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OnePlus Nord CE 3 Live Images Leaked: A Fresh New Design For OnePlus Phones
OnePlus has a new budget phone on the horizon. Here’s everything you need to know about it!
OnePlus’s budget Nord CE series has a successor coming, the OnePlus Nord CE 3. OnePlus Nord CE, the first version, was introduced as the Core Edition. It stands below the OnePlus Nord series as a lighter variant of the Nord series. OnePlus Nord CE 3 is the successor to OnePlus Nord CE 2, but it might just be a downgrade!
An Indian publication MySmartPrice has posted live images of the OnePlus Nord CE 3, and it reports that the phone is codenamed Larry. This leak corroborates the previous CAD renders leak of the phone from 91mobiles back in November.
OnePlus Nord CE 3: Leaked Design
It comes with a new design language we saw in recent Realme and Oppo phones. It comes with a dual-ring layout for the design, it’s not the same design from Realme 10 Pro+ or Oppo A78, but it is slightly raised, as you can see from these leaked images. The Oppo group of brands seems to be moving to a similar design language, at least in the budget segment. On the other hand, Nord CE 3 retailer the shiny plastic finish from the Nord CE 2.
On the front, the phone adopts a new screen design too. OnePlus devices traditionally came with a display with a punch-hole camera on the left. Recently, OnePlus has switched to a center punch hole in some phones with the launch of the OnePlus 10R and OnePlus 10T. OnePlus Nord CE 3 also comes with a center punch hole, tipped to be an LCD with a size of 6.7 inches and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The display doesn’t impress with the bezels, as it isn’t particularly thin; it’s just like any other budget Android phone.
Coming to the design, OnePlus has gone for a flat frame this time. You will see the power button on the right side, which embeds the physical fingerprint scanner. On the left side it’s the usual volume rockers and SIM card tray. It doesn’t have the signature Alert Slider, as you don’t see it in the Nord series of phones; OnePlus even removed it from its previous flagships. However, it is making a comeback with OnePlus 11. On the bottom, you’ll be surprised to find a headphone jack on the left and a speaker grille on the right.
OnePlus Nord CE 3: Leaked Specifications & Camera
The phone’s specifications were leaked previously by Gadgetgang; let’s take a look.
OnePlus has reportedly switched out Mediatek Dimensity 900 from the predecessor to Snapdragon 695. It isn’t an upgrade but rather a downgrade in terms of performance. It is likely to come with 8 GB and 12 GB RAM options and offers up to 256 GB of internal storage. It is also reported to come with a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging.
Coming to the cameras, the phone is rumored to come with a 108MP primary camera and two 2MP sensors for depth and macro. Yes, OnePlus seems to have removed the ultra-wide camera this time.
This seems like a downgrade! – OnePlus Nord CE 3 vs OnePlus Nord CE 2
If the leaked specifications and features are true, it seems like OnePlus has dropped the ball with this phone. Nord CE 3 seems like a downgrade over Nord CE 2 in various levels.
- Display: OnePlus Nord CE 3 comes with a 6.7-inch Full HD+ LCD with a 120hz refresh rate, while OnePlus Nord CE 2 comes with a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED with a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s like OnePlus took the display from OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite and put it on Nord CE 3; it is surely a big downgrade.
- Processor: Talking about taking stuff from Nord CE 2 Lite and putting it on Nord CE 3, OnePlus has taken the Snapdragon 695 from the former and used it on the latter. Welp, another downgrade.
- Camera: OnePlus has upgraded the camera from a 64MP primary camera to a 108MP one on OnePlus Nord CE 3. But, it has removed the secondary ultra-wide camera in favor of a 2MP depth sensor. This makes it essentially a single camera; 2MP macro camera is essentially useless, I’d say.
- Battery: The battery has been upgraded to 5,000mAh from 4,500mAh, and the fast charging has been bumped to 67W from 65W. It is a slight upgrade but not a major leap.
As you can see, OnePlus has essentially made the Nord CE 3 a downgrade over its predecessor. It almost seems like OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite got a slight upgrade, featuring a similar display to the last Lite and the same SoC. It even features the same 2MP secondary cameras from the Lite. It will be interesting to see how OnePlus will price the new phone compared to its predecessor.
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