OnePlus needs to make noise and has started to get market share thanks to this new device with a more moderate price than we are used to in recent years. It will try to rival Xiaomi and Realme that today have a wide range with more attractive prices.
Before starting this review, I am especially excited to try this OnePlus device since I consider it can be a device that rivals all the new Xiaomi models that have flooded the market and that so many small software errors are giving.
First of all, I would like to point out that there are two variants of the OnePlus Nord. However, they have nothing to do with each other. Specifically, this OnePlus that I have analyzed is the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, a model that only has a similar name.
This version is global only and comes in a black box with the OnePlus logo and model name on the front. This box is larger than what other manufacturers have used to, and this OnePlus Nord CE 5G includes a rather large 30W charger. I also came with the famous USB to USB Type-C charging cable in red and white ends. As for the unpacking, inside, we will find the smartphone covered by translucent protective plastic. Underneath, there is a small box with the instruction manuals, the translucent TPU case, the little pin to access the nano-SIM tray and some stickers of the brand and model of the device. At the bottom of the box, there is the charger and the cable that I mentioned above.
As for the case, I would have liked it to protect the sides of the smartphone a little more. OnePlus, has tried to continue with the design and aesthetics and has made a light and thin case.
software
The software, in this case, is a great added value since it has the famous Oxygen OS customization layer in its version 11.0.3 under Android 11. A software that until now I had not had the opportunity to test in-depth, but that has fascinated me. When they say that it is one of the best layers of personalization, they are not wrong.
Regarding updates, the manufacturer guarantees us at least 2 years of regular updates. Today, they are manufacturers that update older devices and are the first to update them. This is a good reason to take it into account.
Being the global version, it comes with a multilanguage system. Among the languages it includes, we can find the following: Spanish, English, German, French, etc.
In addition, and how could it be otherwise, it comes with the Google Play application store and Google services pre-installed. Some of the pre-installed Google applications are Chrome, Duo, Gmail, Maps, Youtube, Drive, Movies, Photos Files, Calendar, Contacts etc.
On the other hand, OnePlus has decided to add applications such as weather, Notes, a File Manager, Community etc. These can be uninstalled without any problem.
From my point of view, I think you have a clean system, without annoying adware (bloatware). You can take a look at the screenshots that I will leave you to judge for yourself, and you can see first-hand the pre-installed applications.
As I was saying, I liked finding a clean and fluid system, which in turn, offers a lot of customization and configuration possibilities. Some of these are the “dark mode,” which takes advantage of the pure blacks of the AMOLED screen to save battery. It also allows you to change the screen refresh rate from 60 to 90 Hz for a better system experience or sRGB colour calibration.
The system has the possibility of configuring various user profiles. However, I have not been able to find the native way to duplicate applications as if we can find it in Xiaomi, Realme, or practically in any layer of customization.
As for the gestures on the screen, I have to say that they work well, and I have felt very comfortable using them since they are identical to those other manufacturers incorporate.
It has video output through the USB type C port, so we will not enjoy the Android operating system on an external monitor.
It has the Widevine L1 encryption codec with which we can enjoy Netflix with resolutions higher than HD.
As for facial recognition, there is not much to comment on, and it works well despite not being the fastest on the market. In low light conditions, it also performs quite well. It will not unlock us if we use sunglasses or a mask.
Fingerprint sensor and face unlock
Design and Materials
This OnePlus Nord CE 5G has a plastic finish in which all the traces are marked. It has a conservative design without any change or differentiation from its competition. It reminds me of any Xiaomi Redmi Note from past generations.
As for the dimensions of this device, they are 73.5 mm long x 159.2 mm high x 7.9 mm thick and weigh only 170 grams. A smartphone that has surprised me by its thinness and lightness, I did not remember carrying a smartphone of these characteristics. I liked this look!
It has a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen with a FullHD + resolution (1080×2400 lines) that provides 409 pixels per inch. I think it is the correct screen, and considering the price that this OnePlus Nord CE 5G has, it does not stand out from the rest of the competition.
The display is well-calibrated, and the colours are vivid and bright. Standard brightness is 450 nits with good viewing angles. The manufacturer has not indicated any screen protection, such as Corning Gorilla Glass, so I recommend that you always have a screen protector on.
The screen takes advantage of 85% of the front, and we can find the integrated front camera on the left side. As AMOLED technology allows it, the fingerprint reader is integrated into the screen itself. This is fast and accurate. However, I have noticed and that you can see in the video that the transition effect that it does to go from the lock screen to the main screen is slower than I would have. Liked. As a curiosity, and although it does not have a notification LED, next to the camera, a couple of pixels are activated in green to indicate when the camera is working.
On the left side are the volume up and down button and the nano-SIM card slot. On the right side is the lock button. I did not like and which OnePlus was characterized by that the rest of the brand’s terminals had the “alert-slider” button to switch to a silent profile manually. In this case, they have decided to delete it.
At the bottom, we find the centred USB Type-C connector. On the right side is the speaker. A loudspeaker that, along with the call and to my disappointment, is not stereo. When we are playing a game, we will most likely cover it partially with our hands. On the other side are the microphone and the 3.5mm headphone jack. On the top side, there is the noise-cancelling microphone.
As for the back of this OnePlus, Nord CE 5G has 3 cameras located on the side and placed vertically. You are protruding a couple of millimetres from the chassis, so we must be careful when supporting it, even if we carry it with the cover that comes with it.
Power and Hardware
This OnePlus Nord CE 5G comes with relatively new hardware. On this occasion, the manufacturer has decided to incorporate the Qualcomm processor, the Snapdragon 750G 64-bit, manufactured in 8 nanometers. It is an 8-core processor with a configuration in six of its cores, ARM Cortex A55, capable of reaching a speed of 1.8 GHz to perform the least demanding tasks. The other two cores have an ARM Cortex A77 configuration and reach a maximum speed of 2.2 GHz, specially designed to perform the most demanding tasks. In addition, it incorporates a very solvent Adreno 619 graphics processor.
There are several configurations for this OnePlus Nord CE 5G. This one I have here has 8 GB of RAM (LPDDR4X) and 128GB of internal storage (UFS2.1). I want to remind you that you have to keep in mind that it is not compatible with microSD cards.
As I always do, before installing any application that may slow down the device, I have installed the application “AnTuTu Benchmark v9.0.12” to check the power and performance of the smartphone. He turns out