let’s figure out if the OnePlus Nord CE 2 is really worth buying.
OnePlus has come a long way from launching a single customer-centric device to a flagship. But the company did not want to disappoint the fans. Thus, it came up with the Nord series. Then came the ‘Core Edition’ that targeted the average consumers. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is the second device in the series powered by Meditek Dimensity 900 5G chipset, 65W SuperVooc fast charging, 4500mAh battery, and a 64MP triple rear camera setup.
Design
The first thing you notice is the design, and it looks strikingly similar to the OPPO Reno 7. It has the same speaker grille, even the headphone jack, volume rockers are at the same position. The frame is plastic and the back is glass which is okay in this price range. It seems to miss out on the alert slider like the previous CE phone. The Nord CE 2 feels good in the and offers a comfortable grip. The phone is quite slim at 7.8mm and light at 178g. We actually liked the Bahama Blue colour, but the device is also available in Gray Mirror.
Display
The 6.43-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and in-display feels quite premium. Practically, the display is bright, and colour reproduction is good. Thus, promising a great video and gameplay experience on the smartphone. The in-display fingerprint sensor is fast and the display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5.
Performance
The OnePlus phones have always been known for their performance. The Nord CE 2 is no different. It sports a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset, paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. It also supports expandable storage up to 1TB via a microSD card. OnePlus is betting big on the MediaTek chipsets. The OnePlus Nord 2 was the first OnePlus device to be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity chipset. After its success and unavailability of Snapdragon chipsets, the smartphone manufacturers started exploring other options. MediaTek offered several cheaper 5G chipsets. I must say that the MediaTek chipsets have excelled in performance. The Nord CE 2 easily handled games like BGMI and Asphalt. Multitasking was a breeze on the device, switching between the apps or playing video and audio was fluid.
When talking about the software, the Oxygen OS is one of the most updated and bloatware-free Android skin in the market. However, Android 11 on the OnePlus Nord CE 2 is a big letdown. OnePlus has promised three years of security updates and two years of Android updates. The 4500mAh battery of the phone with a 65W SuperVooc fast charging is another gem in the performance. The smartphone offers eight 5G bands in India.
Camera
There are three cameras at the back, a 64MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. The 2MP camera has no practical use and seems gimmicky to me. However, the 64MP primary sensor is good enough and clicks decent pictures in a daylight and well-lit environment. The 8MP ultra-wide sensor is just average. You will see some noise if you take landscape shots from the 8MP ultra-wide lens. I will consider it good to click group pictures in daylight.
At the front, there is a 16MP selfie shooter. It is capable of clicking some good shots but struggles in low-light.
To sum up this OnePlus Nord CE 2 review, the camera is better than the last year’s Nord CE but struggles in low-light. When compared to the Oppo Reno 7, the only difference here is the 32MP selfie shooter. The overall results from the Oppo Reno 7 are slightly better. The video recording on the Nord CE 2 was quite impressive.
OnePlus Nord CE 2: Price & Availability
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is available in two storage variants. The 6GB+128GB storage variant is priced at ₹23,999 while the 8GB+128GB storage variant is priced at ₹24,999. It will be available in Bahama Blue and Gray Mirror colour variants. You can buy it on Amazon or on the official OnePlus website.
Image | Product | Details | Price |
---|---|---|---|
OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | Color: Bahama Blue, Gray Mirror Storage: 6GB+128GB | Buy on Amazon | |
OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | Color: Bahama Blue, Gray Mirror Note: 8GB+128GB | Buy on Amazon |
Apart from this, there is a flat ₹1500 instant discount on an SBI card which brings down the effective price of the 6GB+128GB variant to ₹22,499 and the 8GB+128GB variant to ₹23,499.
OnePlus Nord CE 2: Is it worth Buying?
Should you buy the OnePlus Nord CE 2? The new Nord CE 2 is very similar to the Oppo Reno7. The difference between both the devices is the Oxygen OS. I would recommend the OnePlus device for its performance and simplified and clean Android skin. If you are someone who owns a Samsung or Xiaomi phone priced under ₹20,000 and looking for an upgrade, you can go for the OnePlus Nord CE 2. Let’s take a look at some of the user reviews at Amazon. There are 530 global ratings at this time and it has been rewarded 4.2 out of 5 by the users on Amazon. Here are some of the reviews worth checking out:
Final Verdict
In a nutshell, if the camera is not your priority, you can go for the OnePlus Nord CE 2. It provides you with good value for money and a great Android experience. If you are someone who is upgrading from a budget device like the Redmi Note series or Realme Narzo series which are priced below 20k. It is a worthy upgrade.
That is all in this review. If you own the OnePlus Nord CE 2 smartphone and want to share your views with us about the device, leave a comment below or email us.
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