Nord CE 5G

Released June 2021

A 6.43-inch 5G phone with a 90 Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 750G and a 64 MP main camera. A 4,500 mAh battery supports 30 W charging, with a 3.5 mm headphone socket.

Screen: 6.43″
Display: OLED, 90 Hz
Chip: Snapdragon 750G
Memory: 8 GB – 12 GB
Storage: 128 GB – 256 GB
Main camera: 64 MP
Zoom: –
Battery: 4,500 mAh
Weight: 170 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers praise the light, comfortable design, smooth AMOLED display, useful software and strong battery life. Everyday performance is adequate, but gaming-focused rivals are faster. Camera processing and low-light results attract criticism. Expert Reviews and TechRadar consider it a capable affordable phone; Android Authority is more reserved about its value against the original Nord and competitors. Missing water certification, stereo speakers and the Alert Slider remain compromises.

From androidauthority.com, expertreviews.co.uk and techradar.com

Specifications

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Display

Screen size: 6.43″
Resolution: 2400 × 1080
Sharpness: 409 pixels per inch
Panel: OLED
Refresh rate: 90 Hz
Display type: Fluid AMOLED; 20:9 aspect ratio; 6.22-inch area accounting for rounded corners
Pixel density: 410 ppi
Brightness detail: Expert Reviews measured peak brightness around 400 cd/m²
Always-on display: Always-on display supported by OxygenOS 11
Screen protection: Dragontrail glass confirmed by Android Authority and TechRadar; not Gorilla Glass
Display features: sRGB and Display P3; Ambient Display, Dark Mode and Reading Mode; maker launch claims HDR10+ support

Performance

Chip: Snapdragon 750G
Memory: 8 GB – 12 GB
Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G mobile platform with Kryo 570 CPU
GPU: Adreno 619
Storage type: LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.1 storage; UK 8/128 GB and 12/256 GB pairings confirmed by the reviews; regional 6/128 GB configuration is not represented

Cameras

Main camera: 64 MP
Ultra wide camera: 8 MP
Telephoto camera: None
Optical zoom: None
Front camera: 16 MP
Main camera: 64 MP, f/1.79, six-element lens and 0.7 µm pixels; four-to-one binning gives 16 MP images with 1.4 µm equivalent pixels; no OIS, confirmed by Expert Reviews
Ultra wide camera: 8 MP, f/2.25 and 119° field of view
Front camera: Sony IMX471, 16 MP, f/2.45, 1.0 µm pixels and EIS
Zoom: 0.6× to 10× digital zoom; no optical telephoto lens
Video recording: 4K at 30 fps; 1080p at 30 or 60 fps; slow motion at 1080p 120 fps or 720p 240 fps; time-lapse at 1080p or 4K 30 fps; video editor
Front video: 1080p at 30 or 60 fps; time-lapse
Camera features: Additional 2 MP monochrome camera, f/2.4; phase and contrast autofocus; LED flash; Nightscape, UltraShot HDR, Portrait, Panorama, Pro, Smart Scene Recognition and Filters

Battery and charging

Battery: 4,500 mAh
Wired charging: Up to 30 W
Wireless charging: None
Battery life detail: Non-removable 4,500 mAh typical capacity; optimised overnight charging
Wired charging: Warp Charge 30T Plus, 5 V/6 A; maker claims 0–70% in half an hour

Design

Type: Standard
Weight: 170 g
Thickness: 7.9 mm
Height × width: 159.2 × 73.5 mm
Materials: Plastic rear and frame confirmed by Android Authority and Expert Reviews; TechRadar's aluminium frame description differs
Colours: Charcoal Ink, Silver Ray and Blue Void; UK configuration availability varies
Buttons: Volume key on the left; power key on the right; no Alert Slider
Water resistance detail: No published IP rating
Biometrics: In-screen fingerprint sensor and camera-based face unlock
Sensors: Fingerprint, accelerometer, electronic compass, gyroscope, ambient light, proximity and sensor core
Speakers: Single super linear speaker
Microphones: Noise cancellation support

Software

Operating system: Android
Software at launch: OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11
Software updates: Maker promised two years of software updates and three years of security updates from launch; this original support period has elapsed
In the box: European maker lists phone, Warp Charge 30 adapter, USB-C cable supporting USB 2.0, case, pre-applied screen protector, SIM ejector, welcome letter, quick start guide, safety and warranty information and SAR information

Connectivity

Mobile network: European maker sheet lists 5G NSA n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n77/n78 and SA n1/n3/n7/n28/n41/n78; India sheet supports only n78. LTE 4×4 MIMO, Cat 18 download and Cat 13 upload, up to 1.2 Gbit/s and 150 Mbit/s subject to network support
SIM: Dual nano-SIM
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 5, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac on 2.4 and 5 GHz
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.1; aptX, aptX HD, LDAC and AAC
NFC: Yes
USB: USB-C, USB 2.0; 3.5 mm headphone socket
Positioning: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and A-GPS

Storage options

Storage	Memory
128 GB	8 GB
256 GB	12 GB

Pros and cons

Pros

90 Hz AMOLED display and 5G
3.5 mm headphone socket
30 W charging with an included adapter

Cons

No published IP rating or wireless charging
No optical camera stabilisation or expandable storage
No Alert Slider or stereo speakers

Closest rivals

Model	Screen	Display	Chip	Memory	Storage	Main camera	Zoom	Battery	Weight	Released
XiaomiXiaomi 12	6.28″	OLED, 120 Hz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	8 GB – 12 GB	128 GB – 256 GB	50 MP	–	4,500 mAh	180 g	Dec 2021
XiaomiXiaomi 11T Pro	6.67″	OLED, 120 Hz	Snapdragon 888	8 GB – 12 GB	128 GB – 256 GB	108 MP	–	5,000 mAh	204 g	Oct 2021
OnePlusNord 2 5G	6.43″	OLED, 90 Hz	MediaTek Dimensity 1200-AI	8 GB – 12 GB	128 GB – 256 GB	50 MP	–	4,500 mAh	189 g	Jul 2021

Newer model: Nord CE 2 5G.

Sources

Photo: oasis.opstatics.com

OnePlus Nord ce — official supplied product photograph: OnePlus official supplied photograph; complete maker canvas and background retained.

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