The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is a new mid-range smartphone from the brand in India, the successor to last year’s Nord CE 2 Lite. It is priced at Rs 19,999 for the base model and competes with the Realme 10 Pro, which was released earlier this year. Interestingly, both the phones have similar specifications and belong to the same parent company. In this article, we will compare the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite and the Realme 10 Pro to see which one is the better value-for-money offering.
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite vs Realme 10 Pro: Price
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is available in India in two models, 8GB + 128GB variant and 8GB + 256GB model. The former is priced at Rs 19,999, while the latter is priced at Rs 21,999. Furthermore, during the first sale, the company is offering Rs 1,000 off for ICICI Bank cardholders.
On the other hand, the Realme 10 Pro comes with 128GB of storage and is available in two variants with different RAM capacities. The entry-level model has 6GB of RAM and costs Rs 18,999, while the 8GB RAM variant costs Rs 19,999. Hence, the Realme 10 Pro offers one storage configuration and two RAM options, while the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite has two storage options with the same RAM size.
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite vs Realme 10 Pro: Design, Display, Performance and Camera
design
The design of OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (Review) and Realme 10 Pro is almost the same. Instead of having a camera island at the back, these phones have two standard circular camera modules along with an LED flash. Both devices have a plastic build with a flat frame, which has become increasingly common to reduce costs.
Regarding the button placement, the volume sliders and the power button, which also serves as the fingerprint sensor, can be found on the right side of the phone. The left side is empty as the bottom of the device houses the speaker unit, SIM tray, USB Type-C port, and microphone. Overall, these phones share a similar design language, including circular camera modules and a flat frame, button and port placements are also consistent across both the devices.
Show
As both the phones are essentially rebrands of each other, they feature similar displays. They both feature a 6.72-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and a punch-hole cutout for the front camera. Additionally, the display has up to 700nits of peak brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass protection with minimal bezels on the top and sides. However, there is a relatively large chin in the area below.
The one downside of these displays is that they do not support HDR, and they are limited to playing HD content on most popular OTT platforms, which is disappointing. Still, color reproduction is above average on both displays, and there are settings available within the operating system to adjust colors to your liking.
Processor, RAM and Storage
Both the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite and the Realme 10 Pro (Review) are powered by the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC, which was introduced in late 2021 and is used in many other devices. The chip is known for its power-saving feature, which is achieved through a 6nm manufacturing process and is paired with LPDDR4X RAM along with UFS 2.2 internal storage. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is available in two variants: 8GB RAM with 128GB ROM and 8GB RAM with 256GB ROM. In comparison, the Realme 10 Pro is available in 6GB RAM with 128GB ROM model and 8GB RAM with 128GB ROM option.
Talking about the operating system, the new OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite comes with pre-installed Android 13 and the company’s OxygenOS 13 user interface. In contrast, the Realme 10 Pro comes pre-installed with Android 13 and a realme UI 4 skin on top. Both phones are set to receive two Android version updates and three years of security updates in the future. Overall, these phones are similar in terms of processor, storage and operating system, with minor differences in RAM and ROM.
camera
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite houses three cameras at the back, which includes a 108MP Samsung HM6 primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. There is also a 16MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls.
The Realme 10 Pro, on the other hand, sports a dual-camera setup at the back, with a primary Samsung HM6 108MP sensor, a 2MP secondary sensor, and dual-LED flash. On the front, there is a 16MP camera for selfies and video chats.
Despite having the same camera setup, the performance of both the phones is similar. They lack support for optical image stabilization (OIS), which is becoming common in phones under Rs 20,000.
Battery
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite and Realme 10 Pro come equipped with 5,000mAh batteries, but there is a difference in their charging capabilities. Realme 10 Pro has 33W fast charging support, while Nord CE 3 Lite has the company’s own 67W fast charging technology, which can charge the phone from zero to full in a matter of minutes. Both the companies include the charger in the retail package, which is a positive feature, especially when some brands like Samsung have stopped providing wall chargers.
Decision
Although the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite and Realme 10 Pro are very close when it comes to specifications, OnePlus edges out the Realme phone with its additional camera sensor and faster charging speeds. Whether or not you prefer OxygenOS over Realme UI will depend on personal preference, so here are some important factors to consider before making up your mind for any of these handsets. Having said that, you cannot go wrong with either of these phones as they both offer good value for money.
