OnePlus Nord 2 5G and Nord CE 5G, these are the differences

OnePlus has announced two midrange phones from the Nord series in quick succession: the Nord CE 5G and the Nord 2 5G. Well, they already have 5G, but where are the differences and which one is most suitable for you? We list the main differences.

OnePlus Nord CE 5G and OnePlus Nord 2 5G

The original OnePlus Nord was the beginning of a new success story for OnePlus. The phone came with strong specs in exchange for its price, and what followed was a slew of mid-range or budget phones. Now it’s finally time for a successor to the original Nord, but there are two phones that come into view.

The OnePlus Nord CE 5G was launched first, and the ‘CE’ in its name stands for Core Edition. You can read our extensive review of that smartphone here. Still, OnePlus was not done with that, and a Nord 2 5G followed last week. Which of these midrange devices is the most interesting for you?

Specifications

Same screen, different housing

This is immediately the aspect where the least differences between the two middle class can be detected, simply because they have the same screen. It is a 6.43 inch AMOLED panel with a Full HD resolution and a refresh rate of 90Hz.

Although you can see that the Nord 2 5G comes with slightly finer screen edges, even if it is a small difference. It has a screen-to-body ratio of 85.8% compared to 84.9% with the Nord CE 5G. More significant is the housing of the Nord CE 5G, which is made entirely of plastic. OnePlus opted for a glass back and a plastic frame with the Nord 2 5G.

Although plastic is stronger, it is at the same time more sensitive to scratches and less high-quality. The Nord 2 5G is finished with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. On the other hand, plastic as a material for phones is more popular with Androidworld readers.

Clear winner in performance

OnePlus has never put such a powerful chipset in a Nord phone before as the Nord 2 5G’s MediaTek Dimensity 1200 AI. This 3.0 GHz processor is MediaTek’s most powerful at the moment, and while it isn’t a real competitor to the Snapdragon 888 yet, it should be able to compete with the Snapdragon 870.

That said, the Snapdragon 750G from the Nord CE 5G is also a great chipset for midrange phones, but it just can’t compete with the high-end performance of the Nord 2 5G. The maximum internet speeds via 5G are also better with the Nord 2 5G, and that may play a role as soon as the faster 3.5 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands are auctioned among the providers in the Netherlands next year.

The phones have the same amount of storage and RAM, except the Nord CE 5G also has a cheaper option with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is good if you want to cut the price of your purchase. Keep in mind that the Nord 2 5G works with UFS 3.1 storage, which is faster than the Nord CE 5G’s UFS2.1 storage. In short, with the Nord2 5G you get the better price-quality deal when it comes to brute power.

50MP camera with OIS

In order to fully discuss the camera, we should in fact do a camera test in which both smartphones are used side by side. Only in this case can we fairly easily estimate where the differences are, and that is with the main camera. The other camera sensors on the back are the same.

The 50 MP main sensor of the Nord 2 5G, on the other hand, is larger than the 64 MP camera of the Nord CE 5G, it can also collect more light and comes with optical image stabilization. It is the Sony IMX766 that could already prove itself as part of the OnePlus 9 series. If the phone’s camera is important to you, then it makes a big difference.

In addition to the camera hardware, the Nord 2 5G also comes with an enhanced night mode called ‘NightScape Ultra’. Artificial intelligence (AI) should help the smartphone to take better photos in dark lighting conditions.

Finally, there is the 32 MP selfie camera with the Nord 2 5G compared to the 16 MP camera of the Core Edition. Unlike its smaller brother, the Nord 2 5G can automatically enable HDR, while the Nord CE has to do this manually.

Fast chargers make the difference

Not much can be said about the difference in battery life without having already tested both phones. They have the same 4500 mAh battery, and the largest consumer, the screen, is already identical. There will undoubtedly be differences between the two devices, but you have to look for them with the different chipsets. It is just not known which of the two will consume the most.

