Initial Verdict: As much as we want to acknowledge the upgrades on the Nord CE4 Lite, OnePlus came short by using dated internals on its 2024 midrange offering.

Pros

• AMOLED display at last
• Sleek build
• OIS on the main camera

Cons

• Dated internals
• Debatable pricing

After bringing over the 12 series to the Philippines, OnePlus focuses on the midrange segment with the Nord CE4 Lite. As its under Php 20k offering, OnePlus wants to get a slice of that hot segment in the Philippines. We got our hands on the Nord CE4 Lite for a few days, and here are our first impressions on the phone.

 

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Hands-On Philippines: Design

Compared to the CE3 Lite, the Nord CE4 Lite has a sleeker and slimmer look with its flat frame sides and boxy design. Our review unit is in the Mega Blue colorway, which has a vibrant and loud tone that makes the Nord CE 4 Lite a statement device.

OnePlus made a sneaky move with the camera module, where the tonal colors give the illusion that it is large. In reality, only the two cameras are elevated, while the two LED flash units remain flush. The back panel has a glossy finish but does not attract that many fingerprints based on the limited time we handled the phone.

Like its predecessor, the frame and back panel of the Nord CE4 Lite are made from plastic. The button and port selection of the CE4 Lite is just the same as its predecessor, though this time you have an IP54 rating, and the fingerprint scanner is now an in-display variety.

 

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Hands-On Philippines: Display

One of the biggest changes with the Nord CE4 Lite is its shift to a 120hz AMOLED panel. That’s a welcome change from the 120hz IPS panels that OnePlus has been using under the Nord CE Lite line. The display itself has the qualities we love with AMOLED panels: deep blacks, vibrant and accurate colors, and a high peak brightness of 2100nits–which makes the Nord CE4 Lite’s display legible enough even under direct sunlight.

The speakers are still the same stereo setup found on its predecessor, and they sound decent for a mid-range phone. If you are not content with the audio quality, you’d be pleased to hear that the Nord CE4 Lite retains the headphone jack so that you can use your favorite pair of wired earphones without needing a dongle.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Hands-On Philippines: Cameras

The other major upgrade on the Nord CE4 Lite is with the main camera. While you still don’t get an ultra-wide camera, the main camera now uses an LYT-600 sensor and comes with OIS. We haven’t had enough time to test the Nord CE4 Lite’s cameras, but we’re familiar with how the LYT-600 performs based on our experience with the realme 12+ and Reno12. In both cases, we noticed that the LYT-600 sensor excels especially in low light. 

We’ll get back to the Nord CE4 Lite’s camera performance once we’re done with our full review, so stay tuned for that.

Aside from the new main camera, everything else remains the same–including video recording limited to 1080p due to the processor used.

 

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Hands-On Philippines: Internals and Battery

The biggest downside with the Nord CE4 Lite is that OnePlus did not give any relevant upgrades to the internals. You still get the same Snapdragon 695 processor used since the Nord CE2 Lite, and that’s paired with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage.

The Snapdragon 695 has been succeeded by newer chips like the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and is already an aging processor in 2024. We’re puzzled why OnePlus did not opt for newer internals–maybe at least faster UFS 3.1 storage–on the Nord CE4 Lite to make their mid-range offering competitive enough.

The Nord CE4 Lite has a slightly bigger 5110mAh battery inside despite being lighter and slimmer and supports 80w SuperVOOC charging. On paper, it can fully charge the battery in less than an hour–but we will be testing this in our full review. Aside from fast wired charging, the Nord CE4 Lite has 5w reverse wired charging for topping up wearables like TWS earbuds.

While our review unit does not have a charger, OnePlus Philippines told us that retail units will include the charger in the box. 

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Hands-On Philippines: Wrap-up and Initial Conclusions

The Nord CE4 Lite could have been an exciting midrange phone with an upgraded display and main camera. However, it will face tough competition, especially with OnePlus’ decision to use a dated Snapdragon 695 chip when they could have opted for other processors like the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Hands-On Philippines: Price

The Nord CE4 Lite is priced at Php 17,990.