OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G review

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G review: Is it the budget all-rounder you need?

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Many times we focus on flagship phones. That’s right. After all, these are the phones that show us the latest technology, the possibilities and everything that is cutting edge. However, these are also expensive phones. The reality is that in India most of us buy phones that cost much less, say between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000. The OnePlus CE Lite series serves these budget-conscious buyers and the latest in the segment is the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G. It’s also a pretty capable phone that delivers on almost all brands, and trust me on this, giving people the option of getting a phone that costs less than Rs 20,000 and performs well enough to be a good daily driver.

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That is a great statement. So, does OnePlus manage to come close to these claims in the actual performance of the Nord CE4 Lite? I have been using the device as my daily driver for the last week. My experience with him has been quite good. I really like the versatile package that the Nord CE4 Lite offers. Although the phone also has some flaws, which I will detail in a moment. First, a quick look at the specifications.

The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite features a 6.6-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This is impressive because these types of displays are usually part of more expensive phones. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset (a sour spot in my opinion) with up to 8GB of RAM. The phone runs on OxygenOS 14.0 based on Android 14. It has a 5500 mAh battery with support for 80W SUPERVOOC charging. The Nord CE4 also supports 5W reverse charging and offers an 80W fast charger included in the box.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite design

With its CE Lite phones, OnePlus is taking a bolder approach with phone designs. We also saw this on previous CE Lite phones. The OnePlus CE4 Lite is no different. The device features a square design and a new color palette. I reviewed the color Mega Blue. While I like the blue tone here, I understand that when OnePlus says “Mega,” it really means it. The blue tone of the phone I reviewed is loud, extremely loud. It hits the senses, and while some will find their senses indulged by this shade, others will feel overwhelmed.

The back of the Nord CE4 Lite is made of plastic but has a glossy glass finish. The frame is brushed aluminum. The overall build quality is solid and in no way does the phone feel cheap. Even with a large 5500mAh battery, the device feels light, which depending on how you look at it could be a good or bad thing. It weighs around 190 grams but feels lighter in the hands.

In line with the OnePlus aesthetic, there is a OnePlus logo in the middle of the back panel and, in the top left corner, the dual camera setup with dual LED lights. While the glass-finished back looks attractive and accentuates the color, it’s a fingerprint magnet. In no time you will find it blurry. We all use our phones with cases though, so it wouldn’t be a problem for anyone.

Like the Nord CE3 Lite, OnePlus ditched the island design and provided two separate round cutouts for each camera lens. There is a distinctive pill-shaped edge to highlight the camera module. It has a slightly darker shade of blue and at first glance appears elevated. But is not.

The phone comes with an IP54 rating, which may not be as robust as the IP 6X found on premium phones, but should keep the phone safe from accidental splashes of water. Speaking of water, the Nord CE4 Lite comes with OnePlus’ latest Aqua Touch, which allows use of the screen even with wet hands or even if there are water drops on the screen.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G gets AMOLED display

The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G comes with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display that offers a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This is a significant improvement over the CE3 Lite, which has an LCD display. The AMOLED display offers deeper colors and contrast, providing a vivid and immersive viewing experience.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos, Netflix series, browsed social media and did some of my usual things that I usually use my smartphones for, and I really liked the screen of the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite. It is bright, both indoors and outdoors, and has a maximum brightness of 2100 nits. It’s also smoother with the 120Hz refresh rate and offers a balanced viewing experience from all angles.

Now that we get to intensity, something that is expected from OLED displays, don’t expect to see the intensity that we get on more expensive, high-end phones. The colors, although better than those shown by LED and LCD screens, belong to a clearly more conventional OLED panel. Therefore, there are a lot of oversaturated colors on the CE4 Lite’s screen. This, depending on how you want your colors, may or may not be noticeable to you. Regardless, I think the CE4 Lite has one of the best displays on a sub-Rs 20,000 phone.

A smooth daily driver

The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G houses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 5G chipset. It is somewhat disappointing, if not in practical sense then at least to me as a tech lover. This is because the Snapdragon 695 is a chipset that we first saw in Nord CE2. It is somewhat old now and while there is nothing wrong with it, I would have liked to see some progress here. For example, this is a chipset that scores around 900 points in single-core Geekbench and around 2000 in multi-core performance. In 2024, we do expect better from mainstream phones.

In practice, in everyday use, the Snapdragon 695 gets the job done. Handles daily tasks quite well. Whether it’s binge-watching, scrolling through social media, opening dozens of apps in the background or multitasking, the processor handles everything smoothly and not once in a week of use did I experience jitters or lag.
The games are a bit limited in the sense that most games don’t allow you to set the game to maximum. Instead, setting the graphics to medium to low provides a smoother gaming experience. One thing I really liked about the CE4 Lite is how great it works. While playing, it worked quite well, although I played mostly while sitting in an air-conditioned room. But the CE4 Lite also performs well while running benchmark tests like Geekbench.

Like other OnePlus phones, the CE4 Lite also runs on OxygenOS 14.0 based on Android 14. The experience is classic OnePlus, which means good. The software has a clean user interface, there are a tons of handy features and the colour schemes are pleasant. One part, I did not like though, is the high number of bundled apps. But here too users need not worry because most of the third-party apps can be uninstalled and removed.

The CE4 Lite comes with Dual Stereo Speakers. While dual speakers might not seem like a big feature, many brands skip stereo sound in budget phones. So seeing the stereo speakers in the CE4 Lite is nice. The speakers offer clear, crisp audio, and I never felt the audio output was muffled or screechy. It was loud enough. I watched Panchayat Season 3 and did not reach out to my earbuds as the audio from speakers was satisfactory.

CE4 Lite 5G is a battery hero

The Nord CE4 Lite comes with a 5500 mAh battery, an upgrade to the 5000 mAh battery in its predecessor. While using the phone, I find the battery of Nord CE4 as its top feature. It offers looong battery life, as long enough to last around a day and half for me. And if it lasts this long with my kind of usage, I have a feeling that for most users the battery figures would be similar or slightly higher. Even with incessant streaming and lots of gaming, the CE4 Lite managed to last with me for around a day.

Like other OnePlus phones, the CE 4 Lite also offers fast charging support – to be specific support of 80W SUPERVOOC charging. And to enable this charging, OnePlus has bundled a fast charger in the box. This charger makes the battery go from 0 to 100 within an hour. The phone also supports 5W reverse charging feature. It allowed me to charge my other phone, or even earbuds.

Nord CE4 Lite review: should you buy it?

Let’s summarise: The Nord CE4 Lite has a lot to offer. It has a really good AMOLED display, a big battery with fast charging, good speakers, and even a capable camera. The processor gets the job done, though it has not been upgraded.

Design is a subjective part. If you like a boxy design, then you will appreciate the CE4 Lite. OnePlus also offers some good colour options. But it has a downside too. The boxy design feels a bit dated and gives the illusion of the phone being bulky, even though the Nord CE4 Lite is lightweight.

I would have absolutely loved the CE4 Lite if it had come packed with an upgraded chipset, or if older then a more powerful Series 7 Snapdragon. Because the rest of the phone is well-put together package that gives users not spending more than Rs 20,000 on their phone the kind of experience which is polished and reliable. In other words, if you are looking to buy one of the best phones under Rs 20,000 the CE4 Lite should be in your shortlist. And not just in your shortlist but, in my opinion, on top of your shortlist.