OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G Review: 90 Hz Smartphone with Three Years of Updates and an Attractive Price
The Nord CE 2 5G is OnePlus’s second generation Core Edition series smartphone and successor to the Nord CE 5G . And while its updates are evolutionary rather than revolutionary there are two significant improvements over its predecessor. Apart from the BBK design language with its prominent camera module it comes with the faster MediaTek Dimensity 900 and supports SUPERVOOC fast charging with up to 65 W.
Otherwise, most Nord CE users should feel right at home with the new phone. The cameras are identical and feature the same triple-camera array with a 64 MP main sensor, as is the display, a 6.43-inch 90 Hz 1080p+ AMOLED display protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84.1 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2022 | OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G Dimensity 900, Mali-G68 MP4 | 173 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.43" | 2400x1080 | |
| 86 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2021 | Xiaomi Poco F3 SD 870, Adreno 650 | 196 g | 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 81.5 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2021 | Motorola Edge 20 Lite Dimensity 720, Mali-G57 MP3 | 185 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.70" | 2400x1080 | |
| 85.9 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2021 | Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G SD 780G 5G, Adreno 642 | 159 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.55" | 2400x1080 | |
| 76.9 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2022 | Honor 50 Lite SD 662, Adreno 610 | 192 g | 128 GB UFS 2.0 Flash | 6.67" | 2376x1080 |
Case – OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G with Punch Hole
Despite its size the Nord CE 2 5G is comparatively lightweight at just 173 g (6.1 oz), and thanks to its rounded backside it is easy and comfortable to hold in hand. This low weight was achieved mainly by making the frame and rear cover out of plastic. And while the latter may look stunning it does not feel as premium as a rear cover made of glass, as is for example the case on the Mi 11 Lite 5G.
The same is true for the physical buttons and the SIM card slot cover. Those, too, are made of plastic. Overall build quality is decent, although we were able to produce noticeable and typical “plastic” creaking when trying to warp the case. The Nord CE 2 5G is not IP certified.
Visually, the OnePlus smartphone reminds us of BKK Oppo's current design language. The camera base is rounded in a very similar way to prevent the traces of dust that are common for sharp edges. At the front, OnePlus opted for Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Connectivity – OnePlus Smartphone with 3.5-mm Headphone Jack
Due to the Nord CE 2 5G’s low mid-range price we failed to identify any issues worth noting, apart from maybe the fact that unlike its predecessor the Nord CE 2 5G is no longer available with 256 GB of UFS storage. And while you can absolutely connect external peripherals and storage devices to the Nord CE 2 5G its USB-C port is only hooked up to a slow USB 2.0 bus. Wired display mirroring is not supported, and you have to rely on Miracast instead.
Apart from these minor downsides we found the Nord CE 2 5G to be fairly up-to-date in regards of connectivity, with support for Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, dual SIM, Always On, and a headphone jack. You can even expand its internal storage with microSD cards of up to 1 TB.
MicroSD Card Reader
The Nord CE 2 5G features a triple-slot for two Nano SIM and a single microSD card slot. When benchmarked with our Angelbird V60 reference card it performed admirably overall.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G (Angelbird V60) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Software – Nord CE 2 5G with Android 11
This latest OnePlus smartphone comes with the Android 11-based OxygenOS 11, and OnePlus promises a full three years of security updates with two Android feature updates, the first of which – Android 12 – is expected at some point in the second half of 2022. Security patches were as of January 2022 at the time of writing and will have to be updated sooner rather than later.
The only third-party app preloaded in addition to Google’s service was Netflix. Since the device is Widevine L1-certified you get to enjoy streaming contents in HD. Furthermore, the Nord CE 2 5G supports the Camera2 API Level 3.
Communication and GNSS – OnePlus with Wi-Fi 6
This OnePlus mid-range smartphone supports Wi-Fi 6 with connectivity in 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Like its predecessor the Nord CE 2 5G failed to achieve its full potential and lagged behind its competitors when connected to our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 reference router. While the recorded data rates were consistent, they were too low for its class.
