OnePlus has launched a number of new smartphones recently, including the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite, a mid-range device offering decent performance at an affordable price. However, the Nord CE 4 Lite is recycling, especially when it comes to the SoC, which here is a Snapdragon 695, this chip sanded in all directions has equipped dozens of smartphones on the market, I find it a shame that it is still present here and not replaced by a Snapdragon 6 Gen 2 or even 6 Gen 1.
With this, a total of 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, with a handsome 6.67-inch diagonal AMOLED display, as well as a dual-sensor camera, one with 50 MP and a 2 MP macro sensor. So, what’s this Nord CE 4 Lite worth? Let’s find out in our full review of the smartphone.
Design and packaging
The first thing you notice when you receive the smartphone is that the box is quite slim. And, as you’d expect, there’s no charger included with the smartphone. OnePlus has followed in the footsteps of other manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung with its Galaxy S23 and later versions, and Honor: no more chargers in the box.
The box, by the way, is rather pretty, black and blue, the blue of the Nord range. Inside, you’ll find the smartphone, this Nord CE 4 Lite, nicely packaged and supplied here in “Super Silver” finish. Careful not to abbreviate the initials, but all joking aside, the gray color is a success here, reminding me of Peugeot’s “Gris Artense”.
On the front, the screen naturally dominates, occupying over 92.2% of the smartphone’s surface. In the center of the upper part, the front camera is still there, but a single camera is enough here, no 3D recognition system.
The smartphone comes with a protective film installed by the manufacturer, as on a very large majority of smartphones these days, especially from China. For a “Lite” version, the chin at the bottom of the device is still a little thick in 2024, but that’s okay, let’s just say we’ve seen smartphones with thicker edges, which was unsightly.
On the right-hand edge are the volume control buttons, with two switches in a single module, and the smartphone’s lock/unlock button. The fingerprint sensor is located under the screen here.
The left-hand edge features nothing special, apart from a SIM drawer that can accommodate two SIM cards, or a SIM card and a micro-SD card with a capacity of up to 2TB. The same applies to the upper edge, which features only a microphone.
It’s on the bottom edge that we find quite a lot, with a USB-C connector for recharging and data transfer via OTG, but also the speaker for listening to music, the main microphone for calls, as well as a 3.5 mm jack connector, for connecting headphones or wired headphones – it’s still practical!
On the back of the smartphone is a smooth, glossy plate, very pretty indeed, but rather sensitive to fingerprints. The OnePlus logo rests in the center, with some not-so-elegant certifications at the bottom, which could have been engraved on the edge, as on an iPhone.
It’s at the top of this back that we find the camera, made up of a proud 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600 module, a sensor that offers a focal length equivalent to 25 mm, but also a 2 MP macro sensor, which we’ll talk about in a few lines. With this, 2 LEDs to act as flash, and photo sensors that protrude from the surface of the smartphone, certainly, but not excessively.
All in all, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is a well-designed smartphone that feels good in the hand. The edges don’t protrude and don’t bother you in the slightest, and the grip is just right – only fingerprints won’t be aesthetically pleasing. Let’s see what it’s got up its sleeve.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite specifications
| Model | OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite |
| Software | Android 14 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 |
| Overlay | Oxygen OS |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDR4X |
| Graphics processor (GPU) | Qualcomm Adreno 619 |
| Storage capacity | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 6.67″ display |
| Definition | 2400 x 1080 px |
| Pixel density | 394 dpi |
| Back camera | Main lens: 50 MP Macro sensor: 2 MP |
| Front camera | 16 MP FRONT CAMERA |
| Video | Full HD @30fps |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi ac |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.1 |
| 5G compatible | Yes |
| NFC | Yes |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes |
| Face recognition | Yes |
| Connections | USB-C |
| Battery capacity | 5110 mAh |
| Wireless charging | No |
| Fast charging | 80 watts |
| Waterproofing | IP54 |
| Weight | 189 grams |
Performance
I find it a bit of a shame that the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is equipped with a Snapdragon 695 SoC, a chip that has already been used in quite a few smartphones, but above all, a chip that’s celebrating its 2 and a half year anniversary, happy birthday a bit late by the way … A more recent chip would have been preferable, but this is certainly the best performance/price ratio the brand has been able to find, offering 5G.
With this, a total of 8 GB of RAM, which seems sufficient for a smartphone in this category, with 256 GB of storage, we appreciate. Note that, as previously mentioned, storage can be increased to 2.2TB, by adding a 2TB micro-SD card to the device. Storage is in UFS 2.2, RAM in LPDDR4X, which isn’t exactly state-of-the-art, but it gets the job done. Finally, let’s talk about the GPU, which is an Adreno 619 – we know it well here!
