Testing the OnePlus Nord CE 2: a new processor isn’t enough

On paper, the comparison to the previous model is sobering, but the OnePlus Nord CE 2 emerged victorious in our test. The display is the same and, although the camera setup looks completely different, it’s virtually identical too. The new processor delivers more performance and, most importantly, better photos.

The Nord CE 2 goes on sale from 10 March, but OnePlus sent me one to test in advance. As our editors also have the Nord CE 5G in their collection, I’ve compared them.

Dimensity 900 replaces Snapdragon 750G

The rear design of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 is the most noticeable difference compared to its predecessor, but its new processor has the biggest impact. After the Snapdragon 750G in the 2021 model, OnePlus installed the MediaTek Dimensity 900. The processor has eight cores clocked at a maximum of 2.4 GHz. It includes 5G and Wi-Fi and, most importantly, an image processor that will be key to the upcoming camera tests.

In the Geekbench 5 benchmark test, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 scored 729 and 2,158 points in single and multi-core modes with the Dimensity 900 and 8 GB of RAM. This means that it fares better than the Nord CE 5G, which only scored 613 and 1,822 points – and my test device has 12 GB of RAM.

However, I rarely noticed this clear advantage from the benchmark test in practice. Contrary to expectations, not all apps start up more quickly on the Nord CE 2. Sometimes, loading times are shorter on the older Nord CE 5G. More RAM could be the reason for this.

Same camera, better photos

According to OnePlus, nothing about the camera setup has changed. Like its predecessor, the Nord CE 2 has a main camera with 64 megapixels and a wide-angle camera with an 8-megapixel resolution. However, the third camera with a 2-megapixel resolution now supposedly takes macro shots, not just black and white photos like the CE 5G.

Making a direct comparison, more details are visible on the Nord CE 2 despite the fact that it has the same camera.

This effect is even more pronounced if you zoom in. The Dimensity 900 and its image processor do a good job at 10x zoom.

While the Nord CE is at its limit with the first image at 10x zoom, the Nord CE 2 offers 20x magnification, although it doesn’t look quite as good.

More details are also visible in shots with the Nord CE 2’s wide-angle camera, but the difference here isn’t as prominent as with the main camera.

Both Nord CE models do a good job of separating me from the blurred background in portrait mode. However, the CE 2 gets bonus points for allowing me to adjust the aperture and with it the degree of blurriness.

When it’s dark, the Nord CE 2’s automatic mode makes good use of the residual light and picks up more details than its predecessor.

The new night mode takes eight shots in different exposures and stitches them together into one image. This requires a steady hand. The result is darker than you get with the Nord CE 5G, where the images are almost as bright as daylight. The shots taken with the Nord CE 2 still look like they’ve been taken at night.

The new processor on the Nord CE 2 also means new features for its front camera. The 16-megapixel camera also has a night mode, but its automatic mode picks up much more detail than its predecessor anyway.

In daylight, I don’t notice any difference between selfies taken on the Nord CE and the CE 2. They maintain the high standard that the same front camera shows on the OnePlus 9 Pro.

Display, battery and software: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

The OnePlus Nord CE 2’s 6.43-inch AMOLED display is unchanged. Like the previous model, it has Full HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. It's a touch screen, which I really like looking at and using, and the fingerprint sensor under the display is fast and reliable.

Like its predecessor, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 has a 4,500 mAh battery. There are two batteries, which allow faster charging. OnePlus aims for its smartphones to charge fully in around 30 minutes. In practice, Nord CE 2 achieves this in 32 minutes. The 65-watt power supply helps. However, there’s been a change in terms of fast-charging technology, as OnePlus’s «Warp Charge» has been replaced with «SuperVooc» by Oppo.

This fits with BBK Electronics Corporation’s announcement that it’s merging Oppo and OnePlus. Most importantly, the change should offer benefits in terms of collaborative software development. Until now, I thought that meant the operating system in particular, but it could also have meant the cut to one fast-charging technology.

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 has 128 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded with a microSD card. The smartphone also has a slot for two SIM cards, so you can expand the storage capacity and use a dual SIM – which is unusual.

OnePlus supplies the Nord CE 2 with Android 11 as standard. The manufacturer provides the OxygenOS 11.3 user interface on Google’s operating system, which should get system updates for two years and security updates for three years. When asked, OnePlus couldn’t specify a date for the update to Android 12, but it’s hoping for summer 2022. With all due sympathy, that’s a seriously late update for OxygenOS.

Compared to the previous model, there’s no advantage in terms of promised updates. Nord CE 5G has had the two new Android versions and three years of security updates and also runs on Android 11 as standard. All in all, there are only a few months between the security updates.

However, the Nord CE 5G still runs on OxygenOS 11, while the Nord CE 2 has OxygenOS 11.3. The difference includes the look of the settings and some of the icons on the start screen. For some reason, some apps such as the camera and Chrome are circled in the newer version.

Verdict

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is an impressive mid-range smartphone. You can’t go wrong, and it’s a really useful smartphone.

However, I question OnePlus’ model strategy. Granted, the new processor delivers improvements on last June’s Nord CE 5G, but, in my view, the differences hardly justify a whole new model. If the remaining Nord CE models are still being sold at an affordable price, I can hardly make a case for spending more on the Nord CE 2 – except for the differences in image quality and the new rear design, which are worth the extra money.

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is expected to be available in Europe from 10 March 2022. The recommended retail price of 349 euros has so far been set for Germany only. There’s only one storage option with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage and there will be a choice of colours between Gray Mirror and Bahama Blue – the colour of my test device.