OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G review: A worthy contender

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G is available in two RAM and storage variants - 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB. They are priced at Rs 26,999 and 28,999 respectively.

Under the hood, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 is powered by Snapdragon 782G processor. Photo credit: Raghwendra Shukla

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G review: The Nord Series by OnePlus is known for offering affordable smartphones and has managed to make a name for itself in the highly competitive segment. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has added one more device to its Nord Series - the OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G. Has this latest entrant in the Nord Series managed to carry forward the legacy? Find out in our review.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G Review: Price and variants

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G is available in two RAM and storage variants - 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB. They are priced at Rs 26,999 and 28,999 respectively. The device comes in two colours - Aqua Surge and Gray Shimmer. Here we are using the 12GB + 256GB variant of the smartphone in Aqua Surge colour.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G Review: Design

Design - especially the big dual-circle camera arrangement - looks somewhat similar to another Nord Series smartphone launched recently. The cameras come with stainless steel surrounds that not only protect the lenses but look beautiful too. Also, it looks like the smartphone has a glass panel at the back at a glance. No matter what, the Aqua Surge colour of the OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G looks vibrant. The plastic frame of the device is flat and feels sturdy. The good thing is that it comes with an IP54 rating. The only thing that some people may miss is the alert slider.

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OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G Review: Display

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G comes with a 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display which supports a refresh rate of 120Hz. While the bezel at the chin is slightly thicker than other sides, it looks almost asymmetrical and this is a good thing to have in a mid-range smartphone. It also offers a 93.4 per cent screen-to-body ratio. The screen supports refresh rates of 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz. The viewing experience on this device is decent and colours look punchy and vibrant. It has dual stereo speakers which makes the content consumption more immersive. Also, the screen is bright enough even for outdoor usage. The good thing is that it comes with Widevine L1 certification and therefore you can enjoy content on platforms like Netflix.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G Review: Performance and software

Under the hood, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 is powered by Snapdragon 782G processor - a mid-range chipset by Qualcomm. It is capable of handling all your day-to-day tasks with ease and even lets you multitask smoothly. While you can play games like Subway Surfer quite easily, you may feel some lag while playing graphically intensive games like BGMI and Asphalt 9.

ALSO READ | OnePlus Nord 3 5G review: Mid-range smartphone punches above its weight

The OnePlus Nord CE3 5G boots on OxygenOS 13.1 based on Android 13 out of the box. It offers bloatware bloatware-free experience which is somewhat similar to stock Android. The device is also suitable for long-term usage as the company promises two years of major Android updates and three years of security updates.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G Review: Battery and charging

The OnePlus Nord CE3 5G has a 5,000mAh battery which is sufficient to last over a day. The smartphone comes with an 80W SuperVooc fast charger in the box. It can juice up the device from zero to 100 per cent in around 40 minutes.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G Review: Camera

The smartphone comes with a triple camera setup with 50 megapixels OIS Sony IMX890 main camera sensor. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro sensor.

In daylight, the primary camera is capable of clicking decent images. They retain colours well and offer sufficient details. In lowlight too, you can click some good images with a respectable level of detail. In a nutshell, images in low light are good for their price. Images captured by an 8MP ultra-wide sensor have some distortion around the edges and colours are not very accurate. Photos in portrait mode have a good bokeh effect with decent edge detection.

For selfies, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G comes with a 16MP punch-hole camera. It captures decent images with good skin tone accuracy.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G Review: Verdict

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G comes with all the features that are required in the price segment. However, the addition of an alert slider would have given the device an edge. While there are several other options in this price range, you will certainly not regret your decision to buy the OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G.

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