OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite Review: Good All Around Except Photography

One year after the release of the Nord CE 2 Lite, OnePlus is back this year with a new generation of smartphones priced under $400. As the first entry in the Chinese manufacturer’s 2023 catalog, the Nord CE 3 Lite brings improvements to its predecessor while maintaining certain specifications, such as an unchanged chip.

Nevertheless, the Nord CE 3 Lite unveils a beautiful technical sheet, with an emphasis on modernity. A revised aesthetic, beefed-up battery, and OxygenOS 13.1 are among the attractions of this promising smartphone. So, has OnePlus lived up to its promise? That’s what we’ll determine in this review.

Technical Specifications

Design: Hit or Miss

Right out of the box, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite impresses with its size. Bigger than its predecessor, it measures 165.5 x 76 mm. To compare with popular models, it’s taller than an iPhone 14 Pro Max or a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, slightly less wide. Its 8.9 mm thickness allows it to compete with slim equipment, giving it a rather elegant elongated appearance.

With size comes weight. At 195 grams, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite starts to weigh in your pocket. A characteristic that reinforces the smartphone’s impression of solidity, although it is made of plastic. However, the mass distribution is disappointing. Held in one hand, the device lacks stability. This subtle sensation is persistent enough to give the feeling that it can tip forward at any moment.

Holding onto this OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, you might notice a few ergonomic flaws. At first glance, the device displays a relatively classic design for a mid-range product: angular edges and rounded corners. A closer look reveals that the back and screen of the smartphone slightly protrude from the contour. This level difference, combined with a tighter grip, enhances the uncomfortable impression of a device that hardly stays put between the palm and fingers.

Continuing with the frame inspection – plastic, successful metal illusion –, we notice on the right side the power button, which also serves as a highly responsive fingerprint sensor. Its placement is right under the thumb (or index when the device is held with two hands), which is a good thing. The volume controls, nestled on the left edge, are slightly too high, potentially making them hard to reach for smaller hands. Above these buttons is the dual SIM tray, one of which can accommodate a microSD card (up to 1 TB). Finally, the lower border hosts the traditional USB-C port, flanked by a 3.5 mm jack port and a speaker grille.

Now, let’s move to the back of the smartphone. For the price at which OnePlus sells it, the Nord CE 3 Lite also opts for plastic. While this choice does not surprise us, we remain doubtful about the aesthetic execution. On one hand, the smooth coating takes all fingerprints and leaves little hope for its possible resistance to scratches. On the other hand, the transparency effect desired by the manufacturer falls flat. The device gives the impression of having been delivered with a translucent shell yellowed by time.

At the top left are two camera sensors and a flash, directly integrated into the back surface. While OnePlus has chosen to simplify the appearance of the cameras by completely erasing the block effect, we question the significant thickness of the modules. Laid flat on a table, the Nord CE 3 Lite wobbles, that’s a fact.

We conclude this overview with the front of the smartphone, protected by a Gorilla Glass screen (generation not specified), without IP certification, as per OnePlus tradition, and featuring a conventional center punch. The touchscreen occupies slightly less than 90% of the total screen surface, with reasonably sized borders: thin overall, slightly thicker at the chin.

Screen: Calibration is Needed

Slightly larger than that of the Nord CE 2 Lite (6.59 inches), the Nord CE 3 Lite’s screen expands to 6.72 inches, with a 20:9 ratio. For the rest, OnePlus has retained a number of technical specifications from its previous model, providing its new smartphone with an IPS LCD Full HD+ display, with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels for a pixel density of 391 ppi.

As a reminder, IPS technology improves the viewing angle of LCD screens. On entry-level and mid-range products, it’s considered a good compromise that does not offer the infinite blacks provided by OLED, but generates a more uniform display (reduced image darkening when viewed from the side) than a classic LCD panel. And the Nord CE 3 Lite rises to the challenge, its panel’s nature only betrayed by observing the white spaces, slightly grayed out when viewed at an angle.

