OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: a by-the-numbers cheap Android phone

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite two-minute review

OnePlus’ family of Nord CE phones remains its most forgettable, a fact demonstrated by the fact that I had nearly finished this OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review before I realized that the TechRadar writer who tested its predecessor was in fact me. Way to make a lasting impression...

A much more affordable alternative to the various other OnePlus phones, including t=recent models from the OnePlus Nord line, the CE 4 Lite makes a few choice tweaks to its predecessor, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, but does little more to actually impress. If you’re looking at it in a line-up of similarly-priced rivals, it’s not going to stand out much.

Let’s start by looking at improvements: the Nord CE 4 Lite has a smaller screen than its predecessor but it ditches the LCD in favor of AMOLED, making a marked improvement; it’s also quite a bit brighter, though that’s not saying much.

Another apparently loss is of a 108MP camera, though frankly the 50MP snapper that’s replacing it is miles better. It still falls just shy of ‘good’, with pictures that lack some color, but it’s still progress.

I’m also going to call out Aqua Touch, a feature OnePlus has been introducing to some of its new phones, which makes it much easier to use the phone screen when you’re hands are wet. It’s a small addition but it can have dramatic quality-of-life benefits to bathtime testers.

The Nord CE 4 Lite’s charging speed and battery size both trump the CE 3 Lite — and a few choice budget rivals, I should add — as an established OnePlus trait I’m quite fond of.

A few more minor improvements like the presence of an under-display fingerprint scanner, newer software, an IP rating (only IP54, mind you) and more storage space all mark minor but welcome improvements.

Not everything is changed here, though. The Nord CE 4 Lite retains its predecessor’s sluggish chipset, as well as its selfie camera, screen resolution and plasticky design. 

These improvements do bring the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite more in line with what you’d expect from the price — that’s why this mobile gets a higher score than the 3 Lite. But ‘good enough’ isn’t enough to win the new smartphone a glowing recommendation.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: price and availability

• Announced in June 2024
• Single model for £299 (roughly $380, AU$580)
• No availability in Australia or US at time of writing

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite was announced in mid-June 2024, and put on sale shortly afterward, although it was quickly overshadowed by the more premium OnePlus Nord 4, announced a month later.

Only limited availability has been announced for the Nord CE 4 Lite at the time of writing, but that fits OnePlus’ modus operandi: its Nord phones often vary by region. The CE 4 Lite has been confirmed in the UK, and could also come to Australia in the future given that the CE 3 Lite is on sale there, but it’s very unlikely it'll reach the US for the reasons stated above.

In the UK, you can pick up the phone in its sole configuration for £299 — that roughly translates to $380 or AU$580, for context. That’s the exact same price the CE 3 Lite released for, putting the mobile in the cheap phone market segment.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: specs

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is an archetypal low-cost phone, and its specs match:

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: design

• Standard-looking Android in silver or blue
• Plastic body and IP54 for protection
• Has a 3.5mm headphone jack

It's hard to get away from the idea that the OnePlus Nord CE 4's design. That’s not a criticism per se, but the phone won’t win any design awards.

Measuring in at 162.9 x 75.6 x 8.1mm, it’s big just like most other low-cost Android phones. It weighs 191g so it’s not too heavy; its plastic frame and back are likely to thank for this — this material doesn’t always feel particularly premium, but it offers better protection than glass. 

Talking of protection, the phone has an IP54 rating, meaning it’s protected against soft particle ingress but only against splashes of water, not more, so don’t try for any underwater photography.

The size of the phone means that the volume rocker on the right edge is pretty much out of reach unless you employ two hands. I found the power button, just below it, is within reach though. On its bottom edge, there's a USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack, but no alert slider here like on certain other OnePlus mobiles.

On the back of the phone, there are two vertical circular blocks that hold the camera lenses. Due to a reflective panel around them these actually look a lot bigger than they actually are; they don’t stick out too far and only open the phone up to minor wobbles when it was placed flat on a surface.

You can pick the phone up in two different color options, at least in the UK: blue and silver. As you can tell from the review photos, I used the latter, but there’s no difference beyond the hue.

