OnePlus Nord CE 2 review: Classic mid-ranger from a top brand

OnePlus Nord CE 2

Unlike in the past, OnePlus also designs mid-range and low-end smartphones. For this purpose, it has created the Nord series. Like other brands that run a dual-brand strategy, the OnePlus Nord line models do not show off but are affordable. So those who want to acquire a good smartphone from a top brand, these handsets can be a good option. Today, we are going to review the OnePlus Nord CE 2.

It is a mid-range smartphone coming with a MediaTek Dimensity 900 octa-core processor, a 6.43-inch 90Hz refresh rate screen, and a 64-megapixel three-prime camera. And for all these, you have to pay around $400.

Appearance and screen

The OnePlus Nord CE2 sports a 6.43-inch AMOLED display, which has a 2,400 x 1,080 pixels resolution. At the same time, the screen supports a 90Hz refresh rate, DCI-P3 wide color gamut, and has an HDR10+ certification as well as an under-screen fingerprint recognition. The overall body is well balanced and it weighs 173g.

The back of the machine is designed with a mirror surface. Though the overall look is outstanding, we guess you understand that a mirror-like body is prone to fingerprints and stains. So we recommend you to use the included translucent soft rubber protective case. As said, the fuselage is quite light and thin, which means one-handed operations won’t cause any inconvenience. As the grip is comfortable, it is convenient for long-term operation.

The fuselage includes everything you need.

On the bottom, we can find a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microphone, a USB Type-C interface, and a speaker.

The power button is placed on the right side, and on the opposite side, we can find the SIM card slot and the volume rocker. In fact, the slot includes three trays. So you can insert 2 SIMs + 1 microSD card.

On the top, we can find only a microphone.

Getting back to the display, we have to say that it is capable of providing a good viewing performance, with bright, prominent colors and well-defined layers. Unfortunately, the chin is thicker, and the full-screen look is mediocre.

In terms of sound, there is only one speaker on the bottom. Frankly, the volume is sufficient, but the music playback effect is average, and the stereoscopic effect is insufficient.

Hardware and performance

At the beginning of the review, we said that the OnePlus Nord CE2 comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor. It’s a mid-range chip, so it’s quite expected that in AnTuTu, it will score correspondingly. At first sight, the score of 428,939 is low, but we have to say that in the same price range, it’s one of the best-performing models.

MediaTek doesn’t fall behind Qualcomm at all.

There is a special game tool function that allows users to adjust the game performance and enhance the game experience. It can provide hands-free calls, hover notifications, screen brightness lock function, etc. However, if you do not want anyone to disturb you when playing games, you can just open the e-sports mode.

We tested the phone for gaming by playing “League of Legends: Battle Canyon”. At the same time, we used the 60fps mode, extremely high picture quality, high special effect quality, and high resolution. During the game, the operation was very smooth, the touch response was fast, and the operation was stable. Moreover, the picture was detailed and clear, and the sound effect of the bottom speaker was flat. After playing for about 15 minutes, we felt that the back of the machine was only slightly warm, not too hot. So we think one of the best features of this handset is the heat dissipation.

Apart from this, our protagonist supports NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, comes with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB UFS2.2 ROM, and runs OxygenOS based on Android 11.

Battery and endurance

The OnePlus Nord CE2 is packed with a 4,500mAh battery, which supports 65W SuperVOOC wired fast charging. When testing for endurance, we set the screen brightness at 50%. In the PC Mark test, we saw that the battery can last for 15 hours if used normally.

Camera

Well, the OnePlus phones have always been known for good camera performance. So it’s quite interesting to know how the OnePlus Nord CE 2 performs in this topic. It comes with a 64-megapixel main lens, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. Apart from this triple-camera on the rear, on the front, we have a 16-megapixel lens and an LED flash. The camera supports portrait, night scene, macro, time-lapse photography, etc.

We have to admit that the 64-megapixel main lens performs well in daylight, with bright and clear images and vivid colors. In concrete situations, the phone will even perform well in low-light conditions. But this is not the strongest feature of this phone.

The exposure of the 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens is darker, the definition is lower, and the detail is average. However, the wide-angle distortion is not obvious, and the picture is wide enough.

When testing the macro mode, we noticed that the focusing is very fast and accurate. Also, it is capable of taking quite good macro shots.

When shooting in portrait mode, we can see the depth of field effect is natural, the subject is prominent and clear. Unfortunately, there is a slight blurring error in the edge part. However, for a phone from this price range, it’s acceptable.

Conclusion

As you see, the OnePlus Nord CE2 is a budget mid-range from a top brand. It is able to provide good performance. But you should take into consideration that this is not a top-end handset. So in concrete scenarios, it will not work very smoothly. The rest of the features are mid-range as well. And we have to write down that this is a classic mid-range.

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