Months after the iPhone 12 series announcement, Apple has introduced a new MagSafe accessory for these phones. While unofficial battery packs from third-party vendors are readily available, the company’s move to launch an official battery pack is fascinating. So, let get into the features, specifications of the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack along with its expected price in Nepal.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack Overview:
Snap-Snap
To begin with, the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack has a capacity of 1460mAh and can charge any model of iPhone 12 with up to 5 Watts of power. That’s comparable to the old square iPhone wall chargers and it’s less than 15 Watts you get from a regular MagSafe charger.
You can snap the Battery Pack on the back of an iPhone, thanks to its embedded magnets. Similarly, it works with all four phones of the iPhone 12 family – the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max. It is available in a single white color option and has a silicone coating on the front.
The pack itself charges via a lighting cable and can also recharge iPhone at the same time. According to Apple, charging the pack using a 20W or higher USB-C power adapter increases the 5W charging speed to 15W. Maybe if it was able to supply 15W of power even without connecting the cord, things could’ve been a lot more impressive.
Moreover, the MagSafe Battery Pack will only work on iPhones running iOS 14.7 or later. Similarly, the battery percentage of the case will appear in the battery widget and on the lock screen of the iPhone.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack Price in Nepal
Apple has launched the MagSafe Battery Pack for USD 99 and it is available in the sole white color option. You can pre-order it right now while the actual shipping will begin next week. We expect the price of the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack in Nepal to be NPR 15,000 if and when it launches here.
Charger
Price in the US
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack
USD 99
NPR 15,000
Meanwhile, check out our review of the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
After the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060, Nagmani International has launched two new custom graphics cards based on AMD’s Radeon RX 6900 XT. Here, we will be talking about the specs, features, official price, and availability of AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT in Nepal.
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Overview:
Radeon RX 6900XT is AMD’s flagship graphics card and goes head-to-head against NVIDIA’s RTX 3090. It is based on the RDNA 2 microarchitecture. AMD has included a total of 80 compute units with game and boost frequencies of 2015MHz and 2250MHz, respectively. It also has 80 ray accelerators for ray tracing.
As for memory, you get 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM and 128GB of Infinity Cache. Its 256-bit memory lane allows a bandwidth of up to 512GB/s.
Asus TUF GAMING Radeon RX 6900 XT OC Edition
Here, the Asus TUF Gaming Radeon RX 6900 XT OC features an all-aluminum body with a metallic backplate. It features three axial-tech fans and a MaxConnect heatsink underneath them. They are tuned to run only when the GPU temperature is between 60˚ Celsius and 55˚ Celsius.
This graphics card uses military-grade components that undergo a 144-hour validation process. Asus has managed to overclock this 6900 XT up to 2340MHz under OC mode, or up to 2310MHz under Gaming mode.
Unlike the TUF Radeon RX 6900 XT, the ROG Strix LC Radeon 6900XT features liquid cooling for die and memory. It also has higher game and boost clock speeds of 2315MHz and 2365MHz, respectively.
It features a blower-style fan and a low-profile heatsink. There are two 120mm ARGB fans that cool the 240mm radiator. In terms of personalization, it supports customization via Asus Aura Sync and GPU Tweak II.
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of the air-cooled Asus TUF Gaming AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT OC in Nepal is NPR 235,555. Similarly, the liquid-cooled Asus ROG Strix LC AMD Radeon 6900 XT OC has a price tag of NPR 250,000 in Nepal.
Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 10 Pro (108MP) in Nepal back in March. Now, the company has launched its base model with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. This particular variant is a strong contender for the best phone under NPR 30,000 in Nepal. So, let’s look at the specs, features, official price, and availability of the Redmi Note 10 Pro (6/64GB) in Nepal.
Redmi Note 10 Pro Overview:
The phone features a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a center-aligned punch-hole cutout for the 16MP selfie camera. This display has a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. In addition, it is HDR10 compliant and boasts a peak brightness of 700 nits.
Under the hood, the phone packs Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chipset. Since it is the base variant, you get 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage. The latter is also expandable via a dedicated micro SD card slot. Note 10 Pro boots on MIUI 12 based on Android 11.
