“The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G's outstanding design houses a dependable smartphone with excellent battery life and fast charging -- and it all comes at a reasonable price.”
- Great, eye-catching design
- Battery charges in 30 minutes
- Two days use from the battery
- Headphone jack on board
- Dual 5G SIM and microSD card slot
- Android 11 isn't the latest version
- No IP rating
- Poor single speaker
According to OnePlus, the original Nord CE, one of its cheapest smartphones, sold mostly to people who had never owned a OnePlus phone before. It was the company’s gateway drug so to speak, showing new owners what OnePlus was all about, and therefore tempting them to eventually enjoy the wonders of the OnePlus 9 Pro or the OnePlus 10 Pro.
For this reason, OnePlus could be forgiven for not changing much about the phone for the sequel. However, OnePlus may have to wait a while before any upgrades happen because the OnePlus Nord CE 2
Design
The OnePlus Nord CE 2
Taking inspiration from the Oppo Find X3 Pro’s camera module is a masterstroke. The rear panel curves around the camera lenses, making the enclosure part of the phone rather than a separate module. It not only looks great, but it feels good when you run your finger over it, too, as there are no sharp edges at all.
It’s very light by modern phone standards at 173 grams, and the modest 73mm width and 7.8mm thickness makes it pleasing and comfortable to hold in one hand. There’s no fatigue, it’s balanced well so you can use it comfortably laying in bed, and it disappears in your pocket.
However, the phone is made entirely of plastic, and there’s no Alert Slider control either, which is something of a OnePlus trademark that’s sorely missed here. The plastic build and lack of Alert Slider were downsides of the first Nord CE, so it’s not a surprise to see the same on the sequel. On the plus side, the plastic rear panel is smooth, warm, and tactile. The bottom of the phone also features a surprise inclusion in the form of a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Low-cost smartphones sometimes suffer from a lack of identity, but the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G’s great looks aren’t boring at all.
Camera
OnePlus has used the same camera as the original Nord CE for the Nord CE 2
The camera app is identical to the one installed on Realme and Oppo phones. It includes a might mode, a macro mode, a full-resolution 64MP mode, and the ability to shoot
The selfie camera is good, though, and it’s certainly feature-packed. There are plenty of live filters to try, and the beauty mode is comprehensive. It’s not active by default, though, so all the changes are down to your own choice. The portrait mode works well, blurring the background despite being software-driven. Similarly, the editing suite has all the features you want to enhance and alter your photos. The wide-angle camera produces very different, overly saturated photos compared to the main camera.
While the Nord CE 2
Screen and performance
OnePlus has put a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate on the front of the Nord CE 2
You do have to whack the brightness up to see all the benefits, though, and I’ve kept the display in its Vivid color mode and the color temperature in the default setting. Watching Woyshnis Media’s film of a Ferrari 458 Italia in Seattle shows off the vibrancy of the screen, and its ability to reveal detail in dark areas. At the same time, the video also highlights the disappointing lack of bass and depth from the single speaker, which does let down the Nord CE 2 5G’s media ability.
OnePlus has chosen the MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor for the phone, pairing it with 8GB of
Unfortunately, it’s Android 11 with OxygenOS 11 installed on the phone at launch, putting it behind many competing phones that have already seen an update to
The in-display fingerprint sensor and face recognition security systems are reliable and very quick, I like the choice of ambient display options for when the phone is locked, there’s Wi-Fi 6 and
The OnePlus Nord CE 2
Battery and charging
The 4,500mAh capacity battery lasts for two days of hard use before it needs recharging. If you don’t play games and turn the phone off overnight, it’ll last three days, which is really excellent. When it does need to visit the charger, it’ll only need to be plugged in for a very short amount of time thanks to the 65-watt SuperVOOC fast charging system. The adapter and cable come in the box, and in my tests took the battery from under 5% to 100% in just under 35 minutes.
It’s incredibly convenient and removes almost all battery anxiety, which, along with the long use time between charges, makes the Nord CE 2
Price and availability
The OnePlus Nord CE 2
Our take
OnePlus has gone out of its way to make the Nord CE 2
The downsides of the phone — no IP rating, an older version of
Is there a better alternative?
The OnePlus Nord CE 2
In the U.K., Realme’s new Realme 9 Pro+ costs 349 British pounds and directly competes with the Nord CE 2
How long will it last?
There’s no IP rating, but OnePlus does say the phone is splash-proof, so it’ll be fine for use in the rain, but not if it takes a dip in the bath. A total of two years of
Should you buy it?
Yes. The OnePlus Nord CE 2
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