To complement the efforts regarding the display, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite offers an excellent adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz. From the device settings, users wishing to limit the impact of animations on battery life can opt for a rate limited to 60 Hz, always adaptive.

Regarding color management, our tests performed with Portrait Displays’ CalMAN Ultimate software tend to favor the screen, which occupies 145% of the sRGB space and 97% of the DCI-P3 (default Vivid mode). These results are quite good on paper, alas offset by the device’s rough calibration. In use, colors are saturated and significantly lean towards blue. To hope for a more accurate color representation, one would need to manually navigate to Settings > Display & Brightness > Screen Color Mode, switch to Natural Mode, and slide the Warmth adjuster all the way to the maximum.

In terms of brightness, the Nord CE 3 Lite does slightly better than its predecessor, without leading a revolution. During our tests, we recorded a maximum brightness of 577 cd/m². Without overly impressing, the screen remains legible, even in very sunny conditions.

Software: Android 13 Enhanced by OxygenOS 13.1

True to tradition, OxygenOS 13.1 takes care of the software for the Nord CE 3 Lite. Based on Android 13 (version and security patch up-to-date at the time of writing this review), the interface largely follows the system developed by Google. Thus, it’s easy to navigate.

We would go so far as to say that slight modifications, of the order of detail, significantly improve handling and daily use. Think, for example, of the customizable control center, composed of a myriad of readable and very practical shortcuts, especially concerning the management of the device’s sound modes and vibrate mode. Also worth mentioning is the sidebar, a toolbox accessible at any time (on the smartphone home screen and application windows, already seen on ColorOS) that groups apps you want to keep at hand without cluttering the dock. Multitask view is among these interesting additions. It displays the logos of services under their respective window to help users navigate among all open applications.

We have two reservations, however. The first depends directly on OxygenOS and concerns the notification center. While other interfaces like Android, One UI, or My UX require a simple swipe left to delete alerts, OnePlus’s overlay requires a forced swipe. This is a habit to get into, but it hinders a mechanical gesture that no one wants to dwell on.

Second downside, this time stemming from the nature of the Nord CE 3 Lite’s LCD panel: the absence of Always on Display mode, a strong selling point of OxygenOS 13. If you were hoping to take advantage of this, you would need to upgrade to a higher-end model.

OxygenOS 13 also offers some additional features, unique to the environment developed by OnePlus, such as Zen Mode (limiting calls and notifications to promote concentration), the Fast Pair protocol (already proposed by Android, reworked by OxygenOS), Audio Switch (smooth switching between single and multipoint Bluetooth devices), an AES encrypted digital safe, and a smart feature to prevent accidental pocket touches.

Appreciated point: apart from these modules, OnePlus services, and the Google starter pack, the Nord CE 3 Lite comes without any bloatware. The manufacturer also guarantees two years of major Android updates and three years of security patches. A reasonable duration in this price range.

Unsurprisingly, the smartphone is compatible with Widevine L1 and perfectly handles HD streams on sVoD platforms.

Performance: New Meets Old, but it Works

Compared to the Nord CE 2 Lite, there are few changes in this area. The Nord CE 3 Lite packs the same Snapdragon 695 5G SoC, an efficient chip that we appreciate finding in a smartphone of this caliber. There are some developments regarding RAM, which has increased from 6 to 8 GB, and in terms of storage capacity, users can choose between 128 or 256 GB of space (expandable up to 1 TB via MicroSD) at the time of purchase. This promising configuration, in practice, offers good multitasking management and decent support for somewhat heavy processes.

However, this isn’t enough to provide a comfortable, perfectly smooth, and stable gaming experience.

On Fortnite, with “Medium” graphics quality, the refresh rate is capped at 30 FPS and occasionally drops below 20 FPS in complex situations. While it’s not entirely unplayable, the game suffers from some lags that could cost your character some health points.