On GeekBench, the score is less than 2000 points in multi-core, exactly 1994 points, which I find disappointing. I was expecting a higher score from this smartphone, but here we’re really on the bare minimum. Admittedly, it’s on sale for less than 300 euros on special offer from the manufacturer, but I still think it would have been a good idea to install a more recent chip. Impossible to test with Antutu here, as 3DBench is not recognized by the native Antutu application.
On the other hand, RAM is decent, with a throughput of over 2900 MB/s for reading and over 2800 MB/s for writing, it remains a good performer. We also note latencies of 33.9 ns, which is also decent here, nothing to worry about! However, as far as storage is concerned, we have to admit that it’s not extraordinary. 326 MB/s internal read, 334 MB/s internal write – in 2024, we’d expect better.
Finally, the graphics are not bad; we’re pretty familiar with Qualcomm’s Adreno 619, so there’s nothing extraordinary here, but it’s still decent for an entry/mid-range smartphone. In the games I was able to try out, everything ran smoothly, but you shouldn’t expect too much from it either, as it’s not an RTX 4080.
Nord CE 4 Lite screen
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is equipped with a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel, as if OnePlus had borrowed a stock of panels from Xiaomi, which is used to offering this screen diagonal on almost all its smartphones, such as the Poco F6 Pro.
However, this beautiful AMOLED panel is a pleasure to use. Firstly, because it brings this technology to a smartphone costing less than 350 euros (excluding special offers), which is quite normal in 2024, but above all, because it is of very decent quality.
It’s also worth noting that the smartphone features a 120 Hz panel, which makes a welcome change from 90 Hz smartphones or even old-fashioned 60 Hz devices! Display resolution, on the other hand, is Full HD+, i.e. 2400 x 1080 pixels, which is excessively conventional. But there’s no need to go any further. All this, for a density of 394 pixels per inch, which is very decent here.
What I like about this screen is its 1200 nits brightness, which can rise to 2100 nits at peak, which is nice for seeing what the smartphone is displaying, even in bright summer sunshine. Be careful, though: if you’re really in the sun with the screen, the Nord CE 4 Lite may struggle, just like any other smartphone.
As with the vast majority of smartphones, there’s a light mode and a dark mode, with the option of scheduling the display according to solar time, which I appreciate.
It’s also possible to switch the screen to two color modes, as you wish, which are :
- Vivid colors
- Natural colors
I always leave the screens of the products I test in “Bright colors” mode, and even of the products I use, because I find it prettier. It’s a smartphone, not a sheet of paper, natural colors don’t matter to me.
When you go poking around in the settings, you’ll find quite a few things that are unique to OnePlus, like gestures on the screen when it’s off. You can activate or deactivate the screen by double-tapping it, which is devilishly practical, but also draw letters or characters that are :
- O: Open camera
- V: Activate / deactivate LED flash
- II: Play / Pause music
- > : Next music
- < : Previous music
- ^ : Launch calculator
- M : Launch Google Assistant
- W : Launch voice recorder
Note that the last three functions can be modified as you wish. What I can say is that it works pretty well, sometimes with a little latency, but if you’re clear in the design on the screen, everything activates on demand.
The camera
Like any good entry/mid-range smartphone, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is equipped with a rather simple 50 MP sensor that does the job very well. The latter is also equipped with a 2 MP macro sensor, the usefulness of which has yet to be found. Quite frankly, a wide-angle lens would have been much more appropriate here than a sensor that serves no purpose and will only be used 3 or 4 times as a joke, and even then, by the tester!
So let’s talk about the only really useful sensor, the main one, a Sony LYT-600 sensor with a 5P lens and 50 MP resolution. The sensor has a size of 1/1.95″ and a focal length equivalent to 25 mm, with an aperture of f/1.8.
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite performs well in all situations, whether in low light or daylight. The only regret I have, as can be seen in the photo with the pontoon, is that as the photo is taken in a dark location, the sky is quite burnt out in the background. Otherwise, details are decent, and both close-up and distant shots are satisfactory for this price.
As far as the zoom is concerned, it allows you to go up to x10, which is not bad at all! I like the quality of x10 photos, but you mustn’t take photos from too close. It’s essential to keep a fairly wide shot if you want to enjoy decent-quality results.
What I do regret, however, is the absence of an ultra-wide-angle sensor, replaced by a useless macro sensor, which is a shame.
One small note, however, concerning video with the smartphone, which can only film in Full HD 1080p at 30 frames per second, which is absolutely ridiculous and shameful. A smartphone in 2024 should be able to film in 4K already, and at least in 4K at 30 fps and Full HD at 60 fps, here, the camera’s performance is on paper, very disappointing.
Oxygen OS software
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite arrives with Oxygen OS version 14 on board, which is a very good thing, the version is up to date. However, what I really regret are the installed bloatwares. Those applications that we didn’t ask for, but which are there all the same. This applies in particular to TikTok, Booling, Amazon, LinkedIn, AliExpress, Microsoft 365, Block Blast, meteos24 and a few other little games that are of no use whatsoever.
