OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G Review: Mid-Range or Just Plain Middling?

The OnePlus roster isn’t as clear and concise because it was, to place it mildly. Living proof: the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G. This telephone belongs to a sub-brand (the CE line) of a sub-brand (the Nord line), and is a extra inexpensive model of a telephone that hasn’t even been introduced but (the OnePlus Nord CE 3).

Which in itself is a extra inexpensive spin-off of the equally unannounced OnePlus Nord 3, however now we’re actually entering into the weeds.

Looking for a OnePlus telephone has definitely gotten much more sophisticated. All you really want to know, although, is that the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is probably the most inexpensive telephone in OnePlus’s 2023 line-up, and that it’s a direct succesor to final 12 months’s considerably disappointing OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.

Can OnePlus get the lower-mid-range system proper this time round, or is the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G one other inexpensive also-ran?

Design & Construct

• Comparatively huge and heavy
• Flat-edged all-plastic design
• Pastel Lime color definitely stands out

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is one other huge telephone from the model. At 165.5 x 76 x 8.3mm, it’s fractionally taller and wider than the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, if slightly thinner. It weighs an an identical 195g, which is hardly light-weight for an all-plastic telephone.

OnePlus has stepped up the design language considerably from the tasteless OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, with flat edges reflecting the post-iPhone 12 type of the second. A central gap punch notch replaces the left nook positioning of the earlier mannequin.

My Pastel Lime mannequin definitely stands out, in a fizzy lemon sherbet form of means. The yellowy-greeny metallic end on the plastic rim units it off properly, although each are one thing of an acquired style. There’s a way more sober Chromatic Grey choice in the event you favor.

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The glass-effect plastic end of the rear picks up greasy fingerprints slightly simply, although the sunshine color goes some solution to hiding them at an preliminary look. There’s no IP score, which isn’t an uncommon omission at this finish of the market. With that stated, the Redmi Be aware 12 Professional does handle to incorporate an IP53 score, so asking for one isn’t totally unreasonable.

Elsewhere you get the usual side-mounted fingerprint sensor positioned beneath the ability button on the correct hand aspect. I discovered this to be slightly tougher to find by really feel than normal, because it’s recessed and thus sits nearly flush with the sting, however it’s dependable sufficient in operation.

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.72in IPS LCD
• Full HD+ & 120Hz
• Stereo audio system

The primary cause the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is slightly greater than its predecessor is due to its bigger show. It’s a 6.72in IPS LCD, up from the 6.59in instance within the CE 2 Lite 5G.

It’s a lot sharp sufficient at 1080 x 2400, or Full HD+, and it might additionally hit a 120Hz refresh charge. In contrast to most different inexpensive Android telephones, it defaults to that peak refresh charge too, which is sweet to see.

The most important concern that I can see right here is the kind of panel that OnePlus has opted to make use of. With Xiaomi providing full AMOLED within the cheaper Poco X5, in addition to the one barely pricier Redmi Be aware 12 Professional, the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G show seems considerably anaemic.

With a gamut protection of 85.5% sRGB, 60.6% Adobe RGB, and 62.7% DCI P3 within the extra balanced-looking (if barely drab) Pure color profile, it provides fairly middling color output. The default Vivid mode provides a punchier 99.5% sRGB and 79.8% Adobe RGB, however isn’t what you’d name color correct total.

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It’s in these gray blacks and normal lack of distinction that you just actually see the LCD to AMOLED distinction, although. Nonetheless, a prime brightness (with auto brightness switched off) of 510 nits is to not be sniffed it.

A far greater enchancment over the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is the inclusion of stereo audio system. They don’t provide the deepest or most detailed sound, however merely having a correct left and proper channel in panorama video content material makes all of the distinction.

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 695 5G
• 8GB RAM
• microSD slot

One space the place there’s been treasured little progress is on the subject of efficiency. You’re getting the very same Snapdragon 695 chip right here as you probably did with final 12 months’s mannequin, in addition to with the marginally cheaper Poco X5.

That’s backed by a extra capacious 8GB of RAM as commonplace, which is up from 6GB in final 12 months’s mannequin, however that’s largely by the by. The bottleneck right here is that processor.

