If you’re looking for an affordable smartphone offering decent features, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G might have piqued your interest.
With its impressive 6.67-inch AMOLED display, decent performance, and long battery life, it seems like a great companion for casual users.
But is it worth its price, especially with the fierce competition in today’s market? Let me share my experience with the device to help you decide if this is the right phone for you.
Display and Multimedia Experience
Let’s start with one of my favorite features—the 6.67-inch AMOLED display. It comes with an FHD+ resolution that delivers vibrant and sharp visuals. I really enjoyed watching videos and browsing social media on this screen. The AMOLED panel produces excellent colors, and unlike some other AMOLED displays that fall short in color vibrancy, this one shines.
The phone also features a 120Hz screen refresh rate, which makes the overall experience smooth. Whether you’re scrolling through social media or gaming, you’ll notice how fluid everything feels. Plus, with its 2,100nits max brightness, the display remains visible even under direct sunlight.
For added convenience, the phone includes an in-display fingerprint scanner that’s fairly responsive. And if you enjoy watching content or listening to music, the dual stereo speakers deliver up to 300% max volume for an enhanced audio experience. OnePlus also kept the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is a welcome feature for those who still prefer wired earphones.
Performance
One of the more controversial aspects of the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G is its 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 octa-core chipset. While it’s a bit dated, especially when compared to other phones in the same price range, it still delivers decent performance. If you read my first impressions, you’ll remember that this chipset has been used in previous Nord CE Lite models.
Surprisingly, despite its age, it offers a smooth experience. Most apps and games are already optimized for it, though you might still experience occasional frame drops or lag, especially with more demanding apps. In AnTuTu Benchmark, it scored 474,524, and in PCMark Work 3.0, it reached 9,634, which is decent for its price.
For casual use like social media, entertainment, and light gaming, this phone performs well. However, if you’re a heavy user who requires more power for tasks like multitasking or gaming, this might not be the best choice. It runs OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14, which feels smooth and reliable, with regular software and security updates since I started using it.
My multitasking experience with this phone was smooth, thanks to its 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, which is further enhanced by the RAM Expansion feature, adding an extra 8GB of Virtual RAM for even better performance. On top of that, it comes with a generous 256GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD card—plenty of space for apps, media, and files.
In terms of gaming, it handles Call of Duty: Mobile and Mobile Legends without any issues, but Genshin Impact—a more demanding game—will require you to set the graphics to the lowest settings for smooth gameplay.
Camera
The 50MP Sony LYT-600 main camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) is another impressive feature. It also supports 2X in-sensor zoom, and there’s a 2MP mono lens alongside it. On the front, you get a 16MP selfie shooter.
The photo quality is great—vibrant colors and sharp details. I was impressed by the dynamic range, even with the selfie camera. Low-light shots came out surprisingly good as long as your hand is steady. In portrait mode, the bokeh effect was clean and consistent with both the front and rear cameras.
It supports video recording up to 1080p@30fps, and unfortunately, there’s no option for 4K resolution. However, the video quality is still decent, thanks to the camera’s Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which help reduce shakiness.
The available camera mode in the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G are Pro, Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, Hi-Res, Panorama, Macro, Slo-mo, Time-Lapse, Dual-View Video, and Text Scanner.
Overall, the camera performs well for social media posts and casual memory capturing, making it a good choice for everyday use.
Here are some sample photos taken with the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G:
Battery
As someone who uses their phone all day, the 5,500mAh battery on this device was a huge plus. In my benchmarks, it lasted 18 hours and 41 minutes, which is quite impressive.
In real-life usage, the battery easily lasted through the day and even stretched into the next morning. However, it’s worth noting that the box doesn’t include a charging brick, so you’ll need to use an existing charger or purchase one separately.Â
The phone supports 80W SUPERVOOC charging, though I only tested it with a 45W adapter. Even with the lower wattage, it charged from 20% to 100% in less than an hour, so I imagine the 80W charger would be even faster.
Conclusion
The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G offers plenty of good features, but it’s not the best in its price range. For PHP 17,999, the dated chipset and lack of 4K video recording might make it feel a bit overpriced compared to other phones. However, if you’re a casual user who enjoys entertainment, social media, and light gaming, you’ll likely be satisfied with this phone. Just remember that it’s not the best choice for power users who need high performance for more demanding tasks.
OnePlus NORD CE4 Lite 5G Specifications
- Display:Â 6.67-inch AMOLED, FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 2,100nits max brightness
- CPU:Â 2.2GHz 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G octa-core processor
- GPU:Â Adreno 619
- RAM:Â 8GB + 8GB Extended RAM
- ROM:Â 256GB UFS 2.2, expandable up to 2TB via microSD card slot
- Rear Camera:Â 50MP Sony LYT-600 (OIS)+ 2MP depth lens + Dual LED flash
- Front Camera:Â 16MP
- Battery:Â 5,500mAh, 80W SUPERVOOC charging
- OS:Â OxygenOS 14, Android 14
- Connectivity:Â 2.4GHz & 5GHz WiFi, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, Dual SIM (nano), 3.5mm headphone jack
- Sensors:Â Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope
- Colors:Â Super Silver, Mega Blue
- Weight:Â 191g
- Dimensions: 162.9mm (H) × 75.6mm (W) x 8.1mm (D)
- Others:Â In-display fingerprint sensor, AI face unlock, USB-C, IP54 rating, NFC, Hi-Res Audio, Dual speakers, Aqua Touch, Noise Cancellation support
Price and Availability
OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G – PHP 17,999 | Shopee link | Lazada link
You can purchase the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G for PHP 17,999 through OnePlus Philippines’ official store on Shopee and Lazada. Keep an eye out for vouchers and deals, as you might score some freebies like a charger, jelly case, or Nord wired earphones!
