OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: Good cameras, average performance

OnePlus is vying for the top spot in India’s premium smartphone market through its flagship phones each year. However, it is paying equal attention to the category of smartphones that appeals to the masses. I am talking about the sub-Rs 20,000 segment to which the company’s new Nord CE 4 Lite belongs. The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is a trimmed-down Nord CE 4, so it naturally is less powerful, but when you put it next to other phones around the same price, it struggles to stand out. I have been using the OnePlus’s new budget smartphone for a while and here are my takeaways to answer whether you should pick the Nord CE 4 Lite for under Rs 20,000. Also Read: OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite vs iQOO Z9: Specifications compared

Before I begin my review of the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite, let me get its specifications out of the way: Also Read: OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G vs Vivo Y58 5G: Which is better?

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review in 5 points:

1. 1. OnePlus phones have a no-frill approach to their design. The Nord CE 4 Lite is no exception. Being a striking departure from its predecessor, the Nord CE 4 Lite will appeal to most customers with its boxy shape and flat design. However, I am unsure whether the Ultra Orange colourway (the one I have reviewed) will find as many takers as the other variant called Mega Blue. A good design is subjective so while I like the grip, weight, and overall feel of the phone in my hands, I am not particularly a fan of its orange hue. For what it is worth, the back panel changes its colour in the red-orange spectrum depending on how you hold it against a light source. A neat party trick, maybe. I also did not come across any issues with the power and volume buttons.
   2. Nord CE 4 Lite’s display is great. Everything looks super vivid, while the high refresh rate makes the experience smooth. The phone lets you choose the refresh rate for your phone, and if you cannot do that, just let the phone decide the refresh rate for you. I chose the latter, but I found the phone struggling to figure out the appropriate refresh rate for a particular task. For instance, when I was scrolling through a random webpage in Chrome browser, the experience was a bit jarring. I would have liked a smooth scroll on the page, which wasn’t. In games, however, the display quickly switches to the maximum refresh rate to run animations smoothly. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F looked good on the phone’s HDR display.
      
   3. The performance is where I think OnePlus could have done better. The Nord CE 4 Lite can handle tasks like opening Gmail or Instagram but takes a good deal of time to fire up games like Free Fire Max. The games run at moderate graphics settings, but the moment I cranked up the graphics, the processor asked for more time to load things up. While it is sometimes manageable, the overall experience is not on par with other Rs 20,000 phones. I often struggled to multitask because the screen would occasionally freeze when switching between apps in the background. The native Photos app restarted several times when I quickly wanted to take a peek at my photos while deciding on the ones for an Instagram post. Other things like calling and texting work well, so I never had an issue chatting or video calling with my folks on Google Messages or WhatsApp.

Also Read: OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite vs Nord CE 3 Lite: Here's what's changing | Specs, price

1. OnePlus has a reputation for offering good mobile phone cameras. The Nord CE 4 Lite is another example of how good camera phones do not necessarily have to cost a bomb. Sure, there are caveats to that statement, but anyone looking to capture photos good enough for Instagram can easily consider the Nord CE 4 Lite. The main camera captures good details and can zoom up to 2X optically. Colours in photos clicked in daylight are natural, while the dynamic range is decent. Saturation, however, takes a hit in tricky shots, such as that of the Wave towers in Noida against a cloudy sky. But it is not offputting. Shots taken in dim light have some noise, but otherwise decent enough to go on Instagram. My selfie looked smooth with beautification on, but there was a hint of skin polish when I turned it off. The videos I recorded on the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite do not have the best stabilisation but will work generally.
   
2. The battery on the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is meant for marathons. I mean I could use the phone for browsing the internet, calling, chatting, gaming, and photography and still be left with enough juice to delay charging it again. I needed to top the battery up in about two days when using the phone moderately, and 80W charging helps get it done in a few minutes. OnePlus says OxygenOS can intelligently manage power consumption on the phone to extend the battery life. I agree but let me put the spotlight on the OxygenOS now. It is similar to what you see on more expensive OnePlus phones, but bloated with advertisements and preloaded third-party apps like Agoda.com. I could uninstall some of these apps but not the rest of them. I felt like I was using a Realme phone worth Rs 10,000. I must also tell you that OnePlus is not alone in offering advertisements through the phone software, but it could stand out the way it once did.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review verdict

While some takeaways go in OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite’s favour, most don’t. It has a brilliant display to watch shows, and while it is also great for games, the processor holds the phone back when you have to play graphics-intensive games. That is a shame because the phone is not hefty and has good software customisations for gaming. Performance-oriented customers may look for other options in this segment, such as the iQOO Z9 or even the Nothing Phone 2a for a few extra rupees. However, its cameras can easily appeal to casual photographers and those who want a phone to click Instagram-able photos. Software may not be entirely clean like Nothing OS, but it is snappy and full of nifty features. And you cannot go wrong with the phone’s battery backup at this price.