Comparing the OnePlus Nord 2 side-by-side vs the Nord CE 5G, to see if the £299 Core Edition is a better buy. From testing the camera hardware and gaming on CODM and Genshin Impact, to the battery life, specs and other features - here's which 2021 mid-range smartphone is best for you.

My unboxing with the OnePlus Nord 2 and CE 5G is live now, plus my Core Edition review is up. The Nord 2 review will be following this comparison shortly!

Both of these phones offer solid value for your money, delivering some premium tech on a tight-ish budget. You get a crisp, colourful AMOLED screen, that lovable Oxygen OS experience and all-day battery life no matter your choice.

However, the OnePlus Nord 2 boasts speedier performance thanks to the Dimensity 1200-AI chipset vs the Snapdragon 750G. Gamers will love that extra power for memory-hungry titles like Genshin. You also have different camera hardware, tougher design and faster Warp Charge 65 battery tech.

That said, the Nord CE 5G serves up a headphone jack and can still cope with gaming, while the camera results are impressive as long as you aren't shooting in dim light.

OnePlus Nord 2 vs Nord CE 5G Comparison Chapters:
0:00 - Get on with it!
0:43 - Design
2:54 - Software & Features
4:53 - Screen & Audio
7:43 - Performance & Gaming
9:46 - Battery Life & Charging
10:41 - Camera Test
13:40 - Verdict