OnePlus today presented its new mid-range smartphone OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G. It’s basically a stripped-down variant of the Nord 2 5G that pushes the price but still aims to offer all the essentials of a midrange.
However, the recommended price could be fatal for the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G: At 349 euros, it is on the same level as the current street price of the Nord 2 5G.
From my point of view, 299 euros would have been more appropriate for the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G. The predecessor model also started for that price recommendation.
But it is quite possible that the smartphone will reach this sum is not too long. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves: The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G relies on the MediaTek Dimensity 900 chip, an AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, a 90 Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10+.
In addition, the 4,500 mAh battery can be quickly recharged with 65 watts. According to the manufacturer, you can go from 1 to 100% in 32 minutes.
It is a pity that the smartphone is still being delivered with Android 11. This should be avoided in spring 2022 and after several months of Android 12 availability. According to OnePlus, an upgrade is already in the starting blocks for the second half of 2022.
According to the manufacturer, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G will receive two years of Android version updates and three years of Android security patches. As far as the cam is concerned, the main sensor is 64 megapixels.
An ultra-wide-angle lens with 8 megapixels and a macro sensor with 2 megapixels is set aside. At the front is a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The camera equipment, including sensors, is therefore almost identical to last year’s Nord CE 5G. You just swapped the depth sensor for a macro lens.
According to OnePlus, the Nord CE 2 5G is able to take attractive photos and videos even in low light – but of course, every provider claims that these days. If you are interested in this mobile device, you can choose between the colors Gray Mirror and Bahama Blue.
The small thickness of 7.8 mm is also emphasized. This makes the Nord CE 2 5G the manufacturer’s slimmest smartphone since the OnePlus 6T.
Nice thing: The device offers a real triple slot design. So you can use two SIM plus one microSD card in parallel. The port for 3.5mm audio has also been retained.
Prices and Availability
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G will be available in Europe on March 10th, with pre-orders available from March 3rd, 2022 on OnePlus.com. The price for the smartphone in the colors Bahama Blue or Gray Mirror with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage space is 349 euros.
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G is a strong mid-range smartphone but suffers (as already mentioned at the beginning) from the fact that the price is currently identical to the OnePlus Nord 2. The special design of the variant in Gray Mirror should also separate the ghosts. In terms of performance, user interface and features, you’re still far ahead in the mid-range segment.
Specifications of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G
- Display: 6.43 inch, AMOLED, 2400 x 1080 pixels (FHD+), HDR10+, 90 Hz, Gorilla Glass 5
- Operating system: Android 11 with OxygenOS 11
- SoC: MediaTek Dimension 900
- GPU: ARM Mali-G68
- RAM: 6 or 8 GB LPDDR4X
- Storage space: 128 GB (UFS 2.2)
- Triple main camera: 64 (wide angle, f/1.7) + 8 (ultra wide angle, f/2.2) + 2 (macro, f/2.4) megapixels
- Front camera: 16 (wide angle, f/2.4) megapixels
- Battery: 4,500 mAh with 65 watt fast charge
- Interfaces: 4G / 5G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, Dual SIM (triple slot), microSD, USB-C (2.0), 3.5mm audio
- Dimensions / Weight: 160.6 x 73.2 x 7.8mm / 173g
- Special features: fingerprint scanner under the display