OnePlus Nord CE Official in India and Europe

Roughly a year after the OG Nord was introduced in Europe and India, OnePlus unveils its successor with the Nord CE—which is short for Core Edition. With this phone, OnePlus did improve on some aspects while stripping down some aspects from the original Nord—which is why it is debatable if the Nord CE is a true successor to the OG Nord.

OnePlus Nord CE Specs:

Snapdragon 750G processor
6GB/8GB/12GB LPDDR4X RAM
128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 storage
6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, 90hz refresh rate, support for HDR10+ and DCI-P3
64-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel f/2.4 depth sensor
16-megapixel f/2.4 selfie camera with EIS
4G, 5G
WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, in-display fingerprint scanner
NFC
4500mAh battery
33w fast charging
Android 11, OxygenOS 11

One of the big changes you will see up front is the rear camera, as the Nord CE shifts to a triple rear camera setup, dropping the macro camera in the process. The main camera is now a 64-megapixel snapper—though you lose OIS on the Nord CE. Going to the front, the Nord CE keeps things simple with a single punch-hole housing a 16-megapixel snapper. The display itself is slightly smaller at 6.43 inches, but it is still an AMOLED panel with 90hz refresh rate and an in-display fingerprint scanner.

The trademark alert slider on the side is gone, and the Nord CE makes up for it by having a headphone jack. Considering that it is the thinnest OnePlus phone since the 6T at 7.9mm, it is impressive to see a OnePlus phone to have a headphone jack in 2021.

As for the processor, the Nord CE rocks a Snapdragon 750G that is paired with up to 12GB RAM and up to 256GB internal storage. While it may sound like a downgrade from the Snapdragon 765G used on the OG Nord, some media outlets report that the Snapdragon 750G performs slightly better. We have yet tested a phone with a Snapdragon 750G yet, so we will need to verify this claim.

While the processor of choice is debatable, the biggest upgrade on the Nord CE is the battery—you are getting a 4500mAh cell, which is almost 400mAh bigger than the one on the OG Nord—while still having 30w wired charging.

OnePlus Nord CE Price

The Nord CE 5G will go on sale in markets across Asia and Europe. The base 6GB/128GB will sell for INR 22,999(~Php 15.1k), while the 8GB/128GB is priced at INR 24,999(~Php 16.4k). The top-end 12GB/256GB will be priced at INR 27,999(~Php 18.4k). OnePlus does confirm that the Nord CE is coming to the Philippines, and we expect it to have a price close to the SRP in India.