OnePlus is aggressively launching smartphones in India, and recently we saw the debut of the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. What makes the phone so interesting is that it is the company’s most affordable 5G-enabled smartphone in India yet. In terms of design, the Nord CE 2 Lite does look sleek and modern as most OnePlus devices, but it comes without the classic slider that helps users enable silent or loud sound modes seamlessly. The rear camera module also adopts a generic big-lens design that many Android phones feature these days.
These changes raise many questions among loyal OnePlus fans over the company’s future smartphone strategy. Honestly, we noticed similar changes on the OnePlus 10R that is essentially a rebranded Realme GT Neo 3.
While the hardcore fans may feel disappointed by these little changes, OnePlus seems to have realised the key recipe that attracts most Indian customers. It is essentially offering the best of the best at most affordable prices. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, therefore, costs Rs 19,999 (6GB + 128GB) and Rs 21,999 for the 8GB RAM model. Customers can choose between black and the distinct Nord blue colours.
Since it is an ‘affordable’ OnePlus smartphone, we can see some obvious design decision to keep the pricing low. The phone comes with a 6.59-inch Full-HD+ LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 120Hz may attract many mobile gamers, but the LCD display will have some limitations infront of an AMOLED screen. It also features a plastic build that may seem sub-standard. However, OnePlus chooses to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset paired with Adreno 619 GPU for the smartphone. The company recently started going for MediaTek chipsets for its Nord smartphones.
A good thing is that the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G continues to offer fast charging that OnePlus phones are generally known for. We get a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W SuperVOOC charging. With the bundled charger, the phone is said to attain 50 percent battery in just 30 minutes. Coming to the camera, we get a 64-megapixel primary sensor with two more sensors. The front gets a 16-megapixel snapper with electronic image stabilisation (EIS).
Other key features include 5G, 3.5mm audio jack, and Android 12-based OxygenOS 12.1. Another good feat is that the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is promised to get two major Android updates and three years of security updates.
