UPDATE: The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G is now officially launched in the UK priced at £299. You can buy it here. Our original article from 19 June follows below.
Peppy Android brand OnePlus has just announced it is releasing a budget Android phone in the UK very soon, and the company isn’t mincing its words, stating that the new handset is “set to revolutionise the budget smartphone market”. The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G (trying saying that quickly three times) is officially launching on 24 June but the firm has cracked the lid on exactly what we can expect – but there’s no pricing confirmed yet.
The phone, which OnePlus teased in one image (see above), will come in a resplendent blue colour, though there could well be other options. The device lies at the lower-end of OnePlus’s phone range which has the flagship OnePlus 12 at the top and other phones such as the OnePlus Nord 3 in the mid-range. The Nord CE 4 Lite should therefore be relatively cheap – the CE 3 Lite was £299 when it was released in 2023.
If the new device lands around that price point it could prove stiff competition in the UK for the Google Pixel 8a – an excellent phone but at £449 it’s hard to call it ‘budget’. If you want to spend less, the new OnePlus could be worth a look.
Though cheaper than most Android phones, the CE 4 Lite will have a 120Hz high refresh rate display for smooth scrolling, a large 5,500mAh battery with 80W fast charging, reverse charging so the phone can charge earbuds and other accessories, as well as OnePlus’s Aqua Touch tech that claims to make the screen still usable in a rain shower.
“The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G is the ideal phone that’s set to revolutionise the budget smartphone market,” said by Kinder Liu, President and COO of OnePlus. “By delivering OnePlus’ flagship-level battery life, charging speeds, display quality, and photography experience, all at an unbeatable price, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G stands out from the crowd to set a new benchmark for the budget smartphone segment.”
Hopefully this budget blower stands up as a decent competitor to other cheaper Android phones such as the Nothing Phone 2a, which is only £319 and impressed us with its great software, solid performance, and flashing light design. You can even pick up passable phones such as the Motorola Moto G04 for as little as £89, which Express.co.uk technology editor Dave Snelling was pleasantly surprised with when he tested it out.
If you want to check out the full details of the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G to see if it’s the affordable Android phone for you, all will be revealed when OnePlus fully announces it, along with UK pricing, at 2:30pm BST on 24 June. You can tune into the launch then on OnePlus’s official YouTube channel.