After swimming through premium range waters, OnePlus last year decided it wanted to go back to its flagship killer past with the OnePlus Nord. Mainly in terms of price, though. The Nord would comer with a (much) lower price than the OnePlus flagships, and cover the upper-mid segment ground the brand had lost when it went premium. The first OnePlus Nord was released last year and was a huge success. And now OnePlus has released a new phone in the series.
The new Nord, the OnePlus Nord CE (Core Edition) 5G is largely based on the same Nord concept that tries to blend more functions and features with an affordable price tag. The Nord-namesake follows in the footsteps of its predecessor but to call it an improved variant of the original Nord might be a bit of stretch. It is more of a branched out Nord which aims to take on mid-segment devices. This new leaf on the Nord tree comes with a number of features. And this is what we think you need to know about it.
Slim Is In
The OnePlus Nord CE 5G is actually the slimmest and the lightest phone OnePlus has produced since the OnePlus 6T. At 170 grams weight and 7.9 mm thickness, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G comes as one of the lighter and slimmer phones we have seen in recent times. Yes, it is not the slimmest by any means but every single mm minused is more than welcomed with open arms (hands). The lightness could be attributed to the glass-less back that this Nord brings as it comes with a polycarbonate back which mimics the looks of a glass back. The aesthetics of the phone otherwise follow a very traditional design blueprint. It will not really turn heads or spark conversations, although it comes with a different shade of blue called Blue Void which will get some attention.
A Bigger Battery in That Slim Frame (which STILL charges faster)
Many think that a slimmer phone means a smaller battery. Not in the case of the OnePlus Nord CE 5G. The phone actually comes with a bigger battery as compared to the OnePlus Nord — a 4,500 mAh battery, while the Nord had a 4,115 mAh battery. And it still gets charged super quickly – the Nord CE comes with support for 30T Warp Charge Plus (as compared to 30T on the Nord) and a 30W fast charger in the box. In simple terms: 70 per cent of the battery gets charged in 30 minutes.
Welcome Back, Headphone Jack
During its visit back in time, OnePlus not only picked up its old price strategy, but also brought the discarded, outcast, 3.5 mm audio jack back to the present. The headphone jack is being increasingly removed from many phones, but after dumping it a couple of years ago, OnePlus has brought it back. We can hear the audio purists and wired earphones lovers rejoice quite clearly over these wires (pun intended).
Exit, Alert Slider
The OnePlus Nord CE is perhaps the first phone from OnePlus to come without an alert slider, a button on the side of the phone that lets you change the phone’s settings to Ring, Vibrate and Silent by just sliding it – no need to go into Settings. We are genuinely surprised to see this feature missing on the Nord CE, and hope it is only limited to this particular OnePlus phone.
More Megapixels, Fewer Sensors
The OnePlus Nord CE come a 64 megapixel main sensor on the Nord CE 5G while the old Nord came with a 48 megapixel main sensor. But the new Nord comes with a triple camera setup on the back (a 64 megapixel main sensor, an 8 megapixel ultrawide and a 2 megapixel monochrome sensor) while the OnePlus Nord has a quad camera setup on the back. The Nord CE 5G also lacks OIS on the main sensor and comes with only one front camera sensor (a 16 megapixel one) while the Nord has OIS and a dual camera setup on front with a 32 megapixel main sensor and an 8 megapixel ultra wide sensor.
A Chip Below, a Similar Display
The OnePlus Nord CE 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 processor. Now, while the Snapdragon 750 is more than capable of handling daily needs, it is a step down from the Snapdragon 765 that powers the original Nord. We have seen the Snapdragon 750 perform and it will go through your daily chores and casual gaming needs with ease. High-end gaming might not be as much of a pleasure but hefty titles like Call of Duty and Asphalt would definitely work. On the other hand, you get a 6.43 inch full HD+ Fluid AMOLED display with 90 HZ refresh rate, similar to the original Nord, so viewing delight is assured.
Oxygen OS in Its Veins
The new Nord has the same Oxygen OS running through its veins as its older brother. The phone runs on Android 11 which is topped with Oxygen OS 11. Oxygen OS is popular for being very close to stock Android as it is very clean and clutter free, while at the same time offers some very handy added features.
A Lighter Price Tag for the Lighter Nord, With Some Heavy Competition
The OnePlus Nord CE 5G seems like a lighter version of the original Nord. And it comes with a smaller starting price tag too – Rs. 22,999 as compared to Rs. 24,999 of the Nord. But that does not mean that all is merry in OnePlus land, as even with a lower price tag, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G faces a lot competition from the like of the Xiaomi Mi 10i, iQOO Z3. Even the OG Nord is in such close vicinity that the new baby Nord will have to battle to survive in the market.