OnePlus Nord CE 5G Review – the big value, big battery, but slim 5G phone

Low-cost and high-spec, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G packs 64MP resolution imaging and 5G on a budget

OnePlus Nord CE 5G
(Image: © Basil Kronfli/Digital Camera World)

Digital Camera World Verdict

Once you wrap your head around the fact the OnePlus Nord CE 5G is significantly cheaper than the original Nord, it becomes easy to argue away the lack of optical image stabilization, plastic body and lack of polish. What you do get in the Nord CE 5G is a 5G phone with a respectable camera system in well-lit environments, a gorgeous screen, plenty of storage and decent battery life.

Pros

  • +

    Feature-packed for price

  • +

    Excellent screen

  • +

    Large storage capacity options

Cons

  • -

    Middling low-light camera performance

  • -

    Ultra-wide camera produces soft edges

  • -

    Occasional slowdown editing photos

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

The OnePlus Nord CE 5G launches almost a year after the original OnePlus Nord – a charming phone with an attractive design, optical image stabilization on its 48MP camera and fast 5G mobile data speeds. You’d be forgiven for thinking the Nord CE 5G was a successor to the Nord; but it isn’t – at least not by our standards.

• The best OnePlus phones in 2021

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Basil Kronfli

Basil Kronfli is a freelance technology journalist and content creator with a number of specialisms. He started his career at Canon Europe, before joining Phone Arena and Recombu as a tech writer and editor. From there, he headed up and runs Tech[edit], a technology YouTube channel, and has worked alongside this role at Future as a Senior Producer, sharpening his considerable video production skills. 


His technical expertise has been called on numerous times by mainstream media, with appearances and interviews on outlets like Sky News, and he provides Digital Camera World with insight and reviews on camera phones, video editing software and laptops, on-camera monitors, camera sliders, microphones and much more.