Skip to main content

New OnePlus Nord CE delivers the 5G goods for a low price

OnePlus has seen what Xiaomi, Realme, and Samsung are doing with low-cost 5G phones, and come up with the new OnePlus Nord CE 5G to take them on. Announced today for the U.K. the Nord CE — which stands for Core Edition, apparently — costs 299 British pounds, or around $421, yet has a specification more often seen on phones that cost twice as much.

The OnePlus Nord CE has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and a big, flat 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and a Full HD resolution. The phone comes in three different colors, Blue Void, Charcoal Ink, or if you select the 12GB model which also comes with 256GB of storage space, Silver Ray too. Look at the base of the phone and you’ll spot a 3.5mm headphone jack alongside the USB Type-C charging port.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

A 4500mAh battery hides inside the Nord CE and is charged using the proprietary Warp Charge 32+ system, which takes it from zero to 70% in 30 minutes. Not as fast as the OnePlus 9 Pro’s Warp Charge 65, but still very good for a phone at this price. Installed on the phone is OnePlus’s OxygenOS 11 software, based on Android 11, which will come with all the same features seen on the more expensive OnePlus 9, including the always-on screen display. OnePlus promises two years of software update support, and three years of security updates too.

There are three cameras on the back, but the Nord CE has not been given the Hasselblad treatment, so don’t expect it to produce results like the OnePlus 9 Pro. The main camera has 64 megapixels and an f/1.79 aperture and is joined by an 8MP wide-angle camera and a monochrome camera too. In a hole-punch cutout in the screen is a 16MP selfie camera. Finally, the whole phone weighs just 170 grams and is 7.9mm thick.

The 8GB/128GB OnePlus Nord CE costs 299 pounds/$421, while the 12GB/256GB version is 369 pounds/$520, and both will be available from June 21 through OnePlus’s online store, Amazon, the Three network, and John Lewis retail stores. Pre-orders will start on June 10. OnePlus is also offering its OnePlus Community members the chance to order the phone today, and receive it on June 14.

OnePlus has not announced the Nord CE for the U.S. at this stage.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Moto G Power 5G adds a flagship feature to a budget phone
Render of the Motorola Moto G Power 5G in a white color against a light purple background.

Motorola may be making a play for the flagship market with the Motorola Edge 40 Pro, but budget phones are what the American monolith is best known for. While it won't be making as many waves as the latest Samsung phone or Apple iPhone launch, the newest iteration of the Moto G is always something worth paying attention to, as Motorola is a true veteran of the space and knows what makes an excellent cheap device.

Best of all, this new Moto G comes at a time when budget phone enthusiasts have never had it so good. Previously premium features are filtering down into lower-priced devices, without altering that sweet low price or the features everyone loves. That's exactly what's happening with the new Motorola Moto G Power 5G, which includes a 50-megapixel main camera lens, a larger amount of storage, and a big screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. With the big 5,000mAh battery the G Power range is known for, this could be the $300 phone to grab if you love a budget bargain.
Super-smooth motion

Read more
The new OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is perfect if you hate expensive phones
Promotional image showing the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite.

OnePlus describes the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite as, “exuding a simple charm,” and in the world of folding smartphones and $1,500 iPhone models, there are probably a lot of people looking for a phone exactly like it.

If you’re new to the Nord series, these occupy the lower end of the market compared to the flagship OnePlus 11 and are released outside of the U.S., where instead the company releases phones like the OnePlus N300.

Read more
Here’s how fast 5G on your Samsung Galaxy S23 really is
Samsung Galaxy S23 cameras against greenery

If you’ve been on the fence about picking up one of the latest Galaxy S23 phones, some new research from Ookla may help tip the scales in Samsung’s favor.

In a new speed test report, Ookla tcompared the 5G performance specs of the Galaxy S23 models to last year’s Galaxy S22 in several countries — with some surprising results across the board.
A worthwhile 5G upgrade

Read more