OnePlus has expanded its affordable Nord series with two new devices in India. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G smartphone and the Nord Buds 2 earbuds. The Nord CE 3 Lite 5G smartphone succeeds the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G which was launched in 2022. The latest Nord phone comes with several improvements from its predecessor which include — an improved camera, faster charging support, a bigger display and a new design. This is the first OnePlus phone to ship with a 108MP camera. However, the Chinese smartphone maker has decided to retain the same chipset which powered the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. We have received the 256GB variant of the latest Nord CE 3 Lite 5G smartphone in Pastel Lime colour. The smartphone starts at Rs 19,999 and will go on sale in India on April 11. Here’s our first impression of the phone:
Design
As mentioned above, the Nord CE 3 Lite has a different design profile than its predecessor. OnePlus shipped the Nord CE 2 Lite smartphone with a dual-tone back panel which has been replaced with a single glossy finish. The camera module might seem similar to the Nord CE 2 Lite, yet there are some changes to that as well. Previously, the three different sensors were placed separately, but now, the macro shooter and the depth-assist lens has been clubbed together in a circular module. While the main camera has been placed separately. The camera module in Nord CE 3 Lite also gets a LED ring flash which wasn’t there in the previous phone. This phone also offers a premium look and feel.
Display
The punch-hole selfie camera in the front was placed on the left side of the screen in the Nord CE 2 Lite. In the latest model, the front snapper has been placed centrally. OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite’s display has rounded corners and flat edges which offers the phone a more box-like shape. The 6.72-inch 8-bit LCD panel supports a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) resolution and a peak brightness of 680 nits. The touch response on this display feels fluid and seemed to operate smoothly.
Camera
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite comes with a 108MP main camera which is a Samsung HM6 sensor. However, the primary sensor doesn’t support optical image stabilisation (OIS) but supports electronic image stabilisation (EIS). The camera also supports up to 6x zoom and up to 3x lossless zoom. Photos shot with this camera looked up to the mark when the zoom mode was not used. The macro mode on the phone was also a hit-and-miss, while the recorded videos seemed to offer a sharp and stable output.

The camera misses out on 4K recording support but is equipped with different modes for various situations. The other two cameras, the 2MP macro and the depth assist units added some noise to the images and weren’t as sharp as the ones taken by the main camera. Whereas, the 16MP front camera also clicked some snappy selfies that were able to produce near-real colour and texture.
Performance
The Oxygen OS 13.1 based on Android 13 also works smoothly. Moreover, the new UI design also felt more fluid and user-friendly on the phone. The Nord CE 3 Lite 5G has retained the Snapdragon 695 5G mobile platform which also powers the last year’s Nord CE 2 Lite. The older chipset offered lag-free performance and we didn’t face any thermal throttle during gaming sessions. The camera performance was also average. Zoomed-in photos looked pixelated even on the 3x lossless zoom mode. The audio performance of the phone is also quite powerful and offers a punchy bass.
Battery
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite packs a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 67W fast charging. The battery lasted over a day even with heavy usage. While charging, the phone reached 60% in 30 mins.
Our take
There are multiple options from other brands which come with similar specs and are available in the same price bracket. The overall performance of this phone was good but the camera needs to go through some improvement. If the camera performance is not a major necessity, users may opt for this phone in this price segment.