OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G: Comprehensive Review of 2025’s Budget 5G Performer

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 OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G : The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G represents OnePlus’s ambitious attempt to capture the budget smartphone market while maintaining its reputation for quality. Positioned as the most affordable entry in OnePlus’s lineup at its launch, this device promises 5G connectivity, reliable performance, and the OnePlus experience at an accessible price point. But does it manage to stand out in an increasingly competitive segment, or does it get lost in a sea of compelling alternatives? Our comprehensive review examines every aspect of this budget contender to help you make an informed decision.

Design and Build Quality: Balancing Aesthetics and Practicality

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G features a plastic frame and back with a glass front, measuring 164.3 x 75.6 x 8.5 mm and weighing 195g. Available in two color options—Black Dusk and Blue Tide—the device offers a visually appealing design with a textured finish near the camera module that creates color-shifting effects under different lighting conditions 11. The Blue Tide variant particularly stands out with its gradient from deep blue to turquoise with yellow highlights 8.

Despite its plastic construction, the phone maintains a premium feel thanks to its brushed metal texture and minimal branding. The right side houses a slightly recessed side-mounted fingerprint sensor integrated with the power button, while the volume buttons and hybrid SIM tray are located on the left. A welcome feature at this price point is the retention of the 3.5mm headphone jack, located alongside the USB Type-C port and single speaker at the bottom 111.

One notable omission is OnePlus’s iconic alert slider, which has been a hallmark feature on their devices but is missing here. The device also feels noticeably heavier than some competitors, and this weight becomes more apparent if you use the included case 11.

Display Performance: LCD Versus AMOLED Debate

The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G sports a 6.59-inch IPS LCD with Full HD+ resolution (2412 x 1080 pixels) and a 120Hz refresh rate—higher than the 90Hz found on the more expensive Nord CE 2 5G. The display offers a pixel density of approximately 401 PPI and covers 84.1% of the front surface with slim side bezels and a slightly thicker chin 19.

In daily use, the display delivers good color reproduction and becomes sufficiently bright for most lighting conditions, though outdoor visibility can be challenging under direct sunlight. The default Vivid color mode covers 99.6% of the sRGB color space and 97% of DCI-P3, but color accuracy improves when switching to the Normal mode 8.

The high refresh rate contributes to smooth scrolling and responsive touch interactions, enhancing the overall user experience whether navigating menus, browsing social media, or playing games. However, the absence of an AMOLED panel means you miss out on deeper blacks, better contrast ratios, and HDR support available on some competitors in this price range 38. The screen surface also tends to attract smudges easily, requiring frequent cleaning 8.

Performance and Gaming Capabilities

At its core, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset built on a 6nm process, coupled with either 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The device offers 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage, expandable via microSD card using the hybrid SIM slot 14.

In real-world usage, the phone handles everyday tasks with ease, including social media browsing, messaging, and multimedia consumption. The interface remains largely smooth thanks to the 120Hz display and software optimization. Under heavy load, minor lags can occur, but overall performance remains consistent for a device in this segment 11.

For gaming, the Adreno 619 GPU manages to run popular titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and Genshin Impact reasonably well, though graphics settings may need adjustment for the most demanding games. Benchmark scores include:

  • AnTuTu v9: Approximately 399,306 points

  • GeekBench 5: 687 (single-core) and 1,951 (multi-core)

  • GFXBench: 17fps (Car Chase ES 3.1 onscreen) 111

The phone features a virtual RAM expansion function that can allocate up to 5GB of storage as additional RAM, though the practical benefits of this feature are debatable 11.

Camera System: Capabilities and Limitations

The camera setup on the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G consists of a triple rear array:

  • 64MP primary sensor with f/1.7 aperture and PDAF

  • 2MP macro lens with f/2.4 aperture

  • 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture

  • 16MP front-facing camera with Sony IMX471 sensor 410

In daylight conditions, the primary camera captures images with good dynamic range and vibrant colors. The AI scene enhancement subtly boosts colors without appearing unnatural. However, zooming reveals limited detail preservation, and the 64MP mode offers only marginal improvements over standard pixel-binned shots 11.

Close-up shots exhibit pleasant background blur, and portrait mode manages decent edge detection. The macro camera delivers passable results for its class but remains limited by its 2MP resolution. Low-light performance is average, with images lacking sharpness and detail in darker areas. Night mode improves brightness and shadow detail but requires holding steady for 3-4 seconds 11.

A significant omission is the lack of an ultrawide camera, which competitors often include at this price point. Video recording tops out at 1080p@30fps, with options for 720p@120fps slow-motion and time-lapse modes 811.

Battery Life and Charging

The device packs a 5000mAh battery—larger than the non-Lite Nord CE 2—which provides excellent endurance. With moderate usage, the phone easily lasts a day and a half, while heavier usage still comfortably gets through a full day 811.

In standardized testing, the device achieved an impressive 23 hours and 35 minutes in an HD video loop test, indicating strong power management capabilities 11. The included 33W SuperVOOC charger tops up the device from 0% to 50% in approximately 30 minutes, with a full charge taking about 1 hour and 15 minutes 811.

While the charging speed is respectable, some competitors like the Poco X4 Pro 5G offer faster charging (67W) at similar or lower prices, and the non-Lite Nord CE 2 includes a 65W charger for slightly more money 8.

Software Experience and Update Policy

The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G runs OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12. The software experience reflects OnePlus’s integration with Oppo, featuring elements of ColorOS while maintaining some distinctive OxygenOS characteristics