OnePlus Nord CE 2 render leaks out as chipset gets confirmed

We know that the OnePlus Nord CE 2 is officially on the way, and that OnePlus is going to unveil the budget handset on February 17. Now we've also got a new look at the device, as well as confirmation of one of the most important specs.

The image, which is a leaked and unofficial render at this stage, comes from well-known tipster Ishan Agarwal, and shows off the handset in what's known as Bahamas Blue. It would seem that the picture is lurking somewhere on the OnePlus website, but we don't know exactly where.

Agarwal also fills us in on some of the specs we can expect to see from the OnePlus Nord CE 2, including a 6.43-inch AMOLED display, a dual-lens 64MP+8MP rear camera with ultrawide capabilities, and 1TB of expandable storage on board. There's also mention of a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset running the show.

Chipset confirmed

We know at least one of those spec predictions is right, because OnePlus itself has taken to social media to let everyone know that the OnePlus Nord CE 2 will indeed be running the MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset, with 5G support on board.

That means the phone will let you "multitask like a pro" in the words of OnePlus. While the processor is a budget one, it should prove the Nord CE 2 with enough oomph to get through day-to-day smartphone tasks without breaking a sweat – though it will of course be a long way behind the flagship phones in terms of benchmarks.

OnePlus may well reveal more about this phone in the coming days, ahead of the big February 17 reveal, and we will of course bring you everything you need to know about the affordable handset before, during, and after its launch.

Analysis: OnePlus is serious about budget phones

OnePlus originally made its name by offering smartphones with flagship-level specs and selling them at distinctly mid-range prices. Take a look at the recently unveiled OnePlus 10 Pro and you'll see it's something that the company remains very good at.

However, in recent years OnePlus has been exploring mid-range and budget phones too – most of which we've been very impressed by. The OnePlus Nord started everything off in 2020, and that was of course followed by other affordable handsets, including last year's original OnePlus Nord CE.

While it's fair to say there are plenty of brilliant budget phones around at the moment, that doesn't seem to be deterring OnePlus in terms of trying to get market share in this particular market segment. On paper at least, it looks as though the OnePlus Nord CE 2 is going to be an appealing, value-for-money handset.

We'll have to wait and see how the merger between Oppo and OnePlus affects this strategy going forward – it's possible that we're going to see fewer phones released overall – but in the meantime we're looking forward to seeing what the OnePlus Nord CE 2 has to offer.

• Here's everything we know about the OnePlus Nord CE 2 so far