The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite doesn’t do much wrong, but apart from the fast charging it doesn’t catch the eye. The cameras, which are better on paper, are particularly disappointing.

When the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite came onto the market in April 2023, we were moderately enthusiastic. The upgrade turned out to be very limited compared to its predecessor, the CE 2 Lite. We are starting the year 2024 with a smartphone comparison test with devices between 200 euros and 350 euros. It’s high time to take another look at the Nord CE 3 Lite and compare it directly with other brands.

A stroke of luck for OnePlus in the test is that the Nord CE 3 Lite has now become significantly cheaper. We can no longer find the introductory price of 329 euros anywhere. OnePlus has an official recommended retail price of 269 euros, but we can find the device online at most retailers for 229 euros. The above prices include VAT.

Given its higher price, is this phone worth it? That’s what we’re going to examine now.

Gray or pastel?

For a budget phone, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite looks particularly good. The case feels very sturdy and feels like metal even though it is made of plastic. The pastel green version has very few fingerprints. The glossy plastic back of the gray version is a magnet for fingerprints.

We like the sober appearance with, for a change, not a huge camera island, but two separate circles. For enthusiasts, there is a jack port on the bottom for connecting wired headphones.

The phone has 8GB of RAM, a lot in this price range, paired with 128GB of storage. Expansion is possible via a MicroSD card up to 1 TB. The fingerprint sensor is located in the power button and works lightning fast if you set it up correctly. We had to repeat the installation again but never had any problems after that.

Very nice screen

The screen looks particularly good, especially given the competitive price. We even have to look twice to see if it’s not an OLED screen. You can only see the LCD screen on dark backgrounds. OLED is always preferred over LCD, but in this case we want to turn a blind eye.

Everything feels good thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. The only downside is that you have to choose between 120 Hz for smooth animations and 60 Hz to save battery. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite cannot automatically switch the refresh rate to offer the best of both worlds.

Solid performance

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 is an excellent choice in this device. Most manufacturers are increasingly turning to Mediatek because their chips are significantly cheaper and perform as well or better in their price range. OnePlus prefers to work with Qualcomm and is making progress, especially in the area of ​​3D performance. Only the Samsung Galaxy A25 performs (much) better. Simple 3D games are no challenge for this phone, but for more intensive games you should look for a more powerful (and often more expensive) model.

The CPU performance of the Snapdragon 695 is on par with other price comparison partners. In our experience, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite feels fast enough. After starting, you have to wait half a minute for everything to load, after which we can no longer detect any problems. Not even when multitasking.

Weak 108 MP camera

The biggest disappointment with this device is undoubtedly the camera. Despite the enormous 108 megapixel sensor (f/1.8), the photo quality is inferior. You might think that more megapixels would mean sharper photos, but that’s not the case here. Even if the lens was clean, the photos often have a “flou” effect. Colors appear very cold in almost every situation.

What is striking is that OnePlus suggests a “lossless” zoom thanks to the large sensor. In the example below you can see that there is a significant loss of quality at 3x zoom.

HDR is a sore point with this camera, as is shooting in very dark situations. With some light the result is better than expected.

The 2 megapixel macro camera is junk. The main camera takes better macro photos. OnePlus wants to try to increase the specs with the additional camera, but in our opinion it would be better to leave it alone. The other 2-megapixel depth camera provides the main camera with additional information that we can still discuss.

Lightning-fast charging

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is not a battery king, but it doesn’t do anything wrong either. The autonomy meets expectations. With the device you can easily get through a working day. Even with light use, you shouldn’t expect two days. Daily charging is a must.

Where this phone leaves the competition far behind is in its fast charging time. Thanks to the included 67-watt fast charger, you can charge this device to 50 percent in 17 minutes. It takes half an hour to go from zero to 80 percent.

This makes the device fast enough to charge every now and then instead of every night because it takes too long. We can plug in the phone briefly during breakfast and then have enough for a whole day. Or while showering or having dinner. Because this phone charges so quickly, you can set your own pace, which is always better than charging overnight.

Diploma

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is full of potential, but has too many glitches to be really interesting. The screen is beautiful and the fast charging is a revelation in this price range. On the other hand, it is a disappointing camera that performs poorly even in this price range.

On paper, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (269 euros including VAT) flexes its muscles, but not always in practice. The impressive-sounding 108-megapixel camera is undoubtedly what sets this phone apart. If you value a decent camera, you should look elsewhere. Not a camera fanatic? Then you will receive a top device.

This short test report is part of our comparative mass test of mid-range cell phones between 200 and 350 euros. Click here for the other reviews.

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite has been available since April 20, 2023 in two colors: pastel green and gray. There is only one variant of the device with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is available at the time of writing for 269 euros including VAT.

Android update policy: OnePlus promises at least two operating system updates (up to Android 15) and three years of security updates, starting with the launch on April 4, 2023.