OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Review: 50MP Sony sensor at a low price 

There are many low-priced smartphones currently on the market. Offering a more affordable route into getting the latest tech, there’s usually a compromise to be had along the way. The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite may not be an exception, but for a budget camera phone, it doesn’t disappoint.

Although we probably wouldn’t ever say that a phone like this is one of the best smartphones for photographers, there’s plenty of logic to opting for a cheaper phone. Perhaps you have already spent lots of cash on your regular camera gear, and only need your smartphone to be generally competent at taking photos, for example. 

The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite offers just a single selectable camera, but it does have a 50MP Sony sensor, which is pretty good going for a low-priced option. But how well will it perform – let’s find out.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite at a glance: 

• Price as reviewed: £299
• 50MP 1/1.95” Sony LYT-600 sensor, 25mm f/1.8 equivalent lens
• 2MP Depth-assist camera f/2.4
• 6.67” 2400 x 1080 AMOLED, 120Hz, 2100 nits peak brightness
• Full HD video at 30fps
• Oxygen OS 14 (based on Android 14)
• Processor: Snapdragon 696 5G
• OnePlus.com

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite – Features

Considering the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite is so well-priced, it has some good specifications. Although it has just one selectable lens, it is a 50MP Sony sensor, so – in theory at least – it should produce some decent results. There is a second camera, but that’s a depth camera, used to assist with things like Portrait mode. For zooming, you’ll be relying on in-sensor cropping and digital zoom. There is also no ultrawide lens. 

If you compare this to some other similarly priced models on the market, such as the Motorola Edge 40 Neo which has not only a 50MP main sensor, but also a 13MP ultrawide camera, it’s perhaps a bit disappointing. You can also pick up big-name brands such as the Samsung Galaxy A55, which offers a main 50MP sensor, plus a 12MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro camera.

Going back to the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite, video tops out at Full HD, but if you’re only shooting the odd clip, or shooting for social media, that’s unlikely to be too much of a problem. Overall, camera-wise at least, it’s a simple set up, but that’s not always a bad thing. 

The screen is pretty decent for the price. It’s a 2400 x 1080 pixel AMOLED, with a maximum brightness of 2100 nits. Another plus is the 5110 mAh battery, which benefits from super-fast charging (charger not included) – you can’t wirelessly charge though.  For those in India, there’s also a 5500 mAh battery version of the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite, too.

A traditional 3.5mm headphone jack is included, while there’s also the ability to expand your storage via a MicroSD card. The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite comes with the guarantee of two major Android updates, and three years of security updates – again, pretty good for such a cheap phone.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite – Handling and Design

At 6.7”, the CE4 Lite is quite a sizeable phone, and surprisingly for the low cost, the OLED display is actually pretty good – especially when it comes to brightness. 

This isn’t a design that’s going to blow you away, it’s relatively straightforward – it’s a rectangular box, but, it’s got nicely curved edges, and the bright blue colourway that I’ve been using is quite fun – which is more than can be said for many of the flagship models out there. 

We wouldn’t expect a phone at this price to have any special attributes when it comes to toughness and so on. It is rated as IP54, which should see it resist dust fairly well, as well as splashes and so on – but it’s not the kind of phone you can submerge underwater (IP68) and expect it to come out unscathed. 

We’d definitely recommend you buy a case to help keep this phone protected.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite – Native camera app

If you’ve used an Android phone before, you’ll be familiar with its native camera app. There’s a decent range of different modes here, depending on how much control you want to take, and/or the effects you want to create. 

There’s a standard Photo mode, which you’ll use for most of your shots as it’s the default shooting mode. Here you can use the 1x lens, but also there’s an option to shoot at 2x, via an in-sensor crop. You can also pinch to zoom digitally, too. In Photo mode, you can also adjust exposure compensation, as well as add digital filters, switch on interval shooting, change the aspect ratio, use a timer and engage or disengage Auto HDR. 

A Portrait mode can be used to create shallow depth of field effects, while other modes such as Night and Hi-Res are found behind a “More” tab. There’s a standard video shooting mode, as well as options to create slo-mo, dual-view and time-lapse videos. Interestingly for a cheap phone, there’s also a Pro mode, which gives you control over ISO, shutter speed, focus mode, white balance and exposure compensation. It’s not possible to shoot in raw format with this phone.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite – Image Quality and Performance 

In good light, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite is capable of producing some very pleasing images. Colours are nicely saturated, and there’s a good level of detail with that Sony 50MP sensor putting in a good performance.