Moving on, the 108MP Samsung HM2 primary camera is another highlight of the Note 10 Pro. In addition, the phone has an 8MP ultrawide, a 5MP telemacro, and a 2MP depth sensor. Fueling the phone is a 5,020mAh battery which supports 33W fast charging. Other feature includes stereo speakers, side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and IP53 rating.
With all this, Redmi Note 10 Pro is undoubtedly the best phone under Rs. 30,000 in Nepal right now. It’s got a vibrant AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 108MP cameras, capable Snapdragon 732G chipset, stereo speakers, and a decent 5050mAh battery.
Xiaomi ships a compatible 33W charger in the box as well. Plus, its glass back means that the Note 10 Pro feels relatively premium too. The one minor drawback here is that its storage is limited to just 64GB—but you can upgrade it with a micro SD card anyway.
Specifications:
Body: 76.15 x 164.5 x 8.1mm, 192 gm, IP53 dust/splash-proof
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Beidou, USB Type-C, 4G LTE
Battery: 5020mAh with 33W fast charge (33W adapter provided)
Color options: Vintage Bronze, Glacial Blue, Dark Night
Redmi Note 10 Pro (6/64GB) Price in Nepal
The price of the 6/64GB variant of the Redmi Note 10 Pro in Nepal is NPR 29,999. You will be able to buy Redmi Note 10 Pro (6/64GB) from Xiaomi authorized retail stores across Nepal pretty soon.
Redmi Note 10 Pro
Price in Nepal
Availability
6/64GB
NPR 29,999
Xiaomi Authorized Stores (Soon)
Check out our review of the Redmi Note 10 Pro (Max).
Graphics cards are hard to get in this present situation, especially the ones from NVIDIA’s RTX 30-series. Only a few pop up in the market now and then. That being said, let’s take a look at the specs and price of Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC, which is now available in Nepal. The graphics card has arrived through Nagmani International – the official distributor of Asus products in Nepal.
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC
It is a custom card based on the GeForce RTX 3060. It features the second-generation RT cores and third-generation Tensor cores. They help in real-time ray tracing and AI upscaling, respectively.
Design
As for the design, TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 has an Aluminum front with an Axial-tech fan design. The central fan rotates in opposite direction. Thus, resulting in less turbulence. There is a special mode that stops all three fans when they are at low temperature.
The RGB element on the top of the card can be customized with different color effects. It can also be synced with other ASUS components.
The metal backplate has a wide vent that pushed the hot air from the cooler to the exhaust fan. A stainless steel bracket protects the ports while also facilitating a secure mount.
The capacitors here have military-grade certification. Components are soldered into the PCB using an advanced Auto-Extreme automated manufacturing process. In addition, each card goes through a 144-hour long trial.
GPU Tweak II Utility Software
You can fine-tune the performance of the card using the Asus GPU Tweak II software. The software provides users the control over core clocks, memory frequency, voltage settings.
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC Price in Nepal
The price of Asus TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition in Nepal is NPR 116,666. It is currently for sale on Nagmani International, which happens to be the official distributor of Asus products in Nepal.
At this time of the year, we would have been busy speculating the features of the upcoming Galaxy Note lineup. However, Samsung has already canceled it for this year. Thus, the focus is back on the S22 lineup. The latest rumor suggests that Samsung will be using a 200MP sensor in the S22 Ultra.
Quick Update: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is already official with a 108MP quad-camera setup and a revamped camera module. That said, the company has announced a 200MP ISOCELL HP2 camera sensor for the upcoming S23 Ultra.
Samsung S22 Ultra Rumors Roundup
The dilemma about the camera
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will only be launched next year. However, it has not stopped people from talking about it. Initial rumors suggested that the company will be including a 200MP sensor on the S22 Ultra.
Yet, the rumors were quickly dismissed by Ice Universe, who said that Samsung would be using a refined version of the 108MP ISOCELL HM3 sensor instead.
While Ice Universe is sticking to his statement, a new report has emerged from South Korea, which paints a different picture of the phone. According to Pulse News, the primary camera on the S22 Ultra will use a 200MP sensor. It will be accompanied by four other lenses.
Apparently, Samsung will be partnering with Japanese camera manufacturer Olympus for the camera setup. While we have seen smartphone brands team up with camera makers in the past, the results have not been that significant. As per rumors, it was Olympus that approached Samsung for the partnership. Thus, it will be interesting to see how it works out for the S22 Ultra.
