This new £299 OnePlus phone betters most flagships in one key area

OnePlus has officially unveiled the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G in Europe.

With impressive battery capabilities, premium features and a budget-friendly price, the handset aims to set a new standard for mid-range phones. 

The phone features a sleek design with a large 5110mAh battery and 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging, which should ensure it lasts longer and charges faster than many flagship phones. 

While those are the standout features, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G has a lot to offer in other areas.

The phone runs on Android 14 with OnePlus’ OxygenOS 14 skin, which is usually one of the best versions of Google’s operating system. 

Power comes from the Snapdragon 695 5G chipset, paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, plus an option to expand the latter up to 2TB via microSD. 

The phone also boasts a super-bright, 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 2100 nits of claimed peak brightness, which should ensure good outdoor visibility – even in bright sunlight. 

What’s more, the display features Aqua Touch, which made its debut on the OnePlus 12. If your phone screen gets wet, this feature ensures that touch control remains precise and accurate. However, there’s no official IP rating for water and dust resistance. 

Elsewhere, the camera system on the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G includes a 50Mp main sensor with OIS, 2Mp depth-assist camera and a 16Mp front camera which should cover the basics. However, it’s likely to be a significant step down from the best camera phones you can buy.

However, it is the battery performance that is at the heart of the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G. With its 5110mAh battery, OnePlus claims users can enjoy up to 2.1 days of typical use per charge, making which would make it one of the best battery phones in its price range. 

The phone is also said to support 18.67 hours of YouTube playback and 44.24 hours of video calls on a single charge. Moreover, OnePlus states that thanks to the 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging technology, the phone can go from 1% to 100% in just 50 minutes. 

If true, that’s a significant improvement over the charging speeds of flagship models from brands like Samsung, Google and Apple, which typically offer 25W to 45W fast charging.

As a reminder, the Galaxy S24, Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 have a battery capacity of less than 5000mAh and offer 25W, 27W and 20W charging speeds respectively.

Additionally, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G includes the OnePlus Battery Health Engine, which optimises charging speed and promises to preserve battery longevity by keeping the battery at 80% capacity even after 1,600 charging cycles. 

It also has a handy 5W reverse charging, perfect for giving wireless earbuds a quick top-up.

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G, priced at £299, will be available in Super Silver and Mega Blue finishes on 1 July, with pre-orders available via the OnePlus website.

To sweeten the deal, OnePlus is offering a free pair of the Nord Buds 2, a case or an adapter with purchases made between 24 June and 1 July. Additionally, all pre-orders and purchases placed between 24 June and 2 August will receive a £50 discount.

However, there’s no sign of it launching in the US.

With its impressive battery capacity and fast charging speeds, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G is one of the best battery-focused mid-range phones on paper. 

But will it be worth buying as an all-round phone? Look out for our full review soon to find out.