What you might not gleam from that list of specs is that, despite its by-the-numbers build, the Nord CE 4 Lite feels pretty minimal in its design. You’ve got everything you need and nothing that you don’t. And your hand isn’t distracted by random bumps, levers and dials like on many other Android phones I’ve tested.

• Design score: 3 / 5

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: display

• 6.67-inch, 1080 x 2400 resolution
• AMOLED marks improvement over predecessor
• Aqua Touch for wet hand use

OnePlus has opted for a 6.67-inch AMOLED display on the Nord CE 4 Lite, which is the exact same size that the vast majority of Android rivals have, though AMOLED marks an upgrade over the 3 Lite's flat-looking LCD. 

That’s also true of the 1080x2400 resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The CE 4 Lite reaches the bar of what you’d expect at this price but doesn’t exceed it in any way. This is reflected in the experience of using the display: everything is clear and smooth, but opting for a pricier phone will get you brighter colors and a higher max brightness.

There is one stand-out display feature, but it won’t impact your viewing ability: this is Aqua Touch, a feature OnePlus has begun installing on its phones. This handy tech ensures your touch is registered accurately when you have moist or wet hands, making your phone much easier to use in the rain or in the shower.

• Display score: 3.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: software

• Android 14 with OxygenOS 14.1
• Two software updates promised
• Good-looking user interface, but with bloatware

When you boot it up, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite comes with OxygenOS 14.1 pre-loaded — this is a fork of Android 14, with OnePlus making tweaks to Google’s stock operating system. The company has promised two years of updates (so, to Android 16) and three of security updates. That’s not a huge amount but it’s certainly better than nothing.

OxygenOS continues to be a popular user interface amongst phone fans, and I think I get it: it has a distinct look, with a unique font and style that makes it distinct but ensures icons and buttons are easily understandable. 

Loads of cool features are included like Zen Space, which lets you lock your phone to concentrate, and a hearty offering of customization offers.

Also on the table are a boat-load of pre-installed apps, which is a little less impressive. It’s the usual offenders like LinkedIn, Netflix, Facebook, Amazon Shopping and AliExpress, as well as a few games. There’s nothing especially heinous, considering how many cheap phones come stuffed with annoying extras you need to download, but fans can and should complain about this.

• Software score: 3.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: cameras

• 50MP main and 2MP depth cameras, with 16MP on front
• Pictures a clear but a little dull
• Standard arsenal of extra modes

To put it politely, cameras clearly aren’t a focus for the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite — it has the mandatory amount (and one straggler) of snappers.

The main camera comprises a 50-megapixel, f/1.8 sensor; if you’ve been considering many options in the budget phone market you’ve probably seen this same tech on… well, most phones these days. The main camera is joined by a 2MP, f/2.4 companion that, from my testing, doesn’t seem to do a whole lot — autofocus seemed just as quick and just as accurate when I covered up this part with some sticky tape.

Photos taken on the phone are fine: they’re light and detailed enough for you to see your subject without any rogue errors or massive problems. However, the photos aren’t exactly colorful, as you can see from the camera samples section, and I found that there were contrast issues in some shots.

Sometimes in phones, AI-powered scene optimization can save the day, but I didn’t notice much of that to speak of in the Nord CE 4 Lite. As I said, photos are fit for everyday use but they’ll never elicit a ‘wow’.

OnePlus has granted CE 4 Lite users access to a magic eraser feature, which isn't all that commonplace in phones at this price point. It works reasonably well, as long as you bear in mind the phone's processing power (which is limited) and only give the AI easy tasks.

The lack of an ultra-wide camera means you get what you’re given when you point the phone at a subject, and can’t digitally step back to view more of a scene. I’d say the same about the lack of a telephoto camera for zoom, but was pleasantly surprised with digital zoom; the fact you can only go up to 10x this way means you’re getting a fair amount of detail at maximum range.

On the front of the phone is a 16MP, f/2.4 camera, and most of what I said about the rear camera applies here too. Pictures are clear but lack vibrancy, and I also found that even the briefest amount of sun would blow out selfies.