In addition, the phone will also have support for S Pen. However, it is not clear if it will come in the box.
Samsung S22 Ultra Launch Date (Rumored)
Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to be unveiled at January’s Unpacked Event. To recall, the S21 Ultra was announced at a virtual Galaxy Unpacked event in January. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to launch around the same time next year.
Smartphone Model
Launch Date (Expected)
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
January 2022
Meanwhile, check our travel vlog with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Symphony, a Bangladesh-based brand, has launched a new smartphone in Nepal. The Symphony Z32 is an entry-level device with decent hardware specs. So, let’s walk through the specs, features, availability, and official price in Nepal of Symphony Z32.
Symphony Z32 Overview:
Design and Display
The phone boasts a 6.52-inch IPS panel with an HD+ resolution and 269 PPI. It has a V-shaped notch on the front and a dual-camera arrangement at the back.
Symphony Z32 is incredibly lightweight as it weighs just 114 grams. Plus, the phone measures 164.7 x 75.85 x 9.3mm. It is available in two color options – Midnight Blue & Amazon Green.
In terms of performance, it packs an octa-core Helio A25 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. You can expand the latter up to 128GB via a microSD card. The handset boots on Android 10 out-of-the-box. Fueling it is a 5000mAh Li-Polymer battery which should provide a full day of backup. For biometrics, it has a fingerprint sensor at the back.
Camera
Over in the optics department, you get a 13MP primary and a 2MP auxiliary dual-camera arrangement on the back. Similarly, Symphony Z32 has a 5MP sensor on the front for selfies and video calls. The camera features include portrait, time-lapse, night mode, and such. Similarly, you can shoot up to 720p 30fps videos here.
Moving on, Symphony offers a one-year warranty on the device as well as on the battery. Z32 has a built-in 3.5mm headphone jack while a wired earphone is included in the box. Besides this, a back cover is provided to protect the smartphone from scratches. For connectivity, the handset supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a micro USB port.
Symphony Z32 Specifications:
Body: 164.7 x 75.85 x 9.3mm, 114g
Display: 6.52-inches IPS panel, 16.7m colors
Resolution: HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels), 269 PPI
Chipset: Octa-core (1.6GHz)
Memory: 3/32GB (expandable up to 128GB)
Software& UI: Android 10
Rear Cameras: Dual (13MP + 2 MP)
Front Camera: 5MP (notch)
Audio: Loudspeaker, 3.5mm headphone jack
Security: Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, Face unlock
Sensors: Accelerometer, Light, Proximity
Battery: 5000mAh Li-Po, micro-USB port
Color Options: Midnight Blue, Amazon Green
Symphony Z32 Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of the Symphony Z32 in Nepal is NPR 12,999 for the sole 3/32GB variant. You can purchase Z32 from authorized Symphony stores across the country. For more information, you can contact Symphony Nepal through their social media platforms.
Huami, the company behind wearable brands like Amazfit (Zepp), is developing a new chip and an OS for smartwatches. As expected, the primary focus of the upcoming smartwatch chip and OS from Huami will be health-related features.
Upcoming smartwatch OS & chip from Huami
In case, you’re unfamiliar with Huami, it’s a China-based company that specializes in smart wearable technology and cloud-based health services. The company was founded back in 2013. It is mostly known for the Zepp and Amazfit-branded smartwatches.
It also provides AI chips, biometric sensors, and data algorithms to other companies. One such example is Huami’s partnership with Xiaomi. It makes most of Xiaomi’s wearable devices, including smartwatches and smart bands.
Huangshan 2S
Huami’s upcoming chip for its smartwatch will be called Huangshan 2S. The chip will leverage the open-source platform of RISC-V. The architecture will make the chip more powerful and more power-efficient. The chip will have a total of two cores. It will also feature an independent GPU for better graphics rendering.
As mentioned earlier, Huami has designed the new OS to make the most out of health features. A video shared by the company’s CEO Wang Huang reveals a revamped interface for heart rate monitoring.
Besides this, there’s not much info about the OS. We don’t even know what its name will be. However, prominent leakster Digital Chat Station has praised the UI and user experience after a hands-on experience. He also revealed the support for dynamic watch face in a short video.
