OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G hands-on review: A phone that's better than its name

A modest price and 108MP resolution marry in OnePlus's latest budget banger that looks striking in green

A photo of the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite
(Image: © Basil Kronfli)

Early Verdict

The Nord CE 3 Lite isn't perfect by any stretch, shown up by older competition like the 2022 Poco X4 Pro, which packs identical power and superior specs. Practically speaking, though, the Nord CE 3 Lite has been great to use in just under a week of testing. Its camera impresses on first impression, performance has been solid for the price, and its big screen and striking design all come together to create a phone that looks set to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Pros

  • +

    Fast charging

  • +

    Stable performance

  • +

    Restrained photo processing

  • +

    Striking design in green

Cons

  • -

    No ultra-wide camera

  • -

    Weak macro camera

  • -

    LCD screen, not OLED

  • -

    Dated hardware

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The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G may have one of the most longwinded names around, but its styling and price are easier to stomach as the phone hits shelves costing £299 (roughly $370 / AUS $540), despite packing 108MP resolution imaging, 5G data speeds, and nippy fast charging.

Don't get us wrong, there are some telltales off the bat that OnePlus's latest entrant is a budget phone. It misses out on the OLED screen tech of some similarly priced competition like the Poco X4 Pro, and its specs echo those of 2022 phones like the Redmi Note 11 Pro.

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