OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G design and more revealed in new details

OnePlus are regarded as one of the top brands for producing high quality Android phones at low prices. They have continually pushed the limits to bring the latest technology while still retaining a phone that is marketable in the budget phone sector.

One of its most popular mid-range phones, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, is seeing an official follow up with the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G.

3.5mm is king

It's 2022, and the 3.5mm headphone jack will simply not die. Despite other budget phone manufacturers starting to remove the supposed antiquated tech, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G will keep the 3.5mm headphone jack, meaning you can use your existing wired headphones without having to buy an additional adaptor.

What's more, there's still a USB Type C port with 85W ultrafast charging, so you have the best of both worlds without any compromises.

OnePlus have released new renders of the Nord CE 2 5G in Bahama Blue. Unlike its predecessor with a matte plastic-like finish, the Bahama Blue finish appears more metallic and premium. OnePlus will also be releasing a Gray Mirror edition, but haven’t released official images as of yet. We can only assume it will have a similar finish to the Bahama Blue colour.

The design is similar to the Nord CE 5G, with almost identical dimensions. The width of the device is expected to be 7.8mm. The biggest difference appears in the camera bump, which now blends in through the side of the phone, giving the appearance of a single piece of material. This is a similar camera bump style that Samsung have popularised, as seen with the recent Samsung Galaxy S22. This design seems more thought out and elegant, as opposed to simply ‘glueing’ on a camera bump and calling it a day.

Speaking of cameras, the Nord CE 2 5G will retain the same triple camera array, with a 64 MP wide lens, 8 MP ultrawide lens and 2 MP depth camera. The selfie camera will also retain the same 16 MP module.

The front of the phone features a 6.43 inch Fluid AMOLED panel with a high 90Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Resolution stands at 1080 x 2400 pixels with a generous 410 ppi density. On paper, this seems identical to the already great display on the previous Nord CE 5G, however we’ll have to see it in person before we can make an official conclusion.

Interestingly, OnePlus have decided to ditch Qualcomm's Snapdragon 750G 5G tech, instead opting for the Dimensity 900 processor from MediaTek. The change appears to be a good one, as recent benchmarks have shown the Dimensity 900 outperforms the Snapdragon 750G 5G by around 12%. In addition, the smaller 6nm process vs 8nm should be more power efficient and cooler, for longer lasting battery life.

The battery remains at 4500mAh, however, OnePlus are now using SuperVOOC technology from Oppo (their parent company) to double fast charging speed to 65W. OnePlus claims this can charge the Nord CE 2 5G in 15 minutes for ‘all day battery life’, but hasn’t disclosed exact percentages. We assume 15 minutes of charging will be able to achieve at least 50% capacity from 0% with SuperVOOC.

As for internal storage, OnePlus haven’t disclosed official specs, but recent leaks appear to show 128GB and 256GB variants. However, OnePlus have disclosed the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G will come with a microSD slot for expandable storage up to 1TB.

OnePlus will be livestreaming an official event on February 17, where further details will be revealed. Pricing hasn’t been disclosed yet, but we assume the device will cost the same as the previous Nord CE 5G launch price, at £299.