Having such a high resolution sensor means that the in-sensor crop to produce a 2x equivalent image results in some reasonable pictures, again when the light is good, and if you don’t scrutinise them too closely. It’s not as good as you’d get from an actual zoom lens, and I’ve also seen better from crop modes on flagship models (as you’d expect) but for images shared on social media, or just looking at on your smartphone screen, it’s more than good enough. 

If you need to go further than 2x however, then really you’re out of luck. Although there’s a 10x digital zoom option, the results are very poor and is best avoided altogether. 3-4x zoom is just about useable if you really do need to get closer. It’s a shame not to have an ultrawide lens, but some people won’t miss that all too much. 

There’s no macro mode here, but you can get reasonably close to some subjects to fill the frame while still keeping close. Again, I wouldn’t necessarily expect a macro mode on a model at this price point, so it’s not a huge disappointment. 

Low light is handled by a Night mode, but the results aren’t amazing – there’s quite a bit of detail lost, with the images being a little on the smudgy side. It’s not awful, but there’s definitely better out there – if you’re often shooting in low light, you probably want to consider spending a little bit more however. 

Portrait mode puts in a reasonable performance if you’re not going to scrutinise the images too closely. The outlines are a little rough and ready if you zoom in, but if you’re only sharing socially or looking at them on a small screen, you’ll likely be quite pleased with the shallow depth of field effect. I’ve seen similar performances from much higher priced smartphones.

With the selfie camera you can either shoot normally, or use a Portrait effect for a shallow depth of field. If you shoot normally, more of your background will be in focus and you’ll get a smoother, more flattering appearance for your face. If you switch on the Portrait effect, I found it oversharpens the face far too much, giving an unrealistic look. Again, though, it’s not so bad if you’re only looking at it small sizes.

This isn’t a smartphone that people are likely to buy if they want high-end video specifications. But, the Full HD video created by it has decent colours, detail and is reasonably stable too. 

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite – Value for Money 

When considering value for money, it doesn’t necessarily equate that “cheap” equals good value, just as expensive doesn’t necessarily mean bad value. 

The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite is around £300, which on the face of it makes it a fairly low-cost option. However, when you consider that there other models in a similar price bracket that offer more lenses, it could be argued that better value options exist. 

That said, the main lens puts in a good performance, so if you’d rather have one very well-performing lens than three less good – even at the price of flexibility – then this is very much worth thinking about. You could think of it as being a bit like a fixed-lens compact that does one thing, but does it well.

I also like the fact that you can expand the storage here – something which is woefully absent from most flagship models. That means you don’t have to fork out for loads of storage at the point of purchase, but, if later on you decide you need more, you can pick up a microSD card, which are generally available at a fairly low cost.

Either way, it’s certainly a lot cheaper than all of the flagship devices, while still delivering a great screen, a nice looking device and a range of useful features.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite – Verdict

If you don’t want to spend a huge amount of money on a smartphone but still want something half-decent, then OnePlus has always been a good brand to rely on. 

The Nord CE4 Lite gives you a decent amount for your buck. You get a great screen, solid battery life, a fun design and a camera, which although limited, performs well in what it can do. 

It has just one selectable camera, but it’s a pretty good one, with its Sony 50MP sensor. It produces good images in bright light, so if your primary use for a smartphone camera is holiday snaps and day-to-day shots then you should be more than satisfied. 

With its good array of specs, it’s certainly one of the best budget smartphones out there at the moment, and comes recommended.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite – Specifications

Wide camera	50MP Sony LYT-600 1/1.95” sensor, 25mm f/1.8 equivalent lens
Depth-assist camera	2MP f/2.4
Front selfie camera	16MP f/2.4, fixed focus
Display	6.67”, 2400 x 1080 pixels, 394 ppi, 120Hz, 2100 nits peak brightness
Operating system	Oxygen OS14 (based on Android 14)
Dimensions	162.9 x 75.6 x 8.1mm
Weight	191g

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