Huawei smartwatch OS, chip: Launch Date
Huami will unveil the new smartwatch OS and Huangshan 2S chip at “The Future of Health” event which will take place on July 13.
Meanwhile, check out our top 6 picks for the top 6 smartwatches (2021).
Securing a loan in Nepal entails going through the arduous process on banks or other financial institutions. However, things are getting simpler now thanks to the introduction of FoneLoan facility by different banks in Nepal. As of now, Laxmi Bank, Citizens, Kumari, Mega, and Nabil Bank are offering the “Smart FoneLoan” feature.
Here, since we had an account with Laxmi Bank, we decided to try out its Smart FoneLoan facility. Simply put, Laxmi Bank’s Smart FoneLoan is a paperless loan service. It does not require any collateral to be eligible, while the application procedure is completed in a matter of minutes.
Laxmi Bank Smart FoneLoan Overview:
What is Laxmi Bank Smart FoneLoan?
In its most basic form, it is an entirely digital method of applying for and receiving a loan. Laxmi Bank customers can simply use the bank’s mobile application, Mobile Money (Android | iOS), to apply for a short-term pre-approved loan.
Smart FoneLoan uses an algorithm known as “Decision Analytics” to determine a customer’s eligibility for the loan and its eventual approval. And after the customer agrees to the terms and conditions, the approved loan amount will be disbursed almost instantly.
Who are eligible?
For the time being, the service is available to customers with payroll/savings account in Laxmi Bank. Besides this, they also need to meet other criteria defined by the analytics algorithm. This implies that not every Laxmi Bank customer can access this service.
The pre-programmed algorithm thoroughly examines the user’s past transactions, account history, and other factors to determine their eligibility.
Here, the Decision Analytics algorithm mainly focuses on four factors:
Average monthly balance of the account
Deposits and withdrawals in the account
Status of existing loans in bank
History of previous loans in bank
With this, the system generates a cumulative score of every individual account holder. Then, if a customer’s score meets the bank’s minimum threshold limit, they will be able to apply for Smart FoneLoan. This will be indicated by the “Register for Short-term Loan” prompt in their dashboard of the Laxmi Bank Mobile Money app.
Even if you are ineligible for Smart FoneLoan for now, don’t worry. Provided that your account’s status grows positively in the favor of Decision Analytics’ parameters in the future, the algorithm will automatically enroll you on the eligibility list.
Meanwhile, if you’re wondering how to check the score of your account, let me be clear: you can’t. Like I mentioned earlier, if you see a “Register for Short-term Loan” widget on the Laxmi Bank app, you’re good. Otherwise, you’re not.
Limit and time period of the loan
Now because it’s a collateral-free loan, you can only apply for loans ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 200,000. However, not every account holder can apply for a loan as high as two lakhs.
The maximum applicable loan amount for an account is also determined by the Decision Analytics algorithm. For example, if it determines the limit of Rs. 75,000 for a certain account based on the aforementioned parameters, then the individual can apply for a loan amounting to Rs. 75,000 or less. Besides this, the maximum tenure to repay the loan is 30 days.
How to apply?
So, if you’re eligible, you can apply for Laxmi Bank Smart FoneLoan by following these simple steps:
First, click on the “Register for Short-term Loan” option displayed on the landing window of the Mobile Money app, after you log in.
Then, proceed to register your email and click the verification link forwarded to your email account. Laxmi Bank will use this verified email for notifications, authorizations, and other purposes.
Now, you will see the “Apply for Virtual Credit Card” window in the app. It is displayed so since this short-term loan acquisition facility’s working principle is the same as a digital credit card.
Then, input the desired loan amount and payback date in the two input fields given.
After you enter the amount and date, click on the “Check Eligibility” option to find out the maximum loan amount your account is eligible for.
In case you’re happy with the amount applied and the tenure date set, proceed to tick the terms and conditions checkbox after reading it. Then, click on “Proceed”.
Or, if you’d like to make some changes to your loan’s variables after learning the max applicable amount, head back to the previous window and make the desired change.
After this, you will receive a card verification value (CVV) number on your registered phone. Enter the received CVV in the given field and the applied amount will be automatically deposited in your account—after deducting all the pre-defined fees, that is.
