OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G Review: A Solid Mid-Ranger with Some Compromises
Introduction:
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is a new smartphone from OnePlus in the Nord line, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G. The phone aims to offer a smooth and fast performance, a big battery, and a decent camera setup, all at a competitive price point. But how does it fare in real-life usage, and what are its strengths and weaknesses? Here are some brief descriptions given below -
Design and Display
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G has a simple and minimalist design that is typical of OnePlus phones. The phone is made of plastic, but it feels light and comfortable to hold. The back panel has a glossy finish that reflects light in different patterns, giving it some visual appeal. However, it also attracts fingerprints and smudges easily, so you might want to use a case or a skin to keep it clean. It has two colors i.e. Pastel Lime and Chromatic Gray. I have the Pastel Lime variant, which is a refreshing change from the usual black or blue colours that most phones come in these days.
The phone has a rectangular camera module on the top left corner of the back, which houses three lenses and an LED flash. The camera bump is quite prominent and makes the phone wobble when placed on a flat surface. The power button on the right edge doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which is fast and accurate. The volume buttons are on the left edge, and they are small and click.
The front of the phone is dominated by a 6.72-inch IPS LCD display with a punch-hole cutout on the top centre for the selfie camera. The display has a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The display quality is good, with decent brightness, contrast, and colours. The display supports sRGB and Display P3 colour profiles and has an eye comfort mode to reduce blue light.
The display also has adaptive refresh rate technology, which automatically adjusts the refresh rate between 30Hz to 120Hz depending on the content being displayed. This helps in saving battery life and improving smoothness.
The display is good for watching videos, playing games, and browsing the web. However, it is not perfect. The display lacks HDR support, which means it cannot show enhanced contrast and colours in HDR content. The display also has thick bezels around it, especially at the bottom chin, which makes it look dated compared to other phones with edge-to-edge screens. The display also has some issues with touch response and ghosting at lower refresh rates, which can affect the user experience.
Performance and Software
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset, an octa-core CPU with two Kryo 660 Gold cores clocked at 2.2GHz and six Kryo 660 Silver cores clocked at 1.7GHz, powers the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G. Additionally, the phone boasts an Adreno 619 GPU for enhanced graphics.
The phone has either 128GB or 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage and 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. There is also a microSD card slot for storage expansion, although using one of the SIM cards is required since it employs a hybrid SIM slot.
For the majority of tasks, the phone performs well and quickly. The phone handles multitasking without any lag or stuttering that can be felt. Thanks to the phone's powerful CPU and GPU, most games can be played at high settings without experiencing any problems.
The phone runs on OxygenOS 13 based on Android 13 out of the box. OxygenOS is one of the best custom skins for Android, as it offers a clean and bloat-free user interface with useful features and customization options. OxygenOS also gets regular updates from OnePlus, which ensures security patches and bug fixes.
Some of the features of OxygenOS include Zen Mode, Work-Life Balance Mode, Dark Mode, Always-on Display, Game Space, Shelf, Quick Launch, Parallel Apps, App Locker, Hidden Space, Screen Recorder, Screen Shot Editor, and more.
The software experience of the phone is pleasant and enjoyable. OxygenOS is fast and fluid, with no unnecessary apps or ads. OxygenOS also respects the user's privacy and does not collect or share any personal data without consent. OxygenOS also has a good integration with Google services and apps, such as Google Assistant, Google Feed, Google Photos, Google Messages, and more.
Camera and Battery
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G has a triple camera setup on the back, consisting of a 108MP primary camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth camera. The primary camera uses a Samsung S5KHM6SX03 sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, 0.64-micron pixel size, and phase detection autofocus (PDAF).
The primary camera can take 12MP photos by default, using pixel-binning technology to combine four pixels into one for better light capture and detail. The primary camera can also take full-resolution 108MP photos by switching to the Pro mode in the camera app.
The primary camera can take good photos in daylight, with accurate colours, sharp details, and balanced exposure. The dynamic range is also decent, with good contrast and highlights. However, the primary camera struggles in low-light situations, as the photos become noisy, grainy, and soft. The night mode helps in improving the brightness and colours of the photos, but it also introduces some artefacts and smudges.
The macro camera and the depth camera are not very impressive, as they offer low resolution and quality. The macro camera can take close-up shots of objects, but they lack detail and clarity. The depth camera helps in creating a bokeh effect for portrait shots, but it is not very accurate or consistent. The edge detection is often poor, and the background blur is sometimes unnatural.
The phone has a 16MP selfie camera on the front, with an f/2.4 aperture and 1-micron pixel size. The selfie camera can take decent selfies in good lighting conditions, with natural skin tones and facial features. However, the selfies tend to lose detail and sharpness in low-light situations. The selfie camera also has a portrait mode, which can blur the background for a more pleasing effect. However, the edge detection is not very reliable, and the blur intensity is not adjustable.
The phone can record videos up to 1080p resolution at 30fps from both the rear and front cameras. The video quality is average, with decent colours and stability. However, the videos lack detail and sharpness, especially in low-light situations. The phone also does not support 4K video recording or any other advanced features such as slow-motion or time-lapse.
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G has a 5000mAh battery that can last for a full day of moderate to heavy usage. The battery performance is impressive, as the phone can handle gaming, streaming, browsing, and other tasks without draining too much power. The phone also supports 67W fast charging technology that can charge the battery from zero to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes. However, the phone does not support wireless charging or reverse charging.
Verdict
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is a solid mid-range smartphone that offers good performance, a big battery, and a decent display. The phone also has a clean and smooth software experience with OxygenOS based on Android 13. However, the phone also has some compromises that may make you look elsewhere.
The phone has a mediocre camera setup that does not justify its high-resolution sensors. The phone also has a dated design with thick bezels and a plastic body. The phone also lacks some features that are common in this segment, such as HDR support for the display, stereo speakers, an alert slider, and 4K video recording.
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is not a bad phone by any means, but it is not a very exciting one either. It plays it safe by offering a balanced package of hardware and software that works well for most users. However, it does not stand out from the crowd or offer any unique selling point that would make it a must-buy option.
If you are looking for a reliable and affordable 5G smartphone that does not compromise performance or battery life, then you can consider the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G. But if you are looking for something more exciting or feature-rich in this segment, then you may want to explore other options such as the iQOO Z7, POCO X5, or Realme GT Master Edition.
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