After months of rumors and a week-long teaser campaign, OnePlus has finally launched the latest addition to their core series smartphones dubbed the OnePlus Nord CE 2. The smartphone offers many improvements over its predecessor at an enticing price point, so let’s take a look at its specs and features.
Design and Display
Design-wise, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 is pretty similar to the Nord CE, with the only difference being the camera bump. This time, the camera module design is noticeably influenced by the OPPO Find X3 Pro. The Nord CE 2 has the volume rocker located on the left, and the power button on the right side. And like its predecessor, it appears to be missing the iconic OnePlus alert slider. The phone is also the slimmest OnePlus smartphone since the OnePlus 6T, measuring at just 7.8 mm thick.
On the front, it features slim bezzles on three sides with a sizable chin on the bottom. The device comes with a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED HDR10+ certified display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The display has a punch-hole cutout located in the top left for the front camera.
Cameras
For photography, the smartphone houses a triple camera system comprising of a 64MP primary sensor, an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2 MP macro lens. The primary 64MP sensor has a large f/1.7 aperture which helps it capture vibrant images even in low light environments.
Talking about low light imaging, the Nord CE 2 gets AI-based Nightscape support which basically takes up to nine different pictures at varying exposures and intelligently, weaving them together to produce clearer, brighter, and more dramatic photos.
The Nord CE 2 gets the improved Portrait Mode 2.0 which offers more accurate edge detection compared to its predecessor and also offers there ability to adjust the level of software-produced depth of field when capturing a subject for greater creative control. The new Portrait mode is supported on both the primary camera as well as the front camera of the device.
But that’s not the end of camera improvements as low light video capturing gets a bump in performance too. The Nord CE 2 comes with Improved AI background lighting and color optimization that improves the video quality while filming in low light and unevenly lit environments. Additionally, the phone gets another quirky feature called the Dual-View Video, which essentially allows you to record with both its front and rear cameras simultaneously.
Performance
The device comes powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 900 octa-core SoC that features inbuilt 5G and WiFi 6 modems. The SoC is boasted to have been optimized for power efficiency which in turn offers improved thermals and system stability making it ideal for gaming.
The device is offered in up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage, which can be further expanded by 1TB using a TF card. A major improvement over the last-gen Nord CE is the charging capabilities of this device. The company has claimed that using the 65W SUPERVOOC fast charging, the Nord CE 2 can be charged from 20%-75% in just 15 minutes and can charge the device from 1% to 100% in just 32 minutes.
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 comes pre-installed with OxygenOS 11.3, complete with an improved dark mode, new one-handed usage features, and more. OxygenOS 12 will be available for the device in the second half of 2022. In total, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 will receive 2 years of Android version updates and 3 years of Android security patches.
Other features of the device include a 3.5mm headphone jack, a SIM tray capable of housing two SIM cards, and a dedicated MicroSD card slot.
Pricing and Colors & Availability
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 will be offered in two colors namely Gray Mirror and Bahama Blue. As the name suggests, Grey Mirror has a mirror-like finish with flashy overtones that looks like polished metal while the Bahama Blue offers a gradient finish that provides mesmerizing color transitions of blue and yellow.
For Indian customers, the Nord CE 2 is priced at Rs. 23,999 for the 6GB + 128GB variant and Rs. 24,999 for the 8GB + 128 GB variant. The device will go live for sale on February 22nd in India and can be purchased at OnePlus.in, OnePlus Store App, Amazon.in, OnePlus Experience stores and authorized partner stores. OnePlus & Amazon India are also giving bank offers and other discounts on the purchase of the Nord CE 2 which you can check out by visiting their respective sites.
European customers can pre-order the Nord CE 2 starting March 3rd and the device will go on sale starting March 10th. In UK, the 6GB + 128GB variant will cost £299. For the rest of Europe, the device will come with a starting price of €349.
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