Charges and payback process
Here, even if the process seems a bit sophisticated, Laxmi Bank has kept the charges to a minimum. An applicant will be charged a flat Rs. 250 as the loan administration or processing fee regardless of the loan amount. Similarly, the monthly interest rate is only 1.25% of the loan amount (or 15% p.a.). And if you set a payback date of less than a month, you’ll only pay interest for the number of days.
Moreover, the payback process is quite simple. If the account holder maintains the net payable amount on the day of the loan’s maturity, the system will deduct it automatically.
To note, Laxmi Bank Smart FoneLoan does not have a pre-payment option. That means even if one collects the payable amount before the loan’s maturity date, they’re still unable to clear the loan. You need to wait till your maturity date expires and pay the daily accrued interest until then accordingly.
However, if you fail to maintain the required balance, you will be fined Rs. 300 as a late fee every 30 days, plus daily interest. Also, every subsequent deposit made into the account will first be debited to pay off the loan.
Similarly, if your account is in overdue status for a longer duration, Laxmi Bank’s loan recovery process following Nepal Rastra Bank’s regulations will be initiated. But considering Smart FoneLoan’s minimal fee structure, no honorable person should face this problem.
Laxmi Bank Smart FoneLoan: Conclusion
To conclude, I would say that the FoneLoan service introduced by multiple Nepali banks is a much-needed move towards boosting the country’s digital economy. Since it does not require any in-person human intervention either, that’s another win in this time of the pandemic. We expect the concerned authorities to further push the boundaries of cashless culture in Nepal in the future by introducing similar technologies.
Watch: Laxmi Bank Smart FoneLoan Explained (Nepali)
EA Sports has just revealed the official trailer of FIFA 22. The trailer primarily focuses on the new HyperMotion Technology. This new feature is said to make the gameplay more realistic and immersive on next-gen consoles. Let’s take a look at HyperMotion Technology and other new features in the upcoming FIFA 22.
FIFA 22 Overview:
HyperMotion Technology
It’s a machine learning-backed motion replication system. The trailer showcases players in a special motion-capture suit. The suit captures the real-life movement of the player. This data is then fed to a machine learning algorithm, which creates real-time animations. EA Sports says it will bring out players’ real-life traits on the pitch.
HyperMotion Technology
1 of 2
Players in Motion Sensor Suit
HyperMotion Technology in Action
Unfortunately, HyperMotion Technology will not be supported by last-gen consoles. You will need to have PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or Google Stadia to enjoy the new feature.
Other changes
FIFA 22 will continue to improve on popular game modes on the franchise. EA Sports is hinting at an all-new goalkeeper system. “Create a Club” under the Career Mode is also getting revamped. Similarly, VOLTA FOOTBALL is receiving enhanced gameplay.
FIFA Ultimate Team Heroes is going to be a new addition to the game. It will follow the glorious tales of legendary players.
FIFA 22 is up for pre-order and will be launched on October 1. Those who pre-order the Ultimate Edition by August 11 will get an untradeable FUT Heroes player item on December 1. Players will be able to enjoy the game on their PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC (Origin and Steam). The Legacy Edition will also be available in Nintendo Switch.
In this review, I’ll be sharing my experiences with OnePlus Nord CE. I have been testing it out for the past 3 weeks alongside other mid-range phones like the Mi 11 Lite, Galaxy A52, and the iQOO Z3.
Battery: 4500mAh with Warp Charge 30T Plus (30W adapter provided)
Color options: Blue Void, Charcoal Ink, Silver Ray
Price in Nepal: Rs. 44,999 (8/128GB) | Rs. 51,499 (12/256GB)
OnePlus Nord CE Review:
Here, the Nord CE is such a complicated phone from OnePlus. It is definitely not a phone that I would 100% recommend, but neither can I say—oh, it’s a bad phone, don’t buy it! With this device, I found 2 crucial mistakes from the company. First, I think they launched this phone a bit late.
For what’s supposed to be a cheaper edition of the OnePlus Nord from last year, it shouldn’t have hit the market this close to the OnePlus Nord 2 announcement. And also, with all the features the Nord CE is packing, if it was launched like 6 months ago, it would have made a lot of sense. But right, now the competition is absolutely wild!
Secondly, I think they should have launched just one variant of this phone—with an 8/128GB memory configuration for a slightly lower price. Maybe INR 23,000 or some NPR 40,000 here in Nepal. Plus, I don’t understand why OnePlus bothered to bring the 12/256GB variant either since it’s an overkill given the phone’s specs.
