middle class behaves excellently as high-end

This week the new OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G was announced, a phone with excellent specifications, without having to pay the main price. But how do you like the phone? In the past weeks we have extensively tested the new Nord CE 2 in this review.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 review

In recent weeks we have already been able to ‘secretly’ play with the new OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G. The device is the successor to the OnePlus Nord CE that appeared last year, which we also extensively tested at the time. With the new model, OnePlus wants to prove once again that it makes excellent mid-end devices. That phone appeared in June, so the successor was already in February. Possibly for more spread between the CE and the normal Nord, of which we expect a new model later this year. There were no major negatives, but have the imperfections of the previous model been smoothed out with the new device?

Sales package

It is clear that manufacturers are increasingly skimping on the content of the sales package. Fortunately, we do not see that with the Nord CE 2 from OnePlus. This phone comes with everything you need, along with that little bit extra. For example, in addition to the phone itself and some paperwork, there is a fast 65W charger and even a silicone case. You can immediately start using the new phone!

Design and interface

The design of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 immediately confirms that we are dealing with a smartphone from this Chinese manufacturer. It immediately feels familiar, although, just like with its predecessor, we do miss the alert slider that we often see on other devices from the manufacturer. A 6.43 inch screen is placed on the front of the OnePlus; equipped with a Full HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 90Hz. In the left corner we see a 16 megapixel front camera at the top.

The left side of the phone is filled with the two volume keys, while on the right we find the power button. At the bottom of the OnePlus we see a USB-C port, the 3.5 millimeter connection for a headset and the speaker.

I find the back of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G taste sensitive. This one looks like shiny plastic and with this blue this is not quite my taste. Fortunately, there are cases for that. What also stands out there is the large camera module that lies like a bump on the back. We see two large lenses, with a third lens also present. We will come back to this later in the OnePlus Nord CE 2 review. The smartphone fits well in the hand, which is nice, but I find it quite plastic-like.

What is also nice is that the fingerprint scanner of the phone is integrated in the display. ‘In the past’ this was not always an advantage, because the operation sometimes left something to be desired. At least that’s not the case with this phone. We note that the fingerprint scanner does its job quickly and is hardly inferior to a more expensive phone.

What I immediately noticed is that, just like with its predecessor, the brightness sensor is very fickle. Too dark during the day, too bright in the evening and he adjusts it at illogical moments. Bit irritating. Sliding the brightness sensor a few times and then switching it back to automatic seems to make a difference, but it is a pity that OnePlus has not completely addressed this problem.

Interface

OnePlus supplies the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G with its own OxygenOS skin. This is currently equipped with Android 11, with OxygenOS 11.3, which runs very well on the smartphone. It is a pity that OnePlus did not immediately provide the phone with Android 12, but hopefully that update will not be too long in coming.

The interface is as we are used to from OnePlus. This means a tidy screen with a clear layout. You can scroll vertically through the menu with the installed applications sorted in alphabetical order for you. You can also activate the Ambient Display, which is also known as the Always On Display. You can keep it enabled on a scheduled basis or forever. With this you can immediately see your current notifications, the time, date and battery percentage.

As we are used to from OnePlus, you can personalize various things in the interface. For example, you can think of the colors of the quick settings. In addition, the font can be adjusted and the shape of the icons can also be changed.

Communication: calling, chatting and networking

We rarely find a smartphone with which calling is a problem. That also applies to the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, which handles these matters neatly. You can use dual SIM, without the space for the second SIM card being at the expense of the space for a memory card.

In terms of connectivity, the device has everything you need. For example, there is support for the 5G network and you can use Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and WiFi. The latter form of connection is available in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

Multimedia: music and film

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G has a nice screen to enjoy your series or video. The screen is easy to read, even on sunny days. So no problems with this. You can also use the phone to play your favorite music. The single speaker that is used for this is located at the bottom of the device. The sound is fine for a mid-end device, although it sounds a bit squeezed at maximum volume.

Camera: photo and video

For the photos, the smartphone is equipped with a triple camera; equipped with a 64 megapixel main camera, an 8 megapixel wide-angle lens and a 2 megapixel macro lens. The camera app is recognizable OnePlus and can also be operated well on the Nord CE 2 5G. We see a clear interface and user-friendly layout. The tree icons make it clear that a wide-angle or zoom-in photo can be taken. However, because a telephoto lens is missing, this is digital zooming, with loss of quality as a result. Although in some cases we find that very easy. We do find the wide-angle lens a bit dull at times.

But what about photo quality? We have tested the camera of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 under various circumstances, and can say that it really does not perform badly. The phone usually takes nice pictures. With us, HDR was automatically activated when needed. And that clearly produces a better photo. However, it is noticeable that the photos can be moved a bit faster. The night photos are nice, considering the price of the phone, although they lose quite a few details. There is a special night mode that brings a little more detail, but also gives more noise. All in all, decent photos for the price of the phone.

Below you will find a photo we took with the Nord 2 CE. More photos can be found in the online photo album.

Selfie and video camera

Selfies are taken with the 16 megapixel front camera. The images this makes are quite nice, although we see on the large screen of the computer that there is quite a bit of noise. Videos made with the Nord CE 2 5G look good, although it is a pity that during filming it is not possible to switch to, for example, the wide-angle lens, or to zoom in at 1080p. You can watch the video we shot with the phone below. The video quality is fine with the device.

Performance: battery, speed and memory

OnePlus has equipped the Nord CE 2 with MediaTek’s Dimensity 900 chipset. We already saw a processor from this manufacturer on previous devices, and it scored excellently in, for example, the OnePlus Nord 2 review. Although this is a different model, the performance can be called excellent. In the past few weeks we have not discovered any hitches or hangs, and everything works quickly and as desired. The 8GB of RAM also helps with this. Everything feels very smooth and smooth. Nothing to complain about! The internal memory is 128 GB.

Battery

There is a 4500 mAh battery in the smartphone, a battery that can be charged very quickly. Due to the further collaboration with Oppo, the name Warp Charge has no longer been chosen, but it is now the name of Oppo, SuperVOOC. Charging the OnePlus Nord CE 2 can be done with a power of 65W, and that is (certainly in this price range) an absolute advantage.

High-end devices are usually full of options and features that each demand a little more from the battery. Despite the fact that the Nord CE 2 5G is a very complete device, it doesn’t seem that the battery suffers much from it. With intensive use, for example, on the road we still have 38 percent left at the end of the day, with a screen time of three hours and 48 minutes. An excellent battery life.

Update Policy

It is secretly a loss that the phone does not appear with Android 12 as standard, but with Android 11. The update to Android 12 is expected in the second half of this year and that is just a downside. OnePlus promises three years of security updates and two years of Android OS updates. So Android 13 will come to the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G anyway, but whether Android 14 will come to the device is uncertain.

Review

In recent weeks we have used the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G as a ‘daily driver’, a device that shows itself from its best side. It actually does not disappoint and offers the good of all worlds, without having to pay a lot of money for this. The camera takes nice shots, the device is fast and the battery is more than fine. A big advantage is that this battery can also be charged very quickly; that does not match the competition.

There are also points for improvement; the fickle brightness sensor can be improved with some fiddling with the settings, but it would be nice if OnePlus picks up on this matter. It is also a pity that the phone is not released from the factory with Android 12. Nevertheless, with the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G you really have a very nice device.

You can buy the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G at OnePlus, Coolblue and Mobiel. Ordering is possible from March 3.