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Positive sufficient, the Geekbench 5 and GFXBench benchmark scores (masking CPU and GPU efficiency respectively) roughly match final 12 months’s mannequin. In the meantime, all of them fall comfortably wanting the Redmi Be aware 12 Professional, which might be the closest modern we are able to examine the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G to on the time of writing.

Benchmarks don’t at all times mirror the ultimate expertise, after all, however this older chip definitely doesn’t present a contemporary mid-range expertise normally use.

There was nothing egregious throughout my time with the telephone, however I did expertise pretty frequent micro-pauses when navigating by menus and residential screens, in addition to an extended delay when switching between apps than you get with extra succesful telephones.

In gaming phrases, you’ll be desirous to run Genshin Impression on Medium settings at most, and even then it received’t be flawlessly easy.

You get 128GB of inside storage as commonplace, which is par for the course nowadays. It’s at all times good to see the potential of microSD card backup, which is one thing the aforementioned Redmi rival doesn’t help.

Cameras

• Mediocre 108Mp most important
• Poor 2Mp macro and depth lenses
• No devoted ultrawide

OnePlus has bumped up the spec for the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G’s digital camera. Gone is the earlier mannequin’s 64Mp most important sensor, and in comes a 108Mp unit – the primary in a OnePlus telephone, no much less.

Pixels aren’t every part in pictures, after all, however this one additionally boasts a fairly large 1/1.67in sensor dimension, in addition to a big f/1.75 aperture. There’s no OIS (optical picture stabilisation), nevertheless, which actually prices the digital camera in low mild taking pictures eventualities.

All in all, I used to be fairly glad with the leads to first rate lighting, significantly when it got here to element. The tone appears slightly extra pure and fewer closely processed than earlier than. Nonetheless, photographs may look slightly washed out, and there have been hints of overexposure in these HDR conditions.

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I additionally discovered the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G to be slightly sluggish when taking photographs of shifting targets, with blur current even in robust daytime lighting.

Low mild photographs actually aren’t too sizzling both, probably no less than partially all the way down to that lack of OIS, with luggage of noise and a normal lack of sharpness.

You would possibly argue that that is to be anticipated from a telephone to this point south of even the Pixel 6a’s sub-£400 mark. However I took the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G out with the Redmi Be aware 12 Professional and took half a dozen or so an identical photographs with each.

Whereas it was removed from a clear sweep, the latter’s reliable (and simply plain bigger) Sony IMX766 sensor, backed by OIS, yielded extra pleasing and extra premium-looking photographs in most conditions – particularly when the sunshine dropped.

There’s no devoted telephoto digital camera, after all, however OnePlus does declare that these additional pixels on the principle sensor imply that the 3x cropped photographs negate the necessity for one. I wouldn’t go that far – there’s nonetheless a noticeable drop off intimately right here, and the supply materials is way from excellent.

Nevertheless it’s completely ample for these social media posts, the tone of the principle sensor is retained, and the outcomes in all probability do beat an affordable and nasty telephoto digital camera on steadiness. Simply don’t look too intently.

There’s nonetheless no devoted ultra-wide with the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G both, not like with the aforementioned rival, whereas the 2Mp macro digital camera is an entire waste of time. For those who’re taking excessive close-ups, you desire a first rate degree of element that this sensor merely can’t present.

Selfie photographs are ample from the 16Mp entrance digital camera, if slightly washed out. Portrait selfies have a tendency to provide that telltale halo of fuzziness that always accompanies cheaper telephones.

You’ll be able to nonetheless solely shoot 1080p video at 30fps right here. That’s a reasonably horrible provision for a £300 telephone, with numerous rivals providing no less than 4K at 30fps.

Make no mistake, OnePlus has improved the digital camera system on its most cost-effective telephone, however it’s nonetheless not among the many finest in its class.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh
• Two days of sunshine use, certainly one of intensive
• 76% cost in half-hour

OnePlus has fitted the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G with the identical 5000mAh battery as its predecessor, which is ample. Anecdotally, after a full 24 hours between prices and light-weight to average utilization (round 3 hours of screen-on time), I had round 45% left within the tank after I checked the telephone within the morning.

Like its predecessor, this can be a handset that may get you thru two full days of sunshine utilization, and simply a full day of heavier utilization.

Within the normal PC Mark Work 3.0 battery check, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G scored 13 hours and 5 minutes. That’s precisely 1 hour half-hour longer than the Redmi Be aware 12 Professional, which is fairly good going.