Design & Build
73.5 x 159.2 x 7.9mm, 170 grams
Polycarbonate back/frame, glass front
Like always, let me get started with the design. With the OnePlus Nord CE, you get a pretty basic, no-nonsense look. Yet, I just feel like the collaboration between OnePlus and OPPO goes beyond software and R&D these days. And that’s vividly reflected with the Nord CE’s design.
Here, like with OPPO’s recent F-series phones, the Nord CE has a plastic back and frames. But more importantly, it just feels like you are holding one of those OPPO phones with a lightweight build and curved edges. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but what is, is that skips on the signature alert slider that we’ve come to expect from OnePlus phones.
Design
1 of 3
Power Button
Ports
Volume Rockers
Despite this, the hands-on feel of the device, I must say is quite good. It has a nice grip and is not as wide as say, Xiaomi’s latest mid-range phones. Thankfully, my unit of the Nord CE hasn’t suffered any scratches either, so I haven’t actually missed the Gorilla Glass protection here.
As for the color options, you can choose from 3 alternatives: Blue Void, Charcoal Ink, and Silver Ray. The Charcoal Ink variant that I have with me has this glossy finish and hence invites a lot of fingerprints.
Display
6.43-inches FHD+ Fluid AMOLED display
90Hz refresh rate, Supports sRGB, P3
AGC Dragontrail protection on the front
On the front, you get a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. And for the most part, I have no complaints about the display. It has nice colors, the touch response is impressive, and it can get fairly bright as well.
Plus, there’s also an in-display fingerprint sensor here which I found to be faster and more reliable than the one on Samsung’s Galaxy A52. Still, it doesn’t hold up against the flagship OnePlus phones. The only thing that’s missing here is the aforementioned absence of Gorilla Glass protection—although the company has tried to make up for it by going for the cheaper Dragontrail glass instead.
Still, I think that this is an unnecessary omission and it’s more like what OPPO usually does with its mid-range phone—but never something OnePlus would do. Similarly, watching movies or listening to music during my usage on the Nord CE hasn’t been a great pleasure either because it doesn’t come with stereo speakers.
No stereo speakers
These days, even cheaper phones come with a decent set of stereo speakers and I wouldn’t have minded if this mono speaker was half good, which sadly it isn’t. The bass is lacking and it doesn’t get very loud either. However, if it’s any consolation, you get a 3.5mm headphone jack in here. Additionally, the haptic feedback on this phone is strictly average too.
Regardless, as I said before, Nord CE hosts a nice display, and OnePlus has optimized it really well. Hence, I didn’t face any weird stutters or micro lags while using the phone in 90Hz mode. To recall, you will notice such lags in phones like Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Lite and Note 10 Pro.
Android 11 with OnePlus’ OxygenOS 11 on top (upgradeable)
Similarly, I also found the performance of this device to be quite good, if not excellent. With the ever-so-optimized OxygenOS, fairly capable Snapdragon 750G chipset, and 8GB of RAM at the helm, day-to-day tasks like Whatsapping, scrolling through Instagram and Twitter, and switching between those apps is fluid and responsive experience.
Likewise, dark mode is well implemented here too. And after recently switching to the Nord CE from Xiaomi phones, I realized how easy, ad-free, and one-handed friendly this OxygenOS UI is—and ultimately, this is why many people prefer OnePlus phones over those from other Chinese brands.
Gaming experience
For this review, I played a bunch of games on the OnePlus Nord CE. However, I would rate its performance in this regard to be good enough although you won’t be able to hit 60fps in demanding games like PUBG or Genshin Impact. In PUBG Mobile, you can get a fairly stable 40fps gameplay under Smooth graphics and Ultra frame rates.
Similarly, Genshin Impact is only playable at 30fps by dialing down everything in the setting to Low. Lighter games like Call of Duty and Shadowgun War Games, on the other hand, can achieve a stable 60fps in Very High graphics and frame rates.
Nevertheless, OnePlus hasn’t optimized this phone to run games at anything beyond 60fps, thereby leaving a lot of room for performance upgrades on the table. So, for what it’s worth, maybe the Nord CE should have had a slightly more powerful chipset, like the newer Snapdragon 780G for instance.