Cellular connectivity includes 5G as well as a wide variety of 4G LTE bands. Accordingly, the Nord CE 2 5G should have no issues connecting to LTE networks abroad when traveling. It also supports NFC for near-field communication, which allows it to be used for Google Pay.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) | |
| Honor 50 Lite | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite | |
| Honor 50 Lite | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (49.8 - 1806, n=184, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (52 - 1857, n=182, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | |
Supported location services include GPS, Glonass, Galileo, and BeiDou. Dual or even triple-band connectivity is not supported. And while we were able to obtain satellite fix indoors we found both signal strength and connection quality to be lacking.
On our usual bike tour around the block the mid-range Nord CE 2 5G was benchmarked against a Garmin Venu 2 smartwatch, and its overall recorded track was very accurate with only minor deviations. Overall, we can absolutely recommend the Nord CE 2 5G for navigation purposes.
Telephony and Call Quality – OnePlus Smartphone with Dual SIM
This Dual SIM smartphone takes two Nano SIM cards with full support for VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling. Call quality was decent in situations with low ambient noise, and its speakerphone worked very well overall on video calls.
Cameras – Nord CE 2 5G with Triple-Cam
The camera remained largely unchanged from the Nord CE. The front-facing 16 MP Sony IMX471 still takes decent photos in good lighting conditions and rather blurry ones in poor light. It also does not support UHD modes, and video recordings continue to be limited to 1080p.
The rear-facing camera's pièce de résistance continues to be its 64 MP main sensor, most likely the same Omnivision OV64B that can also be found on the OnePlus Nord N10. It features optical image stabilization and takes good-looking photos in daylight with a good dynamic range but minor shortcomings in regard to focus, particularly along the sides, in return. Color accuracy is good, and we found barely any DeltaE deviations of more than 10 when inspected under controlled and normalized conditions in our lab.
Videos are recorded in UHD at 30 FPS and are not supported by the OIS but software-stabilized instead. They turn our decent with good autofocus. Switching from one lens to another while recording is not supported.
Speaking of which, the other two lenses are a 2 MP tele-macro lens as well as an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 119° field of view. Details are blurry both in the center and along the edges, and the sensor suffered from visible chromatic aberrations.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
HauptkameraHauptkameraLow LightWeitwinkel
Accessories and Warranty – 65 W Charger Included
Included in the Nord CE 2 5G’s box we found a modular 65 W power supply, a data transfer/charging cable, a cover, a SIM tool, a quick start guide, and warranty information. OnePlus sells various accessories for its Nord-series smartphones in its webshop, including headphones and protective cases.
Unlike European models, which come with a 2-year limited warranty, OnePlus phones purchased in the United States are limited to just one year.
Input Devices & Handling - OnePlus Smartphone with Face Unlock
The capacitive touch screen was fast and accurate, and it felt very smooth to use overall. The AMOLED panel was very responsive and, thanks to its refresh rate of 90 Hz, also very smooth when scrolling or displaying animations.
Biometric authentication is supported via either an optical fingerprint reader underneath the OLED display, which for a mid-range smartphone worked very fast and reliable, and 2D face detection using the front-facing camera. Keep in mind that the latter is much less secure than the former.
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G also supports various gestures to simplify everyday use. Unfortunately, we failed to find a setting enabling one-handed mode.
Display – Nord CE 2 5G with 90 Hz OLED
The Nord CE 2 5G features a 6.43-inch AMOLED display running at 2400 x 1080 and a fixed refresh rate of either 60 or 90 Hz. This panel should be identical to its predecessor, the Nord CE, as we were unable to make out any differences between the two.
Accordingly, we found no improvements regarding brightness, illumination, and sharpness. When displaying an all-white image, the Nord CE 2 5G peaked at “just” 596 nits. When running the APL50 test with an evenly distributed dark-bright pattern it managed 760 nits in the center. In other words, the panel is not particularly well suited for displaying HDR contents.
