OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G is the right choice for you if you are looking for a screen and battery at a good price. It is a great option, although there are some things that I am not completely convinced about.
On June 24th, OnePlus presented a new contender to conquer the mid-range: the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G, a device that I have had the opportunity to test for a few weeks.
It is a device that stands out for its screen and battery, with a maximum brightness that is a delight and a battery life that can offer you up to two days at full capacity.
It is true that it has some things that are not convincing, such as somewhat fair performance, software with a lot of bloatware and a camera with few options, but I think it is a device that fulfills what it sets out to do.
In addition, it has a more than attractive price: 329 euros. Is it worth it? I invite you to follow me in this review of the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite to see what I think.
Design: light and comfortable, although with fingerprint traps and without Alert Slider
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite maintains the same recognisable style of the Chinese brand with a sober and elegant appearance that stands out for its comfort in the hand and good grip.
It is true that despite its beautiful finish with a gradient of metallic blue tones — there is also a silver option — it does leave some fingerprints, so you will be constantly reaching for a cloth.
Also, on the negative side, it neglects the classic Alert Slider of the brand, which seems to have been relegated to flagship devices. A shame, as it was a distinctive element of OnePlus and is increasingly restricted.
The button panel, meanwhile, is located on the right, with the classic lock button at thumb height, as well as the double volume up and down button that requires a little effort with your finger to operate easily, but does not require you to hold the device with two hands.
Otherwise, it has the SIM slot along with space for a 2 TB microSD card on the upper right side and USB-C for charging and a 3.5 mm jack for headphones on the bottom.
Screen: bright, fluid and perfect with wet fingers
The screen is one of the device’s great strengths.
Firstly, because of its frankly good construction, which leaves very thin bezels to give the feeling of a larger screen, accompanied by the now classic centered selfie hole.
Secondly, for a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with FullHD+ resolution that produces vivid, vibrant and very well-defined colors, accompanied by a refresh rate of 120 Hz that makes the experience fluid and smooth.
Thirdly, a maximum brightness of 2,100 nits peak and an HBM brightness of 1,600 nits, a figure that is usually achieved by much higher-end devices, which is among the best on the market and will offer you an excellent viewing experience.
And fourthly, for the inclusion of a technology they have dubbed Aqua Touch which, as its name suggests, makes it easier to operate the screen with wet or damp fingers.
Performance and software: reliable, but just enough and with a lot of bloatware
Not only because it includes a Snapdragon 695 5G inside, an SoC closer to the entry level than the mid-range, but also because it is the same one that was already in the previous generation. In addition, it has only 8 GB of RAM, with no possibility of upgrading, as well as 256 GB of storage, which fortunately does allow for expansion via microSD.
The truth is that it leaves a somewhat poor performance which, although it is more than enough for day-to-day use, does not measure up in demanding games and has the occasional hiccup that does not bother, but does detract from the overall experience.
As for the software, it comes with OxygenOS based on Android 14, which maintains some of OnePlus’s identity, but is practically a carbon copy of devices like Realme or Oppo.
Its weak point? Too much bloatware. As always, it can be deleted, but the huge number of apps that come pre-installed is quite annoying.
Battery: huge autonomy and with good fast charging
The battery is another of the highlights, thanks to a capacity of 5,110 mAh that can give you almost two days of use without any problems.
As always, this depends on how you use the device, but with a combination of the odd game, using social networks for a good while and listening to lots of music, I can assure you that you will reach that figure I mentioned before having to go through the charger.
A charger that, despite not coming in the box due to European regulations, allows 80 W of fast charging, so you will be able to go from 0 to 100% in about 30 minutes… if you go through the checkout.
Camera: decent photography, although sparse in options
This is one of the points that has disappointed me the most, simply because they have cut back on options compared to the previous generation.
Main: Sony LYT-600 50 Mpx, f/1.8
Depth sensor: 2 Mpx, f/2.4
Selfie: 16 Mpx, f/2.4
Now, although I think it is a bit short on options, the level of photography is more than decent.
The main lens gives very good results in good light and holds its own indoors or in low-light settings. It also takes good portraits with a good degree of blurring.
As for the selfie camera, it also holds its own, although what I’m not so convinced about is that it takes a while to take a photo, especially when using the buttons on the side, so on occasion you’re going to have to repeat the shot, as they come out blurry.
That said, when you do get the perfect shot, I think it achieves a very good crop and great presence of the character.
Finally, I’d like to point out that the camera app is intuitive and functional, with a good shutter speed, Pro mode in case you want to get creative, and several very interesting editing options, such as one that allows you to pixelate certain elements or add watermarks to your photos.
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G is worth it
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is a device that has convinced me, although I think it is not a radical improvement over its predecessor.
It has a large screen, which stands out for its brightness and for that Aqua Touch technology that I really don’t know if it will have much real application, with a few exceptions, as well as for its large battery and good fast charging.
Performance is poor and it also has the same processor as the CE 3 Lite, it has a camera that, although adequate, is somewhat lacking in options and it has a lot of bloatware.