Cameras
Triple-camera setup at the back
(64MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP mono)
16MP selfie camera in the punch-hole cutout
Cameras
1 of 2
Back
Front
OnePlus has been using the popular 48MP Sony sensor in most of its camera setups until now. But with the Nord CE, they have gone with the new 64MP OmniVision sensor. Yet, it doesn’t come with any extra bells or whistles like OIS which the original OnePlus Nord had. Completing the triple camera setup, we have an 8MP ultrawide lens and a useless 2MP depth sensor.
Normal Images
Here, like with the flagship OnePlus 9 Pro, the Nord CE’s primary images produce natural colors. And for the most part, I like its natural color science as well. However, in certain scenarios, I feel like maybe OnePlus could have added a bit more saturation to make the images truer to life.
Normal
1 of 7
I also found its photos to be plenty bright and with decent contrast. But, the one area where the OmniVision sensor struggles is in terms of the details.
Wideangle Images
Photos from the 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor aren’t spectacular by any means but aren’t that bad either.
Wideangle
1 of 6
Normal
Wideangle
Normal
Wideangle
Normal
Wideangle
There’s a noticeable color shift if you put the shots from the main camera side-by-side as you can see that the ultra-wide images are more saturated. It’s also lacking in details and the dynamic range is compromised too.
Portrait Images
As for the portraits, as you can see from these samples, it actually does a pretty decent job with good skin tone, contrast level, and bokeh.
Portrait
1 of 3
However, in difficult situations like in this image, the subject and background separation looks abnormal and the portraits don’t come out as good.
Nighttime Images
The one aspect where the Nord CE struggles is with the nighttime shots where its images are grainy and lacking in detail.
Nighttime
1 of 2
Nighttime
Night Mode
Turning on the night mode doesn’t significantly improve the image quality either and instead makes the photos look a bit unnatural.
Selfie Images
Selfies from its 16MP shooter are decent though.
Selfie
1 of 2
They’re bright with good details and background exposure management.
Portrait Selfie
1 of 2
In terms of portrait selfies, the edge detection isn’t that good as you can see the camera struggling in the hair areas.
Videography
Videography-wise, the OnePlus Nord CE delivers as expected from a mid-range phone. Here, the 4K 30fps recordings are fairly stable and the videos have good details and contrast levels.
On the other hand, the 1080P 30fps and 60fps modes aren’t that stable and you will notice significant wobble when taking a video when you’re walking. The ultra-wide-angle videos are limited to 1080P 30fps and as anticipated from this average sensor, the videos lack details and aren’t that stable.
Moving on, there’s no 4K recording with the selfie camera as it’s restricted to 1080p 30 or 60fps modes. Despite its narrow field of view, videos turn out pretty decent. The audio pick-up from the microphone is acceptable as well but it could’ve been better if OnePlus had installed a relatively high-end microphone.
Overall, OnePlus Nord CE’s cameras are nothing spectacular. But at this price range, you don’t get that reliable camera setup. The only other phone that offers a superior camera performance at this price range is the Galaxy A52, while similarly priced phones like the Mi 11 Lite, Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, and Realme X7 all struggle in one area or the other.
Battery
4500mAh with Warp Charge 30T Plus
Finally, getting to the battery life, its 4500mAh cell provided me with good endurance. It is similar to what I was able to get from the A52 or the Mi 11 lite—which is a consistent 6 – 7 hours of screen-on time.
So, what I can confidently say is that if you are a heavy user, the Nord CE should last you till the end of the day or that could extend to a day-and-a-half under fairly lax usage. Charging via its 30W adapter is pretty fast too as it can get from 0 to 100% in about an hour.
OnePlus Nord CE Review: Conclusion
To conclude this review, I have enjoyed my time with the OnePlus Nord CE, and that’s mostly thanks to its well-optimized OxygenOS. Still, for the price, I am not 100% convinced that it’s the best value-for-money mid-range phone right now—although it’s a decent option in the Nepali market.
To compare, Samsung’s Galaxy A52 has it beat when it comes to the cameras. On the other hand, POCO F3 is a better value in terms of sheer performance. Overall, the OnePlus Nord CE is a pretty well-balanced mid-range phone mostly thanks to its optimized OxygenOS.
