OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G review
Review Summary
Expert Rating
The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite is OnePlus’s most affordable smartphone of 2024, succeeding last year’s highly popular OnePlus Nord CE3 Lite (review). Like all new generation devices, the smartphone comes with a bunch of upgrades, including an AMOLED display for a punchier viewing experience and a chunkier battery for longer backup. Mind you, the new additions do not lead to an increased weight or thickness.
However, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite still utilises Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 SoC, the same chipset that powers last year’s Nord CE3 Lite and Nord CE2 Lite (review) of 2022. While this may not seem like a major issue, but in the tech world, it can be hard to justify as most OEMs boast newer processors and their capabilities. Does this affect OnePlus and its new offering? Can the Nord CE4 Lite meet users’ expectations? Let’s find out.
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Table of Contents
Verdict
In a nutshell, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite is all about the display and battery, even though the company boasts its “upgraded” camera system. The design has also changed, which I quite like, though I would’ve preferred different colour options. OnePlus took a big bet by retaining the same Qualcomm chipset for the last two years. You won’t face issues with daily work, but gaming and intense tasks may require more juice. OnePlus also needs to focus on improving low-light photography on its budget offerings.
Design and display
| ONEPLUS NORD CE4 LITE | ONEPLUS NORD CE3 LITE | IQOO Z9 | |
| Thickness | 8.1mm | 8.3mm | 7.8mm |
| Weight | 191 grams | 195 grams | 188 grams |
| IP Rating | IP54 | IP55 | IP54 |
Before we start, a confession: I quite like OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite’s design, no matter where the numbers put it against rivals. While most smartphones in the segment experiment with flashy designs and colours to stand out, the Nord CE4 features minimalist tones and patterns. The build is mostly plastic, but the back provides a glass-like smooth finish. It also feels highly premium, considering the price. The only drawback is keeping it clean, as the glossy back panel can attract a lot of fingerprint smudges if you’re not using the protective clear case in the box.
For this review, I used the Mega Blue variant, which looks bold and punchy. OnePlus is also offering two more variants in grey and orange. Perhaps the company could’ve considered white and black coloured variants, which would’ve looked neat(er) with this smooth finish.
The design may seem inspired by the iPhone 12 series with vertically stacked dual rear cameras. The rims around the cameras adopt the same colours for uniformity. The placement of the volume and power buttons is perfect for my grip. The top and bottom have vents for the speakers, somewhat similar to last year’s Nord CE3 Lite. Additionally, you get the 3.5mm audio jack at the bottom for wired earphones.
The Nord CE4 Lite continues to skip the alert slider, an addition I am waiting to see on budget OnePlus phones. The company has also gradually started adding an IR blaster to all its new smartphones, and we may see that in a “Lite” smartphone down the line. It’s good to see that the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite has an official IP54 certification for protection against water splashes and dust. However, its predecessor offers slightly better protection with an IP55 certification.
| ONEPLUS NORD CE4 LITE | ONEPLUS NORD CE3 LITE | IQOO Z9 | |
| Display | 6.67-inch | 6.72-inch | 6.7-inch |
| Peak brightness | 2100nits | 680 nits | 1800nits |
Notably, the old Nord CE3 Lite also offers a taller display (table above). The change in size is likely because of capping the weight due to a chunkier battery onboard. What’s changed this year is the addition of an AMOLED display panel on the Nord CE4 Lite for a more vivid viewing experience. The phone continues to offer a 120Hz refresh rate and Full-HD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels).
Compared to its predecessor, the Nord CE4 Lite surely offers a refined viewing experience. The AMOLED panel provided punchier reds and deeper blacks. The Nord CE4 Lite provided a better outdoor viewing experience than the Nord CE3 Lite, iQOO Z9 (review), and Realme P1 (review), with superior brightness. However, iQOO Z9’s AMOLED panel reproduced punchier colours while watching YouTube videos indoors, though it’s not a significant difference. Do note that I conducted this test while keeping the screen colour mode to “natural” for all smartphones. The default vivid mode may offer more boosted colours.
Overall, the viewing experience is decent on the Nord CE4 Lite, considering the price and what rivals offer. I particularly enjoyed the scrolling and gaming experience on the flat display. There’s still room for the brand to gain an edge over competitors. Perhaps the next iteration can include HDR playback support. A higher IP rating and a more durable screen will surely appeal to its fans and potential customers.
Cameras
The new OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite may seem modest based on megapixels compared to its predecessor as it now features a 50MP primary camera instead of a 108MP sensor. However, the former gets an upgraded Sony LYT-600 sensor, which also features in Nord CE4. The rear camera system also includes a 2MP camera for improved portraits, and there’s no macro mode anymore. The front gets a 16MP camera. This also means the phone lacks an ultra-wide camera.
Daylight
In most cases, the Nord CE4 Lite applies a warm layer over its photos and as a result, you will notice images with high saturation, whether in daylight, low light, or for selfies. The camera system also plays around with shadows for a more dramatic approach. As a result, some details get comprised due to prominent shadows, and the dynamic range can be off. The sharpness can be inconsistent despite having OIS (optical image stabilisati
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