OnePlus Nord CE review: Meaningful increments but weak on core competency
In the first half of this year, smartphone makers have launched
more midrange smartphones than
premium and budget ones put together. So, it will not be wrong to say the
midrange segment is the new battlefield for smartphone brands in India’s
price-conscious mobile phone market. Fresh in the segment is the Nord CE (Core
Edition) by OnePlus. In retrospect,
this Chinese smartphone brand brought the midrange smartphones back in
trend in 2020 with the launch of the OnePlus Nord (review).
The brand enjoyed the first-mover advantage and the Nord received a healthy
reception despite its shortcomings.
That was the background. Now let us dig right into the OnePlus Nord CE
review to know if it fits the bill, especially when there are so many good
options available now in the midrange segment:
The OnePlus Nord CE is positioned not as a successor but the core
edition based on the original Nord. The smartphone seems to have cut corners on
some parameters to help OnePlus price it lower than the Nord, though not
significantly. It will, however, be wrong to call the Core Edition as a
trimmed-down version of the Nord because it also comes with several upgrades.
The OnePlus Nord CE looks similar to the Nord but has a modest
plastic back cover in place of the latter’s premium glass one. The plastic
build is sturdy, so that’s no concern, but the design language is reminiscent
of the Nord, which is a generation old now, and even some OPPO and Realme smartphones. That is
a red flag. Besides, OnePlus has taken away its proprietary alert slider from
the Nord CE. The alert slider is one thing that has always been part of OnePlus
smartphones. The omission for the sake of sticking to the core features will
have a negative impact on user experience, especially if you are an existing
OnePlus user.
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