Otherwise, the interface is always nice, OnePlus always puts the 1 of the hour in red, or the 1s when it’s 11:00, so I’ll let you imagine at 11:11 … Joking aside, the interface relies heavily on Google applications, with Chrome installed and highlighted, more than OnePlus’ internal browser, but also with Google Telephone, Google Messages, YouTube Music and so on.
There’s also the option of activating “split view”, which is basically a kind of multitasking, but also of activating floating windows, which is very handy for getting a small preview while you’re doing something else.
Features also include Quick Launch, which I discovered on the Vivo X80 Pro back in the day! Touch and hold the fingerprint sensor until you find one of the desired application icons, to be configured from the functions or applications you use most.
You can also activate the smart sidebar, with quick functions here too.
Already offered by default on some other smartphones, OnePlus also offers this functionality as required here, but does not impose it as a matter of course.
Locking and security
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite can be unlocked via a fingerprint sensor, present under the screen, or via facial recognition with the front camera. This is very practical, as it eliminates the need to type in your code, but does it really work?
The fingerprint sensor works very well indeed. In fact, the fingerprint sensor beneath the device’s AMOLED screen is reliable. Be careful, however, not to get your fingers too dirty or wet for it to work perfectly.
As for facial recognition, it certainly works well, but it’s not 3D recognition. Forget about working well at night: the smartphone needs a minimum amount of light to detect you! It’s still possible to unlock the device with a simple photo, but it’s high time Google improved this to avoid this kind of obvious deception.
Sound quality
The device’s sound quality is less than optimal, with a number of frequencies dropping off and the loudspeaker really struggling with certain sounds. This is unfortunate, but it occurs more on the highs than on the mids or lows. In any case, the sound is that of a smartphone costing less than 350 euros, so we can’t expect anything extraordinary.
However, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite does offer a few handy features, such as an equalizer, named OReality Audio, which is in fact a pack of four profiles created by Oppo, the parent company of OnePlus. These include the following modes:
- Intelligent
- Theater
- Game
- Music
In any case, it doesn’t make much difference to the audio quality, but the sound may be slightly more optimized depending on the content you’re consuming.
Another super-practical feature, which is more Google than OnePlus, is the instant subtitling function. It can be activated, but subtitles are only in English for the moment, with other versions coming soon. You can display sound labels, such as laughter, applause or music, or hide profanity, which is useful for children.
Frankly, it works really well on English content! However, I didn’t manage to display live song lyrics with it, and don’t try it with non-English content, it won’t work for now.
Finally, you can boost the volume to 300% – not 150, not 200, but 300! It’s certainly handy for pushing the loudspeaker even further, but the sound quality is clearly degraded, so don’t bother.
Connectivity
First of all, let’s talk about cellular connectivity, which can accommodate two nano-SIM cards. This is no great feat, however, just a simple piece of information. The smartphone offers support for 4G category 13 up to 150 Mbps and 5G category 12 up to 600 Mbps. Here’s the list of cellular bands supported by the OnePlus Nord Ce 4 Lite:
| 2G | 850/900/1800/1900 MHz |
| 3G | 1/2/4/5/6/8/19 |
| 4G | 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/18/19/20/26/28/38/39/40/41/66 |
| 5G | n1/n2/n3/n5/n7/n8/n12/n20/n28/n66/n38/n40/n41/n77/n78 |
This is therefore fully satisfactory for cellular bands, apart from the fact that the smartphone won’t be able to take advantage of 5G at 2000 Mbit/s, which isn’t a tragedy in absolute terms. However, I’m very disappointed by the mere presence of Wi-Fi 5 (and backwards compatible) connectivity, no Wi-Fi 6 on board! As for Bluetooth, it’s Bluetooth 5.1 rather than 5.4, so it’s a shame we didn’t offer something more powerful.
Battery life
With its 5110 mAh battery – and we like precision – the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite can last all day, even two days if need be. But why go for the two days by saving battery when you’ve got an 80-watt SuperVOOC charge available on the smartphone?
According to my tests, the smartphone lasted just over 11h30 before its battery fell below 20%, the test was carried out with PCMark for Android. The result is decent, but we’ve seen much better from the competition! As for charging, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite takes around 50 minutes to charge with a SuperVOOC-compatible charger.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite : Reviews
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is a convincing smartphone in many respects. However, it’s not without its faults, such as the lack of the ability to shoot in 4K at 30 fps or even Full HD at 60 fps yet! It’s a good smartphone, but its macro sensor is useless and we note that the gray color is frankly pretty, but the blue version is also very successful. All in all, a device that’s certainly worth the money, but with a few flaws to consider.