Like all OLED-based panels the display suffered from PWM flickering due to its underlying technology. At brightness levels of 50 % and below we were able to record a PWM frequency of 355 Hz with a more even amplitude at further decreasing levels of brightness. Nevertheless, sensitive users might find this to be too strenuous, and optional DC dimming is not supported.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 601 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.35 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 4.6 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
96.4% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.363
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G OLED, 2400x1080, 6.4" | Xiaomi Poco F3 AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Motorola Edge 20 Lite AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.6" | Honor 50 Lite TFT-LCD, 2376x1080, 6.7" | OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.4" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 52% | -9% | 21% | 5% | 23% | |
| Brightness middle | 601 | 889 48% | 420 -30% | 863 44% | 477 -21% | 590 -2% |
| Brightness | 596 | 902 51% | 428 -28% | 860 44% | 456 -23% | 596 0% |
| Brightness Distribution | 98 | 95 -3% | 89 -9% | 93 -5% | 92 -6% | 97 -1% |
| Black Level * | 0.41 | |||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.35 | 0.9 73% | 3.15 6% | 3.2 4% | 2 40% | 1.9 43% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.72 | 1.9 72% | 7.1 -6% | 5.2 23% | 5.9 12% | 3.8 43% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.6 | 1.3 72% | 4 13% | 3.9 15% | 3.2 30% | 2.1 54% |
| Gamma | 2.363 93% | 2.26 97% | 2.233 99% | 2.33 94% | 2.14 103% | 2.13 103% |
| CCT | 7372 88% | 6614 98% | 7413 88% | 7299 89% | 6525 100% | 6698 97% |
| Contrast | 1163 |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 354.6 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 354.6 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 354.6 Hz is relatively high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. However, there are reports that some users are still sensitive to PWM at 500 Hz and above, so be aware. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8439 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Color accuracy is determined using the CalMAN software suite. Out of the box the Nord CE 2 5G supports the large DCI-P3 color space when set to “Vivid” mode. However, we found the “Mild” mode to be much more accurate overall. With that said our calibration efforts were not as successful as with its predecessor.
As is common for an AMOLED display the black level is absolute zero resulting in a (in theory) infinite contrast ratio.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 24 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 3 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 3 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 16 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.4 ms). | ||
Bright ambient light did not cause any major issues thanks to the Nord CE 2 5G’s solid backlight. We did, however, find its highly reflective display surface to be a major deterrent when it came to readability in direct sunlight. Viewing angles are very good.
Performance – OnePlus Smartphone with MediaTek SoC
Unlike its predecessor the Nord CE 2 5G features a MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC. It is manufactured in 6 nm and combines two high-performance ARM Cortex A78 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz with six high-efficiency ARM Cortex A55 cores running at up to 2 GHz, and it is supported by a Mali G68 MP4 GPU.
Everyday use running normal undemanding apps was mostly smooth with some minor lag as soon as background processes started to require resources, for example during app updates.
In our benchmarks, the Nord CE 2 5G performed slightly better than its predecessor’s Snapdragon 750G, although the overall differences are pretty minor and handily outgunned by the Mi 11 Lite's significantly faster Snapdragon 780G. The same is true for the Adreno 642, which performed around 60 % faster than the Mali G68 MP4 in most benchmarks. All things considered the Nord CE 2 5G is slightly faster than the first-generation Core Edition but unable to keep up with the rest of its mid-range competitors.
The built-in UFS 2.2 storage is very fast overall, and the Nord CE 2 5G read and wrote both sequential as well as random data much faster than many of its competitors.
