OnePlus today announced the newest member of the Nord family. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite has to offer a balanced overall package at a very competitive price.

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is official. The smartphone with a name that rolls off the tongue is the latest addition to the now extensive Nord portfolio and also the perfect warm-up for the OnePlus Nord CE 3, which will be launched later this year. Not to be confused with the OnePlus Nord 3, which is also planned.

Despite the somewhat confusing naming convention, all Nord smartphones stand for the same promise: to deliver a perfect balance between price, quality and performance, with a few nice extras here and there. In our opinion, OnePlus has done this with flying colors with the Nord CE 2, which raises expectations of the Nord CE 3 Lite. The word “Lite” implies that this device is at the bottom of the rankings, although this may not be apparent from the device’s specs.

specifications

If we compare the new device with the predecessor Nord CE 2 Lite, we see the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset. This isn’t a speed monster, but the processor does what it’s supposed to do. For Europe, OnePlus will pair the processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That should be more than enough for everyday use, but if necessary, a further 8 GB of virtual working memory can be added via the settings.

The battery capacity remains at 5000 mAh, but OnePlus increases the charging power from 33 W to 67 W. This takes you from zero to eighty percent in half an hour. The built in Endurancetechnology doubles the total number of charge cycles before the battery shows signs of wear. Twelve sensors in the smartphone closely monitor the temperature, which prevents the device from overheating while charging.

The display has had a growth spurt and now measures 6.72 inches compared to the 6.59 inches of the previous model CE Lite, with a body-to-screen ratio of 91.4% and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz .The back has anti-fingerprint coating and 2.8D curved back. The 3.5 mm audio jack, which has almost become a rarity in new smartphone models these days, is also striking.

Finally, OnePlus likes to unpack the 108 MP main camera with 3x digital zoom. The main camera is accompanied by a 2 MP depth lens for taking portrait photos and a 16 MP front camera. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is equipped with the latest version of OxygenOS (13.1) and you can count on two major software updates and three years of security updates.

OnePlus Nord Buds 2

Under the motto “Two birds with one stone”, OnePlus is also announcing the Nord Buds 2 today. These wireless earbuds offer active noise cancellation and bass wave enhancement. A full charge can provide up to seven hours of audio without the charging case and 36 hours with the charging case. It only takes 10 minutes to charge to ensure up to 5 hours of use with active noise cancellation off.

price and availability

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite will be available from April 20 for €329 including VAT. That’s a small price premium of thirty euros compared to the CE 2 Lite. Available color options are pastel green and grey. The OnePlus Buds 2 will be available from the same date for €69 (white or grey).