The OnePlus Nord CE is the first 2021 OnePlus smartphone from the Nord series. The name CE does not stand for the European quality mark or the Chinese imitation mark ‘China Electronics’, but for Core Edition. You can read what the marketers mean by this in this OnePlus Nord CE review.
OnePlus North CE
Recommended retail price from € 299,-
To colour Blue, Black, Silver
OS Android 11 (Oxygen OS)
Screen 6.4 inch OLED (2400 x 1080, 90 Hz)
Processor 2.2GHz octa-core (Snapdragon 750G)
RAM 6-12GB
Storage 128 or 256 GB
Battery 4,500 mAh
Camera 64. 8.2 megapixel (rear), 16 megapixel (front)
Connectivity 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi, GPS, NFC, 3.5mm jack
Format 15.9 x 7.4 x 0.8 cm
Weight 170 grams
Website www.oneplus.com
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Screen
- Primary camera
- Fast
- Price to quality ratio
- Negatives
- Update policy can still be better
- Redundant monochrome camera
The Nord series from OnePlus saw the light of day in the summer of 2020 with the OnePlus Nord: an affordable smartphone that is definitely worth recommending. Later, the series was supplemented by the Nord N10 and Nord N100, two cheaper smartphones that are absolute must-haves because of their update support policy from OnePlus. To complete the unclear Nord name soup, the successor in the Nord series is this OnePlus Nord CE. Whether this Nord CE can be seen as a successor to the N10, N100, normal Nord or a new subline is somewhat unclear. It will not surprise me personally if OnePlus will separate the Nord brand name after some more brand awareness and will act very hard as if it is an independent brand. A bit similar to how Xiaomi pretends Poco is its own brand and Huawei did that in the past with (the now) sold Honor.
Core Edition
anyway. CE in this case stands for Core Edition. The marketing department made up the story for this device that at OnePlus they mainly looked for the basic, essential requirements of a smartphone on the basis of their ‘community’ for this smartphone. Although the story is of course marketing nonsense as only OnePlus can come up with, it is quite interesting to think about that before you buy a smartphone. And it is also interesting to see how OnePlus interprets these essential functions of a smartphone.
You could also say that the price of the OnePlus Nord from last year had to be adjusted. Compared to the first OnePlus Nord, something has changed. One of the redundant rear cameras has been removed. The same goes for one of the two front cameras. It is more striking that OnePlus is replacing the audio connection. Hopefully, OnePlus will also see for its other future smartphones that the omission was a mistake.
The frame and the back of the OnePlus CE are made of plastic. That is to be welcomed, because the appearance is still just as luxurious, without the back being vulnerable because of glass.
north vs. north
Yet many things have remained the same. For example, the screen size is the same. And in this case too, there is room for a beautiful (full-HD) AMOLED screen. Although white areas look a bit gray and the brightness can be improved, the color reproduction is fine. In addition, it has an increased refresh rate of 90 hertz. Something I personally wouldn’t describe as essential, but it’s certainly a nice addition.
The placement of the fingerprint scanner under the screen is also part of the core functionality, according to OnePlus. Although from that approach it could have been better physically on the back or side, which is still more accurate and faster. The front camera is also incorporated into the screen, through a hole in the top left corner. Whether such a solution is essential is of course also very subjective.
Speed ​​remains
One of the strong points of OnePlus smartphones has always been that they work smoothly and that is no different with this OnePlus Nord CE. I mentioned earlier that the screen has a higher refresh rate of 90 hertz, instead of the standard 60 hertz. Smooth running image contributes to the experience that you have a smoothly performing smartphone.
Also in the benchmarks the performance (for a smartphone in this price range) is in good order. The OnePlus Nord CE is equipped with a Snapdragon 750G processor and (in our case) 12GB of RAM. The chipset also provides 5G support, which currently offers far from essential functionality. It will take at least another year before 5G is really worth it in the Netherlands, but with the OnePlus Nord CE you are probably ready for that.