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (362407 - 367407, n=2) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) | |
| AImark - Score v2.x | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (40983 - 42107, n=4) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | |
| Honor 50 Lite | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) | |
| Jetstream 2 - 2.0 Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 387, n=165, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (Chrome90) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 (Chrome 90) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (50.5 - 77.5, n=4) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G (Chrome 99) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) (Chrome 91.0.4472.120) | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite (Chrome 94) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (Chrome90) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G (Chrome 99) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (105.7 - 112.4, n=2) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 (Chrome 90) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) (Chrome 91.0.4472.120) | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite (Chrome 94) | |
| Honor 50 Lite (Chrome 96) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (15.2 - 569, n=146, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 (Chrome 90) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (Chrome90) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G (Chrome 99) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (49.5 - 55.1, n=4) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) (Chrome 91.0.4472.120) | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite (Chrome 94) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 (Chrome 90) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (Chrome90) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G (Chrome 99) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (65 - 71, n=4) | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite (Chrome 94) | |
| Honor 50 Lite (Chrome 96) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) (Chrome 91.0.4472.120) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=206, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G (Chrome 99) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (Chrome90) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 (Chrome 90) | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (2800 - 30485, n=6) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) (Chrome 91.0.4472.120) | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite (Chrome 94) | |
| Honor 50 Lite (Chrome 96) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 (1658 - 28190, n=5) | |
| Honor 50 Lite (Chrome 96) | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite (Chrome 94) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) (Chrome 91.0.4472.120) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (Chrome90) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 (Chrome 90) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G (Chrome 99) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=166, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | Xiaomi Poco F3 | Motorola Edge 20 Lite | Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G | Honor 50 Lite | OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) | Average 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -5% | -29% | -11% | -56% | -25% | -26% | 67% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 999 | 1378 38% | 954 -5% | 949 -5% | 492.5 -51% | 951 -5% | 725 ? -27% | 2054 ? 106% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 857 | 684 -20% | 478.3 -44% | 710 -17% | 184.6 -78% | 466 -46% | 522 ? -39% | 1667 ? 95% |
| Random Read 4KB | 253.4 | 208 -18% | 141.4 -44% | 207.9 -18% | 129.7 -49% | 187.6 -26% | 192.5 ? -24% | 286 ? 13% |
| Random Write 4KB | 212.9 | 170.6 -20% | 161.9 -24% | 206.9 -3% | 117.7 -45% | 168.1 -21% | 182.8 ? -14% | 327 ? 54% |
Gaming – Nord CE 2 5G with just 60 FPS
Using GameBench we ran our usual suite of gaming benchmarks to determine the Nord CE 2 5G’s gaming capabilities. Put bluntly gaming is not the Nord CE 2 5G’s strong suite despite its fast 90 Hz panel.
While PUBG Mobile ran smoothly overall it managed a meager 40 FPS in HD settings, and UHD settings were not supported at the time of writing. We were also slightly disappointed by Armajet, which scored just 60 FPS even though both hardware and application should in theory be capable of much more.
The third game was Asphalt 9: Legends, and while it ran smoothly in highest settings we found regular frame drops to as little as 27 FPS.
Emissions – Not Nearly As Cool as a Cucumber
Temperature
While surface temperatures remained low when idle we found them to rise significantly under load. That being said its maximum of 42 °C was nowhere near critical, especially considering the SoCs performance consistency.
The latter is determined using the GFX benchmark’s stress test running two OpenGL ES 3.1 scenarios in a 30x loop while recording the frame rates immediately followed by running 3DMark’s stress test.
In both tests the Nord CE 2 5G’s overall thermal throttling recorded was marginal at best. We therefore found no performance throttling under sustained load worth noting.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.2 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41.4 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.9 °C / 88 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Wild Life Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G | |
| Honor 50 Lite | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 20 Lite | |
| Honor 50 Lite | |
| Xiaomi Poco F3 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G | |
Speaker
The included mono speaker can get fairly loud overall, and we found not only the missing stereo sound lacking but also its overall sound quality, particularly in mids and highs that were cut off very dramatically.
Fortunately, the Nord CE 2 5G features an audio jack for external speakers or headphones with adequate bass as well as Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless headphones. The Nord CE 2 5G supports all relevant HD audio codecs, including SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+, LDAC, and LHDC.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 32% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 52% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 40% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Motorola Edge 20 Lite audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 26.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 31% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 51% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 41% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery Life – OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G Charges Very Fast
Power Consumption
Like its predecessor, the Nord CE 2 5G features a 4,500 mAh battery. Unlike its predecessor the new model supports OnePlus’s own SUPERVOOC fast charging with up to 65 W, and a compatible power supply is included. The results are staggering, and the devices charges from near empty to full in just 30 minutes. Wireless charging is not supported.