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The large battery-related enchancment this time round is within the charging division, the place OnePlus has ramped issues up from 33- to 67W. This was sufficient to get the telephone from 0 to 42% in quarter-hour and on to 76% in half-hour utilizing the bundled charger, which is spectacular, particularly when you think about that the likes of the Samsung Galaxy A54 are nonetheless lagging behind on 25W and don’t include an adapter.

Software program

• Android 13
• OxygenOS 13.1
• Solely two Android updates

Software program was a key power of OnePlus telephones, however it isn’t any longer. Having been assimilated by Oppo, the model’s OxygenOS is now basically a reskin of the father or mother model’s ColorOS. It has not one of the previous OnePlus UI’s crisp, fashionable enchantment.

That’s to not say that OxygenOS 13.1 is a foul interface, as such. It’s simply not up there with Google’s inventory Android and Motorola’s light-weight UI for sheer readability and cohesiveness, with charmless menus and clumsy notifications dragging the expertise down.

It nonetheless doesn’t hit you with fairly as a lot bloatware as Xiaomi’s MIUI, nevertheless, which is a uncommon win for the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G over the Redmi Be aware 12 Professional.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

The primary house display screen has a tasteful Climate app and a Video games administration app, whereas the second house display screen provides you Netflix and a devoted OnePlus instruments folder. There are a pair extra preinstalled apps tucked away within the app tray (the relaxation-focused O Loosen up and Zen House appear to be significantly doubtful inclusions), however they’re simply ignored.

One downside in comparison with MIUI on the Redmi is that you just’re solely assured to get two main Android updates and three years of safety updates, slightly than three and 4 respectively – or much more with Samsung.

Worth & Availability

OnePlus might be promoting the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G for £299 immediately from its retailer from April 20. It’s not formally obtainable within the US.

There’s just one mannequin to select from, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inside storage, although you possibly can select from two colors. It’s additionally obtainable from Amazon for a similar worth.

It is a £20 worth bump from final 12 months’s OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, and it additionally places the OnePlus uncomfortably near the Redmi Be aware 12 Professional, which prices £339. As we’ve mentioned above, this rival gadget bests the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G in a lot of key methods.

Whether or not a superior show and digital camera, barely sooner efficiency, and the availability of IP53 water resistance is price an additional £40 outlay is one thing you’ll have to determine for your self. For my cash, it’s.

It’s additionally price retaining in thoughts that there’s presumably a OnePlus Nord CE 3 across the nook. With final 12 months’s equal fashions, there wasn’t a ample worth hole between the 2, so it may be price holding off to see what OnePlus has up its sleeve.

You would possibly, in case your price range stretches, contemplate the Samsung Galaxy A54 or Google Pixel 6a, each of which characteristic in our greatest mid-range telephones chart.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Verdict

OnePlus has turned out yet one more competent lower-mid-range telephone within the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G however is competent sufficient?

The brand new 108Mp digital camera is an enchancment over what’s gone earlier than, although it’s removed from the most effective in its class – particularly when the sunshine drops. In the meantime, the continued use of an LCD panel slightly than an AMOLED looks like an oversight that’s rising tougher to disregard.

There’s a query of worth for cash right here, with the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G coming in £20 dearer than final 12 months’s mannequin. That may be justifiable with its sooner charging and bigger show, however rival handsets solid it in a much less beneficial mild.

Spending just a bit extra will get you the superior Redmi Be aware 12 Professional, whereas spending rather less provides you the Poco X5 with its AMOLED show.

Throw in stagnant efficiency and OnePlus software program that not stands other than the pack, and you’ve got a telephone that struggles to distinguish itself in a aggressive area.

Specs

• Android 13
• 6.72in, Full HD+, LCD, 120Hz, flat show
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 695
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB storage
• 108Mp, f/1.8 most important digital camera
• 2Mp macro digital camera
• 2Mp depth sensor
• As much as 1080p @ 30fps rear video
• 16Mp front-facing digital camera
• Aspect-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM
• 5G
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• Bluetooth 5.1
• 5000mAh battery
• 67W charging
• 165.5 x 76 x 8.3mm
• 195g
• Launch colors: Chromatic Grey, Pastel Lime