The OnePlus Nord CE 5G doesn’t capture the original magic of the OnePlus Nord, and OnePlus’ disparaging comment toward rivals reveals unearned confidence.
OnePlus was once known for making phones that were very competitive for the price. The company didn’t compete with $300 phones for $300, it competed with $700 phones for $300. As a brand, OnePlus offered incredible value that stood out, and while it still does offer some of that value, a lot of the value-friendly sheen has been stripped off over the past year. There is no clearer example than the OnePlus Nord CE 5G. It is ostensibly a phone that is made to capture the core essence of the 2020 OnePlus Nord, the Core Edition, so to speak. What it ends up capturing instead is the essence of OnePlus in 2021: Hubris. In a vacuum, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G isn’t a bad phone. It has a lot of what the original OnePlus Nord has, albeit it’s a little worse. In summary, you’re getting a Snapdragon 750G chip, so it has 5G. That’s slightly weaker than the Snapdragon 765G in the Nord, but it should get the job done. You’re getting a 90Hz display, but missing out on HDR10, and it’s slightly dimmer. You still get your choice of cameras, but it’s a weaker variation. There’s nothing wrong with offering a weaker product, don’t misunderstand, but there’s something wrong with misrepresenting blatant cost-saving measures as something that is good for the consumer.