There’s the bare minimum of extra modes here: photographers get portrait, pro, night and panorama options while videographers get dual-view, time-lapse and slow-mo. In normal video mode, you can go up to 1080p and 30 frames per second.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite camera samples

Image 1 of 7

• Camera score: 2.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite: performance and audio

• Snapdragon 695 doesn't provide much power
• 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage
• Stereo speakers plus 3.5mm headphone jack

One of my biggest gripes with the Nord CE 3 Lite’s predecessor was its weak processor, and the company’s response was evidently to use the exact same piece of kit in this new phone. 

That’s the Snapdragon 695 chip, a stalwart of budget mobiles for any years now. In the Geekbench 6 benchmark test it returned a multi-core score of 1,968, which isn’t exactly blazing fast. 

When playing top-end titles I occasionally noticed the odd lag or stutter, and during intense action I found that inputs could sometimes be a little delayed. However, in the interests of fairness I should say that my issues didn’t feel as dramatic as with the CE 3 Lite, despite them using the same processor.

Like its older sibling, the Nord CE 4 Lite has 8GB of RAM. But it’s seen a storage size increase up to 256GB, so you can fit a lot more on the phone – bear in mind that this is all for the same price as last year’s model. That’s a nice upgrade.

In terms of audio, the Nord has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can plug in wired headphones. Its Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity isn’t quite on par with the 5.2 to 5.4 standards you see on most smartphones these days, but the differences will be negligible beyond the distance you can listen at from your phone.

The stereo speakers are as tinny as you’d expect on your smartphone, but are fine for listening to voice notes, social media videos and the like.

• Performance score: 3 / 5

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: battery life

• Long-lasting 5,110mAh battery
• Lasts over a day of use
• Nice fast 80W charging

If there’s one trait that you can rely on with all budget phones, it’s their battery life — space saved on fancy internals can instead be used on a larger battery, and the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite is no exception.

The phone packs a 5,110mAh battery, marking it as one of the new wave of budget phones that jumps up from the previous standard 5,000mAh battery.

Having this much juice ensures that the Nord easily lasts through a day of use, whether you’re just checking the weather or are laid up with a cold playing Call of Duty: Mobile all day.

In my most intensive testing days, the Nord had at least a quarter of its charge upon a second day of use, and that number was higher when I hadn’t been using the phone much the prior day. I don’t imagine you’d be able to see the phone through two days of use without charging it under any circumstances, but its lasting power was still admirable.

Equally laudable is its charging speed: 80 watts of power delivery ensure that the phone will go from empty to full in just over half an hour. You’ll need a compatible charger of course, and in the box you’ll only get a USB-A to USB-C cable.

The handset offers reverse wireless charging, so you can plug a cable into the phone and use it to charge another device. This will require a cord that’s USB-C to whatever you need, whether it’s another USB-C device, micro USB or Lightning.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: value

You’re basically getting what you pay for with the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite, just like with its predecessor and basically the entirety of the Nord line.

So you won’t pick up the CE 4 Lite and feel cheated: its screen, speed, battery life and camera prowess all roughly fit what you should be expecting given its price tag.

However if you have a budget that’ll stretch a little higher, know that you will be able to buy a better phone without having to shell out that much more cash.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: Also consider

While largely positive, this OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review should make it clear that the phone has issues. So here are some other options you may want to consider:

OnePlus Nord 4
The recent Nord 4 has a higher price than the CE 4 Lite but much more impressive specs and a longer shelf life with more updates promised.
Read our full OnePlus Nord 4 review

Samsung Galaxy A35
Samsung's similar-priced offering has some impressive features and perks for the price, though you won't be getting Nord-style fast charging.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy A35 review

Nothing Phone (2a)
A close OnePlus rival offers faster processing, more camera potential and a sleeker operating system, though some specs are weaker and it has a divisive design.
Read our full Nothing Phone (2a) review

How I tested the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite

• Review test period = 2.5 weeks
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

I tested the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite for about three weeks, and the testing was done alongside the contemporary Nord 4.

The testing process involves both real-word use (taking photos, making calls, playing games, streaming Netflix) and some lab tests (benchmarking, battery tests and software checks) to give a well-rounded view of the device.

I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time have used plenty of mobiles from OnePlus, as well as other devices in the price segment. As stated in the intro, I tested the Nord CE 3 Lite.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2024