It’s very difficult to understand smartphone brands from the perspective of consumers. There is, on one hand, the tech chatter around the pros and cons of a new phone, while on the other, consumers really don’t dive into the Twitter tech bubble while making a purchase decision. There are brand loyalists and then there are those who don’t want to move away from the way a phone works. An example: People who have been using an iPhone for years will have a mental block switching over to an Android device because of the interface, how touches and swipes function and the seamless integration with other Apple products. Similarly, people who use Samsung Android phones wouldn’t like to use Realme or Oppo because of the difference in the interface and once again the ease of use the Samsung universe offers. And then there are those who have grown to love OnePlus over a short period of time and have slowly recommended the phone to family members, getting them into the OP family. It’s all a matter of taste.
OnePlus has in a few years become the default Android choice for anybody not using Samsung mid-range or flagship devices. OP doesn’t make its products cheap, maintains a certain standard and has a better brand value than sister brands (from BBK Electronics) OPPO, Vivo and Realme. In a world where brand loyalty is falling apart, OP has managed to build a loyal following. This brings us to OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, which is a unique offering. We could have reviewed the phone weeks ago but offering short-term/immediate reviews don’t always make sense.
Price and value are two different things. How long will the hardware last, the kind of accessibility features that are there and how long will you get upgrades matter. CE2 hasn’t gone out of the way to do something dramatically different; instead, it has played by the OP playbook to turn in decent performance.
True, there are too many specs in common with OPPO Reno7 5G but if you like Bourbon biscuits from Brand A, you wouldn’t necessarily look at the same from Brand B.
Everyday needs
I wouldn’t bore you with tonnes of hardware features, which are easily accessible when you log in to purchase a phone or drop in at an OP store. The biggest selling feature of Nord CE 2 5G is its excellent build, fluid software and, of course, a very acceptable set of cameras. There are smartphone consumers who put performance over anything else. They don’t want a dramatically excellent set of snappers or the fastest flagship processor because for them a phone is a utility device that should be easy to handle and the software shouldn’t cave in under any circumstance. OP delivers.
Picutres taken during the day appear crisp
The company hasn’t compromised on the display, which is 6.43 inches of Fluid AMOLED with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection and 90Hz refresh rate. Of course, why not 120Hz you may ask. Frankly, it won’t make any difference to everyday usage, which is what the phone is about. You get great contrast-y bright visuals, complete with HDR10+. The company’s OxygenOS works quite smoothly and animations are fast enough to give you a snappy feeling. The only element that doesn’t match the good quality of display is the single bottom-firing speaker, which doesn’t get loud enough for those who want to watch movies without plugging in a headphone. Another quibble, the chin of the phone is slightly thicker compared to competition.
Uneven lighting may throw up some noise
Equally fluid is the camera set-up of 64MP and 8MP ultra-wide. Oh, there is a 2MP macro but it’s as much a hit or a miss as on any Android phone. The 64MP main camera is an able snapper which reproduces life-like images, with enough details. Most of us will use images taken on the phone on social media feed or maybe make small printouts, both of which the camera can handle. It’s useless pixel-peeping photos that will never get blown up into a billboard. Video is restricted to 4K video at 30fps and 1080p video at 30/60fps with good stablisation and microphone performance.
Should this be your device?
This is where the very able MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor comes in, which turns in very good performance and is up to scratch while gaming, offering a sustained performance. Add to this the 65W SUPERVOOC power adapter, which basically juices up the phone in no time. One area OnePlus may look at improving things — size of the power brick.
Look, there’s nothing out of the world about the phone’s design. Yet, where it scores over competition is build; there are hardly any compromises even though it’s a plastic rear panel. And there are very extra apps coming pre-loaded on the phone, compared to rivals. There is still the familiar snappy OnePlus feel to the phone. After three weeks with the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, I feel it’s the no-nonsense device that works for most.
The macro sensor should be done away with
At a glance
Device: OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G
Price: Rs 23,999 (6GB+128GB)
High notes
• Good build
• Excellent charging speed
• Bright display
• Stable performance
Muffled notes
• Android 11 out of the box
• Speaker could have been louder
• It’s a good device but new features are needed