Battles within one Plus 5G: Nord 2 vs. Nord CE 2

Here is the comparison between two popular mobile phones of the biggest emerging brand One Plus: Nord 2 vs. Nord CE 2.

The OnePlus Nord is one of the OnePlus' most successful phone lines to date, aiming to provide high-performance phones at a low cost. Since then, we've had first and second-generation flagship Nords, as well as a second generation of the Core Edition.

As with the original Nord CE, the CE 2 is intended to provide a distilled experience of the Nord 2. But does it succeed, or should you go for the genuine Nord 2? Which one should you get? We explain all of the differentiations right here. This article will give you information about different features and other detail you need.

Mobile Design

CE 2: 160.2 x 73.2 x 7.8mm - 173g Nord 2: 158.9 x 73.2 x 8.3mm - 189g

CE 2: Glass front, plastic back, and sides Nord 2: Glass front and back, plastic sides

CE 2: Gray Mirror, Bahama Blue Nord 2: Gray Sierra, Blue Haze, Green-Wood, Pac-Man Edition

Despite some similarities, there are enough visual differences between these two phones to keep you from getting confused.

OnePlus CE2 has been quick to point out that this is the thinnest phone it has released since the OnePlus 6T, but don't be fooled into thinking it's small. It's slightly taller than the Nord 2, owing to a larger bezel (or chin) at the bottom of the display.

Nonetheless, at 7.8mm, it is slightly thinner than the 8.3mm of the OnePlus Nord 2. You can feel it, but it doesn't feel all that different in your hand. It is also slightly lighter. But, once again, not enough to make a significant difference in the experience.

The hardware that makes the most difference to the experience of using both phones is visible around the edges, at the buttons and ports.

Nord CE 2 has a 3.5mm port as well as a microSD card slot. Furthermore, the SD card slot is housed in a tray that also houses two SIM cards. So, you don't have to choose between increasing storage and having a dual SIM configuration.

The Nord 2 has dual SIM support but no memory expansion or 3.5mm audio port. The alert slider switch, on the other hand, is one of the most convenient ways to switch between ring, vibrate, and silent modes on your phone.

The most noticeable difference is on the back, particularly when looking at the camera housing. The Nord 2 has a neat little aluminum panel with chamfered edges, whereas the CE 2 has a transparent area that curves up from the back of the phone.

It's made of the same plastic as the rest of the rear panel, which is glass on the Nord 2. As a result, they have a very different feel, and the plastic is far more prone to collecting fingerprint smudges.

Mobile Display

1. Both have a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with FullHD+ resolution (1080 x 2400)
2. Both HDR10+ and 90Hz refresh rates are supported.
3. OxygenOS 11 is based on Android 11.

We won't go into detail about the display because the two phones have nearly identical screens. Both have a 6.43-inch fullHD+ AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of up to 90hz and support HDR10+. Both are also protected by Gorilla Glass 5.

When comparing them, it's not surprising that there isn't much of a difference in how they display color, light, sharpness, and shadows. They're very similar regardless of streaming platform or service.

The only difference is that the Nord CE 2 screen appears slightly cooler and cleaner (with both in the same default vivid settings), whereas the Nord 2 screen has a slightly warmer tone. Both are bright, adequately sharp, and excellent for watching your favorite shows and movies, thanks to HDR10+ support.

Mobile Speaker

The sound is the one aspect that does make a difference when watching movies or videos. The Nord CE 2 plays audio through a single loudspeaker on the bottom edge, whereas the Nord 2 also plays audio through a speaker near the top, giving it a more stereo effect.

In reality, neither has particularly good sound quality. They can be quite loud, but turning them up cause’s distortion.

Battery life and performance

Nord 2: Mediatek Dimensity 1200 processor Nord 2: No storage expansion

CE2: Mediatek Dimensity 900 5G processor CE 2: Expansion storage

Both have 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Both have a 4500mAh battery with a 65W fast charging capability.

Again, when it comes to performance and battery life, the Nord 2 and Nord CE 2 are very similar. They do, however, use different processors. The Nord 2 is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 1200-AI chipset, whereas the Nord CE 2 is equipped with the Dimensity 900. In terms of processing power, this is essentially a step-down.

You can see it if you put the two phones side by side. When loading games, the Nord 2 appears to load slightly faster than the CE 2. We're talking fractions of a second here, but the result is fairly consistent regardless of which game we load.

However, once you're in the game, it's difficult to tell the two apart. Both phones feel fast and responsive, which is excellent for phones in this price range. Neither is it slow or sluggish. It's difficult to tell if there's a difference in fluidity and response times for touch gestures. Even when benchmarking tools like Geekbench are loaded, the difference in scores is relatively small.

The battery life is also nearly identical. Again, no surprise given their capacity, nearly identical software, and very similar hardware. Even on busy days, they can both comfortably get through a full day. On a typical day with a couple of hours of screen time, both of us end up with around 40% of the day leftover after unplugging first thing in the morning.

The charging speed is also the same, with both supporting 65W fast charging. Oppo's SuperVOOC branding is now used instead of Warp Charge.

Mobile Cameras

1. CE 2 triple camera system with 64MP main camera, 8MP ultrawide camera, and 2MP macro camera.
2. Nord 2 has a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP mono camera.

Moving on to cameras, there is a slight distinction. The Nord CE 2 has a 64-megapixel main camera, whereas the Nord 2 has a 50-megapixel main camera. Of course, they both use pixel binning to reduce the resolution to 12-megapixels and 16-megapixels, respectively.

Both ultrawide cameras are 8-megapixel, and the third cameras on both are practically useless. Both the Nord 2 and the CE 2 have 2-megapixel monochrome cameras.

The Nord 2's higher quality sensor may also produce significantly different results. It can produce color-rich images with good detail and depth. Especially in the daylight. In comparison, the Nord CE 2 can appear a little more contrast-heavy, but lacking in color and with a bit more of that overly sharpened look. Small details can appear rougher.

A selfie camera is similar. The Nord CE 2 frequently appears paler and softer with our tested skin tone. Furthermore, if you leave the filters and beautification function on (which is enabled by default), it will appear unnaturally pale.

Pricing

1. CE 2 costs INR 23,999
2. Nord 2 costs INR 29,999

The Nord 2 originally cost around INR 40,000 worldwide at the time of its release. However, it has now been around for a while and is, therefore, less expensive. In fact, at the time of writing, it is only INR 6000 more expensive than the CE 2.

Conclusion

In the end, there isn't much difference between the two phones. There's also not much of a price difference. As of this writing, the CE 2 is cheaper than Nord 2.

It all comes down to two things. Get the Nord 2 if you want a better main camera, a more premium build, slightly faster performance & better audio effects.

If you want to save money, or if you need storage expansion and a physical audio port, the Nord CE 2 will provide it without sacrificing much.