The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G has recently hit the market as the most budget-friendly offering in the Nord series. Starting at an attractive price of ₹19,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and ₹22,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant, this phone offers significant value for those looking to experience the Nord brand without breaking the bank. It is available in three striking colours: Mega Blue, Super Silver, and Ultra Orange.

We’ve got our hands on the Ultra Orange version with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and we’re excited to see how this affordable smartphone stands out in the camera department. We’ll be putting it through a series of rigorous tests to assess its camera performance, overall usability, and whether it truly delivers on its promise to be the go-to option for budget-conscious buyers looking for a premium experience.

Camera Setup

On the back of the phone, there’s a dual-camera setup that includes a 50 MP Sony LYT-600 sensor and a 2 MP depth assist camera, which helps with portrait shots by creating a blurred background effect. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, which was released in November 2023, given the price of this phone, having such a capable processor is a good deal. The front camera has a 16 MP resolution, but I don’t expect much from it. It can record videos in 1080p at 30fps with both the front and rear cameras, but there’s no 4K option even at the rear camera, which is a bit surprising. The phone can only shoot at 1x zoom since it has just one main camera. There is an option to zoom up to 10x, but that’s likely digital zoom, so I don’t expect much in terms of quality.

Daylight Main Camera

The Nord CE 4 Lite comes with a 50 MP main camera that uses a Sony LYT-600 sensor. When we took photos in daylight at 1x, the results were a bit average. The colours in the pictures looked slightly more saturated in some cases and less saturated in others, than they actually were, and the sharpness decreased noticeably when zooming in. While the exposure levels were generally good, the overall image quality was just okay. Images taken against natural light showed some areas of the sky burning out, making those parts of the image appear overly bright and washed out, as seen in the images. We also tried taking photos at 2x zoom, and they turned out less clear and less sharp compared to the 1x shots. Additionally, there was a significant difference in saturation when capturing the same subject at 2x zoom. Also the image shots against the natural light made the sky burn in some areas as you can see in the images.

Lowlight Main Camera

In lowlight conditions, the camera’s performance didn’t differ much from daylight shots. At 1x zoom, the images were similar in quality to those taken during the day, but they lost more detail and appeared noisier when zoomed in. The colours were somewhat accurate at 1x but still average. At 2x zoom, the images became soft with very little sharpness. Overall, the quality of lowlight images was okay.

Portraits

The camera includes a 2 MP depth assist lens, which helps create a blurred background effect for portrait shots. The portrait mode works quite well at 1x, with good exposure and sharpness, though the colours were a bit unsaturated. The edge detection was impressive. However, at 2x zoom, the image started to lose sharpness, though the edge detection remained consistent. Overall, the portrait images were good and met expectations.

Front Camera

The phone’s front camera has a 16 MP sensor. In normal mode, the images looked sharp and clear, but they appeared slightly hazy and less vibrant compared to the real scene. In portrait mode, the exposure and colours were similar to normal mode, and the edge detection was quite good.

Video

The phone can record videos in 1080p at 30fps, which is a bit surprising since even phones priced lower offer 4K at 30fps. As for the video quality, daylight videos are okay for 1080p, but they could be sharper. In lowlight, the video quality is average – it’s not very sharp and has some noise. Overall, the results were a bit below what was expected.

Conclusion

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G is a solid choice for those seeking a budget-friendly smartphone with decent camera capabilities, though it does come with a few compromises. The 50 MP main camera, while equipped with a reliable Sony LYT-600 sensor, delivers average performance in both daylight and lowlight, with noticeable issues in colour accuracy and sharpness, especially when zoomed in. The portrait mode performs well at 1x, but the quality diminishes at higher zoom levels. The front camera, although capable, also falls short of delivering vibrant and clear images. Video recording is limited to 1080p at 30fps, which might disappoint users expecting 4K resolution, especially since some lower-priced phones offer it. Overall, the Nord CE 4 Lite 5G offers decent camera performance for its price, but it doesn’t excel in any particular area. It’s a good option for casual users who need a reliable camera for everyday shots.

Sanchit Mishra