Camera and Video: OnePlus’s Achilles’ Heel

In detail, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite features:

• A 108-megapixel main sensor (f/1.7),
• A 2-megapixel macro sensor (f/2.4),
• A 2-megapixel depth sensor (f/2.4),
• A 16-megapixel selfie sensor (f/2.4).

The Primary Sensor

Like many OnePlus devices, the photography module on the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is a tad disappointing. In outdoor environments, regardless of the light conditions, the colors lack realism and strongly lean towards oversaturation. The photos often appear hazy and lack sharpness, also known as image clarity.

Indoor performance, especially away from a natural light source, isn’t particularly impressive either. The colors seem desaturated and yellowish, and digital noise tends to creep in almost all the time. The absence of a stabilizer frequently results in blurred shots, especially if one’s hand is not steady or if reliance is placed heavily on the autofocus feature.

Indeed, the Nord CE 3 Lite falls into the category of smartphones under $400, so expecting photographic abilities on par with the best camera phones may be unreasonable. However, in this price range, competitors like the Galaxy A34, Redmi Note 12 Pro, or even the Pixel 6a, perform notably better.

A brief note on the device’s x3 digital zoom: OnePlus claims it to be quite efficient to prevent any quality loss. In reality, while not perfect, the outcome is satisfactory.

The 108 MP Mode

In addition to the default 64 MP mode, the primary sensor of the Nord CE 3 Lite features a 108 MP mode (Plus > Extra HD). This interesting function produces finer photos and allows for neat cropping.

The Night Mode

Given the primary sensor’s limited versatility, one could have feared the worst for its night mode. However, in practice, the Nord CE 3 Lite doesn’t fare too badly, even though it remains behind its competition at a similar price point.

As seen from various captured shots, the smartphone makes a significant effort to grasp available light sources and produce clear scenes. However, this technique often compromises the details. The photographed elements undergo excessive smoothing, giving the overall picture a somewhat diluted appearance.

The Macro Sensor

Despite repeatedly stating that a macro sensor isn’t particularly useful on a smartphone, the one on the Nord CE 3 Lite doesn’t break the trend. The shots aren’t disastrous, and some even show a surprising level of detail, but the majority often turn out blurred. Comparable or even better results can be obtained with the primary sensor.

The Portrait Mode

Assisted by a specific depth sensor, the portrait mode also disappoints slightly. While it manages to highlight the subject, offering an appreciable level of detail, its management of the bokeh effect is somewhat mediocre. Details like hair, earrings, and glasses often get affected.

The Selfie Sensor

While the rear sensors of the Nord CE 3 Lite leave a lot to be desired, the selfie component proves to be convincing. Under optimal lighting conditions, the 16 MP front sensor manages to capture an impressive amount of detail without overusing the image processing that can be seen on some competitor devices. Skin texture, fine lines, pores, hair, and other minor imperfections are replicated as close to reality as possible.

However, the portrait selfie loses precision. On one hand, the smoothing is more pronounced, and on the other hand, the imprecise bokeh effect blurs out anything protruding: hair, fabric fibers, etc.

Video

At best, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite allows recording videos in Full HD (1080p) at 30 frames per second.

Network and Communication

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is compatible with both sub-6 and mmWave (millimeter wave) 5G in Europe. It also features NFC and supports Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 5. Unfortunately, it does not support Wi-Fi 6, which is a disappointment.

There are no issues with calls, both from the caller’s perspective and the recipient’s side. The GPS effectively and accurately locates users.

Audio: Balanced and Convincing

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is equipped with two well-balanced speakers. The sound quality is properly calibrated, even when the volume is increased to 200% (Ultra volume mode).

It’s important to note that the device is not intended to replace a dedicated speaker, and it is more enjoyable to listen to music with good Bluetooth or wired headphones, as the Nord CE 3 Lite comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack. However, we did not experience any distortion, crackling, or whistling, even with heavy metal tracks.

