This is the new OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G, and while CE stands for Core Edition, personally for me, it also stands for “Core Essentials” as it has larger-than-life upgrades from the previous generation, like a massive 5000mAh battery with 67W SuperVOOC fast charging, a 120Hz rewfresh rate 6.72-inch screen, and a large 108MP main camera.

And here are my first impressions and my hands-on experience with this phone!

 

Unboxing 

Now in case you’ve missed my unboxing on my YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels…

Just as a recap, inside of the box, you’ll find a clear phone case, a 67W SuperVOOC charging brick, and a USB-A to USB-C cable.

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Design & Build  

All right, being a “Core Edition” of the phone, the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G comes with all the design cues that you expect from OnePlus phones. It comes with a solid build with a glossy finish, making this the slickest smartphone within its class, like a Supermodel in a smartphone form!

And it only still weighs at 195 grams, which was perfect since I always appreciated a smartphone below the 200 grams mark.

In terms of the color options, this Chromatic Gray finish is nice and very low profile, but that Pastel Lime option? It’s like a breath of fresh air in a sea of boring phone colors. It is so unique and refreshing, you’ll feel like you’re holding a lime popsicle in your hand!

Compared to other Lite versions of other smartphone brands, this phone feels sturdy and doesn’t feel like a “toy”. And also the edges of the smartphone are rounded and made it more ergonomic thanks to the slight curves of the front and back of the smartphone.

Then the matte finish on the phone made it super easy to grip even with its glossy finish at the back.

Speaking of the back, the three camera sensors are housed within these two large black circles. And of course, the smartphone is slightly raised, so it doesn’t lay flush when you put it flat on the table.

Then the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G is taking us back in time with its 3.5mm audio jack!

Now, yes, it is not a “new” feature, but who cares about being trendy when you can be really practical? Let’s face it, wired headphones are still the way to go for many of us, and having an audio jack is a huge plus indeed because you don’t have to worry about losing your wireless earbuds or even running out of battery at the worst possible moment.

Then the other “old school” feature which is present on the phone is the microSD card slot expansion which can support up to a massive 1 Terabyte.

And finally, for a Core Edition, I was really surprised at how loud the speakers were, thanks to the 200% Ultra Volume mode projected through the Dual Stereo speakers.

So overall, the build quality is sturdy, is well-designed, and also brings a proper “Core Edition” experience and focuses on what exactly matters for this kind of price point. 

 

Display 

Next, looking at the phone’s display, it comes with a 6.72-inch FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate LCD Display.

And the display is so adaptive; it feels like a chameleon. It changes between 30Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and of course 120Hz, depending on what exactly you’re looking at or using on the screen.

The phone seems like it knows what exactly you need before you even do! So whether or not you’re binge-watching your favorite shows, or scrolling through your social media feed, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite’s display has got you covered.

While yes, this isn’t a vivid OLED display that you see in more expensive phones, but this 680 nits of peak brightness screen is more than sufficient to allow you to see what’s on-screen even under direct sunlight.  

 

 

Cameras 

Next, looking at the phone’s cameras, at the back, it comes with a huge 108MP Samsung HM6 sensor, with an aperture value of F/1.75 with a 24mm focal length with EIS, so there is no OIS on the lens. And the pixel binning is at 9-in-1 pixels, producing brighter, clearer, and more natural photos.

And based on my initial test on this particular lens, the main camera did perform very well as expected. Due to its huge sensor, it can zoom losslessly up to 3x, so you are looking at somewhat of a digital version of a telephoto mode over here.

Then there is a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor which allows you to take those beautiful “bokeh-terrific portraits” without typically only using software to do that, as there is a dedicated depth sensors, so you are looking at one of the best of its class portrait mode on the smartphone, allowing you more accurate isolation of your subject. 

Now, I have to be honest to say that I wished that the phone had an ultrawide lens, so I was a little disappointed with that, but I shall see how much I really miss using an ultrawide lens when I use this phone daily, so subscribe to Adam Lobo TV if you guys haven’t done so and thank you very much in advance. And of course, with that, I will surely dive deeper into an in-depth camera review during my full video review.

And if you’re feeling very adventurous, join our Discord server for some live tech talk with other like-minded individuals. Who knows, you might even make some tech-savvy friends. So don’t be shy; come join the party and let’s geek out together! Join here: https://discord.gg/taRdMMwBYk

As for the front camera, it has a 16-megapixel camera, where both the regular and the portrait selfie images did turn out great, as you can see in these sample photos.

As for the video recording, it has a maximum recording resolution of 1080p 30 fps, so no 4K over here, and the front camera also records up to the exact resolution as well.

Then the rear lens can also shoot slow-motion at 120 fps. And there is even the Dual Video mode which allows you to record the front and the back cameras at the very same time.

 

 

Specs 

Then as for the other specs of the phone, it comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset – a power-efficient chip built on a 6nm process. 

Then the octa-core processor comes with a combination of power-efficient cores and performance cores as it can switch between automatically giving you the best performance when you need it and also being more power efficient on standby.  

The phone also has WiFi 5, and it is complemented by 8GB of RAM, which can be extended to a further 8GB on the phone via the RAM Expansion, which takes up the extra storage to boost up the performance of the RAM. 

Looking at the phone’s battery, it comes with a 5,000mAh battery with 67W SuperVOOC charging, where the charger does come inside of the box. And with that, it allows you to charge from 0% to 80% battery in just 30 minutes, so you are looking at a phone that could be used almost the entire day, with just half an hour of charge.

And since this is a OnePlus device, it also has the Battery Health Engine, where this feature allows for smart and adaptive charging, so you never have to worry about overcharging your phone again. With its 12 built-in temperature sensors, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite can control the charging temperature, keeping things cool and preventing any damage to the battery.

Then according to OnePlus, this smart charging system can actually increase the phone battery’s lifespan for up to 4 years of daily charging. That’s right – 4 years! So not only you’re having a phone which is super smart and efficient, but also be able to keep up with you for years to come. 

However, allow me to find out how much screen-on time I get when I use the phone daily, so stay tuned for that.

 

Software

As for the phone’s software, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G runs on OxygenOS 13.1 which is built on Android 13. 

Now, this version was first launched with the OnePlus 11, which we all love and appreciated, which has seen some major improvements when it was first launched. 

Then game optimization on OxygenOS 13.1 has been heavily improved too and you will learn to appreciate the Game Focus Mode, which will block unwanted notifications to help you concentrate on the game but also prevent any unforeseen mistouches.

Other than that, as expected, similar to my experience with the OnePlus 11, the interface was smooth and had no lag when I was using the phone for a few days. However, again, we’ll see how it holds up when I use the phone daily for a longer period of time.

 

Conclusion

So, yes, it looks like the OnePlus Nord CE Lite 5G is really living up to its “Core Edition” name! With its sturdy build and essential features, where this phone is all about focusing on what matters the most. 

And let’s be real; when it comes to smartphones, it’s not always about the bells and whistles, sometimes, it’s about having a phone that just works very well, and this Nord CE 3 Lite 5G delivers on that front!

 

Pricing

The phone is priced at RM1,099 with pre-orders from 11th to 17th April 2023. 

Get your OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G from the links below:

Lazada (free gifts + RM80 discount!) –

OnePlus Official Web Store –