What we can estimate much better is the power in terms of fast charging. The Nord 2 5G comes with a powerful 65 watt charger that should be able to fully charge the phone in half an hour. The Nord CE 5G’s Warp Charge 30T charger can charge up to 70 percent in the same time, which is a significant difference. None of these phones come with wireless charging.

OxygenOS 11

Both devices work on Android 11, but the Nord 2 does work on a more recent version of OxygenOS, namely version 11.3. There are no significant differences between the two software shells, only behind the scenes. OxygenOS 11.3 is the first version to merge code from OPPO’s Color OS shell into OxygenOS 11, which should make the system more stable.

The 11.3 update is also no longer expected for the Nord CE 5G, because the phone will probably receive the update to Android 12 in one go. Presumably a little later than the Nord 2 5G gets it. Both devices can count on security updates for three years and they will receive version updates for two years.

With OxygenOS 11, OnePlus has moved away this time towards a pure Android experience, and the new look comes with large titles and plenty of white space that should make the phone easier to handle from one hand. Furthermore, the OnePlus Shelf has received a new lick of paint, there is a new power menu and you can set a dark theme from the quick settings.

Audio jack vs stereo speakers

And then there are possible extras that can convince doubters, starting with the sound. The OnePlus Nord 2 5G is the only one that has stereo speakers, but it is the Nord CE 5G that has a 3.5 mm audio jack. It’s up to you to choose which of the two is more important.

Both Nord phones have a fingerprint scanner under the screen, so there are no known differences. You could miss the alert slider on the Nord CE, because this physical slide switch to switch between the volume settings is present on the Nord 2 5G.

Conclusion

The Nord 2 5G may cost at least 100 euros more than the cheapest model of the Nord CE 5G, but it is really worth the extra price. The smartphone has a much more powerful chipset, the better main camera, a higher quality housing and a more powerful fast charger. The phone therefore comes out as the strongest value for money.

Is the Nord CE 5G a bad deal if you want to spend a maximum of about 299 euros? No, not that. But the phone will have a harder time competing against other competitors. In that price segment, there are strong alternatives from manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Samsung and Realme that will make you doubt more quickly.

The Nord 2 5G feels like the true successor to the original Nord: a budget fighter that offers a lot in exchange for your money. It’s a phone that can convince you to forgo more expensive flagships. You will be able to discover all our experiences with the OnePlus Nord 2 5G in the review on Androidworld this week.

Buy OnePlus Nord 2 5G

The OnePlus Nord 2 5G will be available for purchase from July 28 via OnePlus.com, Coolblue, T-Mobile and Mobiel.nl. If you purchase the OnePlus Nord 2 5G on OnePlus.com during the pre-order period, you will receive the device from July 26. In addition, you get extra benefits such as a 10% discount on a Nord 2 phone case and screen protector and a 50% discount on the OnePlus Buds Z.

The OnePlus Nord 2 5G is available in several colors and storage configurations:

• Buy OnePlus Nord 2 5G (8 GB + 128 GB – Blue Haze, Gray Sierra) – Coolblue, Mobiel.nl, Belsimpel, OnePlus.com – 399 euros
• Obuy nePlus Nord 2 5G (12 GB + 256 GB -Blue Haze, Gray Sierra) – Coolblue, Mobiel.nl, Belsimpel, OnePlus.com – 499 euros

Buy OnePlus Nord CE 5G

The OnePlus Nord CE 5G is available in several colors and storage configurations:

• Buy OnePlus Nord CE 5G (6 GB + 128 GB – Charcoal Ink ) – OnePlus.com, Mobiel.nl, Coolblue – 299 euros
• Buy OnePlus Nord CE 5G (8 GB + 128 GB – Blue Void, Charcoal Ink ) – OnePlus.com, Mobiel.nl, Belsimpel, Coolblue – 329 euros
• Obuy nePlus Nord CE 5G (12 GB + 256 GB – Blue Void, Charcoal Ink, Silver Ray ) – OnePlus.com, Mobiel.nl, Belsimpel, Coolblue – 399 euros