Power consumption is at a level comparable to its predecessor, and the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G sips less electron juice than other Dimensity 900-equipped smartphones like the Oppo Reno6 5G.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.1 Watt |
| Idle |  0.9 / 1.3 / 1.6 Watt |
| Load |
4.5 / 6.2 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G 4500 mAh | Xiaomi Poco F3 4520 mAh | Motorola Edge 20 Lite 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 4250 mAh | Honor 50 Lite 4300 mAh | OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) 4500 mAh | Average MediaTek Dimensity 900 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -4% | 13% | -17% | -29% | 8% | -12% | -26% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.9 | 0.76 16% | 0.8 11% | 0.83 8% | 0.69 23% | 0.79 12% | 0.932 ? -4% | 0.872 ? 3% |
| Idle Average * | 1.3 | 1.29 1% | 1.2 8% | 1.92 -48% | 2.57 -98% | 1.32 -2% | 1.794 ? -38% | 1.415 ? -9% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.6 | 1.45 9% | 1.5 6% | 1.97 -23% | 2.73 -71% | 1.44 10% | 1.994 ? -25% | 1.556 ? 3% |
| Load Average * | 4.5 | 4.6 -2% | 3.7 18% | 3.84 15% | 4.28 5% | 3.82 15% | 3.95 ? 12% | 7.04 ? -56% |
| Load Maximum * | 6.2 | 8.87 -43% | 4.7 24% | 8.6 -39% | 6.32 -2% | 5.91 5% | 6.43 ? -4% | 10.6 ? -71% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption: Geekbench (150 cd/m²)
Power Consumption: GFXBench (150 cd/m²)
Battery Life
In our real-world battery tests running at a normalized display brightness of 150 nits making them easily comparable across all devices the Nord CE 2 5G performed very well even when running in 90 Hz mode. In the Wi-Fi test it managed a solid 16 hours, and it ran for another 7.5 hours in our video test with all communication modules disabled.
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G 4500 mAh | Xiaomi Poco F3 4520 mAh | Motorola Edge 20 Lite 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 4250 mAh | Honor 50 Lite 4300 mAh | OnePlus Nord CE 5G (Nord Core Edition) 4500 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -10% | 9% | -17% | -20% | 7% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1873 | 1562 -17% | 2163 15% | 1509 -19% | 2439 30% | |
| H.264 | 1402 | 918 -35% | 1443 3% | 1248 -11% | 1253 -11% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 962 | 805 -16% | 972 1% | 734 -24% | 767 -20% | 924 -4% |
| Load | 255 | 329 29% | 294 15% | 223 -13% | 286 12% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G
OnePlus continues down the path it embarked upon with the introduction of its Core Edition smartphones. Unfortunately, this includes the fallacies they fell victim to and which we pointed out when testing the Nord CE 5G, such as for example its poor Wi-Fi performance, its poorly performing wide-angle camera, and its comparatively dim OLED display when pitched directly against its Xiaomi competitors (Poco F3, Mi 11 Lite 5G). In addition, it continues to lack an IP certification and its mono speaker is unable to hold a candle to its stereo speaker-equipped competitors. If both of these downsides are relevant to you we strongly suggest taking a closer look at the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G.
We would have preferred if OnePlus had spent more effort on improving the Core Edition-series.
Nevertheless, the Chinese manufacturer continues to offer the basics required in today’s world, and even exceeds the minimum in some respects. As always you have to ultimately decide for yourself which aspects of a smartphone are important to you and which ones are not, but the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G offers a lot considering its relatively low price.
For less than 400 Euros you get a triple-camera, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, extremely fast charging, and good battery life thanks to its 6 nm MediaTek SoC. With that said we do have to admit that its performance is lacking compared to its Qualcomm-equipped competitors.
Price and Availability
The Nord CE 2 5G is not yet officially sold by OnePlus USA, and therefore not listed on their own website either. However, imported international models are widely available, for example on Amazon, with prices starting at around $400.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G
- 08/30/2022 v7 (old)
Marcus Herbrich
Price comparison