An Impressive Battery Life

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite has a 5,000 mAh battery, which indicates excellent smartphone battery life. This promise holds true in practice, as we were able to achieve nearly two days of typical usage (between 2.5 and 3 hours of active screen time per day).

In more controlled testing, we measured the device’s discharge time using our Viser test, which simulates mixed phone usage. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite took 15 hours and 40 minutes to go from 100% to 10% battery, ranking it 9th out of 97 devices tested. This is an excellent score.

The phone comes with a 67W charger and cable. This high power capability indicates very fast charging. Starting from 3% charge, here are the results we obtained:

• 5 minutes: 21%
• 10 minutes: 35%
• 15 minutes: 49%
• 30 minutes: 82%
• 42 minutes: 100%

Being able to recharge nearly half the battery in fifteen minutes and fully charge it in less than 45 minutes is highly impressive.

Price and Release Date

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is already available in yellow or dark gray at a price of $329, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The current offer available for under $310 at stores like Amazon.

Our Opinion of the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite

Design

OnePlus attempted to modernize the appearance of the Nord CE 2 Lite, but the Nord CE 3 Lite leaves us somewhat skeptical on certain points. Its translucent back easily shows fingerprints, the camera module protrudes too much, and its frame could have had more curvature to make it a truly pleasant smartphone to look at and hold.

Display

Using an IPS LCD is a good choice for a smartphone in this price range. When viewed from an angle, the screen doesn’t suffer too much from the typical darkening of LCD panels. When manually calibrated, it can offer a color rendering that is very close to reality, neither too warm nor too cool. It is regrettable that the manufacturer chose to set it to a default mode that is too blue. Its adaptive 120Hz refresh rate provides excellent smoothness.

Camera

This is the weak point of this smartphone. OnePlus has never been the best in this area, but the Nord CE 3 Lite suffers from below-average photo quality for a smartphone sold at this price. The shots are often washed out, slightly blurry, and lack finesse. The selfie mode performs slightly better, with high levels of detail, sometimes even unflattering for the subject being photographed.

Performance

On paper, the Nord CE 3 Lite doesn’t offer significant upgrades compared to its predecessor. It uses the same chip with an additional 2GB of RAM, which seems reasonably contained. Nonetheless, it maintains a pleasant fluidity, even during multitasking and with slightly demanding processes. However, it is clearly not a smartphone recommended for gamers.

Software

OxygenOS is a reliable choice. Easy to use and pleasant to navigate, it significantly enhances Stock Android with small details and features that make a difference. Security patches are delivered promptly. It’s a shame that OnePlus commits to only two major Android updates; a third would have truly allowed the Nord CE 3 Lite to stand out.

Battery Life

Ultra-fast charging, a 5,000mAh battery, and extended battery life make the Nord CE 3 Lite almost indestructible. However, it is essential to have the official cable and charger to fully take advantage of this (proprietary Warp Charge technology).

Editor’s Verdict

Overall, our opinion on the second generation of OnePlus’ entry-level device is mixed. The Nord CE 3 Lite is undoubtedly a good smartphone. Its LCD IPS display creates an almost OLED-like illusion, properly calibrated, with colors that accurately represent reality. Its 5,000mAh battery offers exceptional endurance, and its good performance combined with OxygenOS 13 provide a smooth and pleasant everyday experience.

However, certain issues make us believe that the Nord CE 3 Lite is slightly overpriced for what it offers. We particularly think of its poor out-of-the-box calibration, unconvincing design, and, most importantly, its disappointing main camera sensor. OnePlus delivers a good smartphone, but not a good camera phone. Its greatest strength lies in its battery life, lasting two days, coupled with extremely fast charging. The Nord CE 3 Lite can be a reliable daily companion.

Positive Aspects of the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite:

• Good display once calibrated, adaptive 120Hz
• OxygenOS 13.1
• Impressive battery life and fast charging (67W)
• Decent performance

Negative Aspects of the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite:

• Disappointing photo quality
• Unconvincing design