Charging and battery life
When it comes to speed, it’s also important not to forget the charger. The 30 watt fast charger is less impressive than the expensive OnePlus smartphones, but still fast. Especially when you just can’t finish your day, it is nice to have such a charger on hand to increase the battery capacity percentage in a few minutes. Wireless charging is not possible with this Nord CE.
The battery capacity is average at 4,500 mAh. The OnePlus Nord CE is therefore not a smartphone with remarkable endurance. Especially if you use the higher screen refresh rate and 5G, the battery can drain quickly. With 4G and 60 hertz, a day and a half with a charged battery should be feasible.
Three versions
Cameras
OnePlus and cameras, it has never been a happy marriage until now. In terms of quality, the photos and videos have always lagged behind most competitors in the same price range. It also seems that the focus has been too much on functionality than on quality, by covering the back of the device with lenses and sensors. OnePlus has also entered into a partnership with camera brand Hasselblad to bring about catching up. Unfortunately, on the recent OnePlus 9 smartphones, without any results. This OnePlus Nord CE should actually deserve some more attention from OnePlus. For example, there has been no collaboration with Hasselblad with this camera and OnePlus has decided that the two-megapixel monochrome camera is essential enough to keep. It is positive that OnePlus has removed the macro camera, on other OnePlus devices I could not think of a practical application for this because the photos were invariably blurry and gritty.
In short, the cameras that matter on the back of the Nord CE are the regular lens (64 megapixels) and the wide-angle lens (8 megapixels). The camera app shows you three zoom buttons, switching between the two cameras. The zoom in capability is nothing more than a digital zoom on the primary camera.
For the price range, these two lenses take excellent photos. For the best quality photos, it is better to keep using the primary camera. Especially for the price range, photos of the OnePlus Nord CE are good: colorful, detailed and clear. In less light, you notice a natural difference and noise occurs and a lot is lost. For those kinds of circumstances, you’re simply better off with a more expensive iPhone or Samsung smartphone. Night mode can help, but does have some motion blur.
You get three zoom levels, where the wide-angle lens is used for zooming out and the zoom function zooms in on the main camera.
Android 11 with OxygenOS
The software shell that OnePlus about android explains, OxygenOS, has many enthusiasts. There is hardly any bloatware in it, everything works smoothly and you can adjust a lot to your own liking. That is still the power of OnePlus smartphones. But the draft is starting to hit OxygenOS. While it may seem like OnePlus barely tweaks the basics of the Android core, a lot has changed in the background. Apps are rigorously truncated to save the battery, so background processes do not always work well (for example, if you want to record the route with GPS via a sports app) or use a timer app. There are also occasional bugs.
In addition, in the software area, it is especially overtaken by Samsung and Google themselves, who support their smartphones in the same price range for much longer than OnePlus promises. The two version updates you can expect can and should simply be better. Especially for a 5G smartphone, if you are ready for the future in terms of network technology, so should Android functions.
While OxygenOS is certainly pleasant to work with, and manufacturers like Xiaomi and Huawei can certainly learn something from OnePlus, OxygenOS is no longer really a distinguishing feature that you buy a OnePlus smartphone for.
The draft is a bit in OxygenOS.
Alternatives to the OnePlus Nord CE
The OnePlus Nord CE is a very good smartphone for a competitive price. Competitors cannot keep up with this smartphone when it comes to a combination of specifications and design. However, there are some important properties in which a better alternative presents itself. Support policy and camera (then you’d better go to the Pixel 4A 5G or Samsung Galaxy A52 5G). If you think battery life is important, then the Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro is a cheaper alternative.
Conclusion: Buy OnePlus Nord CE?
The OnePlus Nord CE shows what OnePlus finds important in a smartphone and if these are also important features for your affordable smartphone, then you know that you are making a good choice with this smartphone. With the OnePlus CE you have a smartphone that leads the way in its price range with a fast screen, clean software and a slick design. The primary camera is also perfectly fine and OnePlus finally counts again for the music lover and mobile gamer thanks to the audio connection. Still, there are points for improvement, the monochrome camera is completely unnecessary and the update policy must be tightened up.
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