OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G: The Perfect Balance of Performance, Style, and Affordability
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is a new addition to the OnePlus lineup of entry-level smartphones, designed specifically for the Asian and European markets. Compared to its predecessor, the third-generation variant offers a range of significant upgrades, including a high-end 108MP main camera and 67W SUPERVOOC charging capabilities, providing faster charging times and longer battery life.
Overall, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is a solid entry-level smartphone, offering excellent value for the price. With its powerful camera, speedy charging capabilities, and enhanced user experience, it is an ideal choice for a smartphone that offers both functionality and affordability.
In India, the OnePlus Nord CE 3Lite can be purchased in two colour variants: Pastel Lime and Chromatic Gray. The device’s 8GB/128GB model is priced at Rs 19,999, while the 8GB/256GB version is priced at Rs 21,999 in India.
Design
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite boasts a contemporary, streamlined external design with slim bezels and a punch-hole camera at the display’s top left corner. In addition, the phone’s body is made of plastic with a glossy finish that imparts an elegant appearance and pleasant tactile experience.
This device has a fingerprint sensor on the back, ensuring secure and comfortable unlocking. While the bezels at the bottom of the screen are thicker, the Nord CE 3 Lite appears to have somewhat thicker bezels at the top compared to the Realme 10 Pro. This could be due to slightly higher dimensions, despite featuring the same screen.
The right-hand side of the phone features a power button that doubles as the fingerprint sensor. However, this sensor’s placement on one side makes it less convenient to use with the left hand or when the phone is placed on its back. On the left side, you’ll find the dual SIM tray and the volume buttons, which have been moved from the right side, as is customary in other OnePlus phones.
The phone’s upper part features a tiny earpiece opening, which also doubles as one of the speakers, and a microphone can be found nearby. For ports, the Nord CE 3 Lite features a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, along with a headphone jack, which is becoming increasingly uncommon in modern smartphones.
Display
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite display has a large 6.72-inch screen, making it the largest screen on any Nord device to date [2]. The display size measures 17.07cm, and its resolution corresponds to a standard rectangle [3]. However, the visible area is slightly smaller than the stated screen size due to the rounded corners and camera cut-out.
The device’s LCD panel offers good viewing angles and colour accuracy, while the screen is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass to prevent scratches and accidental drops. In addition, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite features a high resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, delivering sharp and clear visuals for an immersive viewing experience.
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite does not support HDR, which is not a significant loss since the HDR experience on LCD screens is generally not very good. However, the device’s display can refresh at up to 120Hz, providing a smooth and seamless experience on the home screen and some pre-installed apps. In addition, it is worth noting that the device can adjust the refresh rate to match the displayed content, including 30Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz, making it compatible with all popular frame rate combinations.
Camera
The OOnePlus Nord CE 3Lite has a triple-camera system on the back, which includes a main 108MP f/1.75 camera. However, the camera system is not the phone’s strongest feature and the quality and effectiveness of the other lenses remain questionable. Additionally, the absence of an ultra-wide camera, typically found even in devices at this price point, may limit the phone’s photography capabilities.
The camera software of the OnePlus Nord CE 3Lite is similar to that of other OnePlus/Oppo/Realme phones, with relatively limited options due to the phone’s low-end nature. However, the phone offers a dedicated button for digital zoom up to 3x, which OnePlus claims to be a lossless zoom function. Users can also manually disable HDR or switch to the 108MP mode if desired.
Regarding video performance, the Nord CE 3 Lite is limited to a maximum of 1080p at 30fps and does not have optical image stabilisation (OIS). Unfortunately, these limitations may disappoint users looking for more advanced video capabilities.
Battery
The OnePlus Nord CE 3Lite boasts a formidable 5000mAh battery capacity on par with the Realme 10 Pro. Despite the high capacity, this phone can be charged rapidly using an 80W charger, although it can also support charging speeds of up to 67W. Nord CE 3 Lite takes 1 hour and 11 minutes to reach full charge, which is identical to the charging time achieved by the Realme 10 Pro. Nord CE 3 Lite users can enjoy long-lasting battery life without sacrificing charging speed.
Software
The Nord CE 3 Lite is powered by OxygenOS 13.1, based on Android 13. However, regarding functionality and user interface, there are hardly any noticeable differences between OxygenOS 13.1 and Realme UI 4.0 or even ColorOS 13. This is because these UIs share many similarities, making them virtually indistinguishable.
That being said, the UI of the Nord CE 3 Lite is customisable, allowing users to personalise their phones with custom fonts, icons, colours, and even themes. The notification drawer has a unique design that combines elements from both stock Android and iOS, but it works well overall. One particularly useful feature is the reserved section at the top right of the notification drawer for audio playback, which does not take up valuable notification space.
Performance
The Nord CE 3 Lite is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, the same chipset found in the previous generation Nord CE 2 Lite. The phone also comes with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage, with the option to expand it using a microSD card. Additionally, a virtual memory expansion feature allows users to create a 4/6/8GB page file on the storage, which can swap data when the device runs out of system memory.
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