Keychron K8 Pro Review: A premium typing experience

We had a great time with the Keychron K8 Pro mechanical keyboard. Its sleek and sturdy design, flexible wireless connectivity, the convenience of hot-swappable switches, and long-lasting battery cater to both productivity enthusiasts and gaming enthusiasts alike. If you’re looking for a TKL mechanical keyboard to add to your arsenal, the Keychron K8 Pro is definitely worth considering, be it for work, gaming, or both.

When it comes to mechanical keyboards, Keychron is a pretty well-known brand. Although we don’t see a lot of them in India, we’ve definitely heard about them. So when we found out that Keychron was not officially available in India and we had the chance to actually review the Keychron K8 Pro, we jumped at the chance. I used the Keychron K8 Pro for an extensive amount for time, as a daily-driver for both work and gaming, and I can confidently say that Keychron lives up to its hype. Let’s take a closer look at the Keychron K8 Pro.

Keychron K8 Pro - Build and Design

The Keychron K8 Pro boasts an 80 percent TKL or tenkeyless layout, meaning there’s no numpad on this keyboard. And that’s fine, it’s kind of what they were going for. They've got even smaller and more compact options if that's what you're looking for. The idea is to promote a clean and efficient desktop where the keyboard doesn’t take up 70 percent of the space. Other than that, its sleek design and robust build quality are immediately noticeable. It’s surprisingly heavy for its size, and that’s thanks to the keyboard's metal frame which makes this a fairly rugged and durable keyboard (or weapon). The keyboard comes with matte texture keycaps which don’t attract fingerprints, which is nice. The keycaps are also double-shot PBT keycaps with sharp and clear legends. Certainly no holds barred when it comes to build quality. Oh, the Keychron K8 Pro is also a wireless Bluetooth keyboard and comes with a detachable USB-C cable. 

The K8 Pro does not come with any official Keychron software support. It does however come with VIA support, through which you can pretty much program the keyboard to fuction as you please. All the macros and shortcut options you can dream of. Without VIA you have access to basic FN shortcuts, including the ability to cycle through the preset lighting modes. Speaking of which, the backlighting is fairly bright, but does not shine through the keys.

Keychron K8 Pro - Performance

The K8 Pro comes with Gateron G Pro switches. Our unit came with Gateron G Pro Blues, but you have options that feature Gateron G Pro Reds and Gateron G Pro Browns as well. While I personally prefer Red Switches, the typing experience on the Keychron K8 Pro with the Gateron Blues was still very satisfying. The keys are well-spaced and feel very responsive, which contributes to a fairly smooth typing experience, even over extended periods of time regardless of the task at hand, be it work or gaming.

The hot-swappable switch design of the K8 Pro makes it effortless to swap out switches without soldering, so if Gateron switches aren't your thing, you have the option to swap them out to the switches of your preference.

Wireless Connectivity and Battery Life

In terms of connectivity, the Keychron K8 Pro excels with both wired and wireless options. Utilising Bluetooth 5.1, the keyboard can be paired with up to three devices, and you can seamlessly switch between them. Any device with BT 5.1 support can pair with the keyboard, including phones and tablets. That makes this keyboard excellent for someone who constantly switches between gadgets.

During the times we did use the wireless connection, it remained stable for the most part, with no noticeable input lag. We wouldn’t normally game wirelessly on a Bluetooth keyboard, but for casual titles, the Keychron K8 works great even wirelessly. Need quicker response times? Simple switch back to wired. The K8 Pro can be used in both Bluetooth and wired modes simultaneously, allowing for charging while using the keyboard without any interruption.

The K8 Pro houses a 4000mAh lithium battery which according to Keychron can last up to 240 hours with the RGB lighting off, and around 72 hours with RGB lighting at maximum brightness. In our day-to-day use, we found that we needed to charge the keyboard roughly once a week at most, which is impressive. 

Keychron K8 Pro - Gaming

We’ve already spoken about how comfortable the keyboard is and how good it feels to type with the K8 Pro. The same carries over to gaming as well, the actuation force on the Gateron G Pros feels just right, which coupled with the spacing and familiarity of the layout meant I never missed a key. Response feels tight and crisp. Plus, there’s a reason pros prefer TKL keyboards as it allows you to keep your hands closer together which helps with responsiveness and overall performance. 

Keychron K8 Pro - Verdict

We had a great time with the Keychron K8 Pro mechanical keyboard. Its sleek and sturdy design, flexible wireless connectivity, the convenience of hot-swappable switches, and long-lasting battery cater to both productivity enthusiasts and gaming enthusiasts alike. It certainly comes with a slightly higher price point compared to other mechanical keyboards, but the K8 Pro's combination of features, design, and performance justifies the investment. So, if you’re looking for a TKL mechanical keyboard to add to your arsenal, the Keychron K8 Pro is definitely worth considering, be it for work, gaming, or both.

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Keychron K8 Pro Review: A premium typing experience

We had a great time with the Keychron K8 Pro mechanical keyboard. Its sleek and sturdy design, flexible wireless connectivity, the convenience of hot-swappable switches, and long-lasting battery cater to both productivity enthusiasts and gaming enthusiasts alike. If you’re looking for a TKL mechanical keyboard to add to your arsenal, the Keychron K8 Pro is definitely worth considering, be it for work, gaming, or both.

When it comes to mechanical keyboards, Keychron is a pretty well-known brand. Although we don’t see a lot of them in India, we’ve definitely heard about them. So when we found out that Keychron was not officially available in India and we had the chance to actually review the Keychron K8 Pro, we jumped at the chance. I used the Keychron K8 Pro for an extensive amount for time, as a daily-driver for both work and gaming, and I can confidently say that Keychron lives up to its hype. Let’s take a closer look at the Keychron K8 Pro.

Keychron K8 Pro - Build and Design

The Keychron K8 Pro boasts an 80 percent TKL or tenkeyless layout, meaning there’s no numpad on this keyboard. And that’s fine, it’s kind of what they were going for. They've got even smaller and more compact options if that's what you're looking for. The idea is to promote a clean and efficient desktop where the keyboard doesn’t take up 70 percent of the space. Other than that, its sleek design and robust build quality are immediately noticeable. It’s surprisingly heavy for its size, and that’s thanks to the keyboard's metal frame which makes this a fairly rugged and durable keyboard (or weapon). The keyboard comes with matte texture keycaps which don’t attract fingerprints, which is nice. The keycaps are also double-shot PBT keycaps with sharp and clear legends. Certainly no holds barred when it comes to build quality. Oh, the Keychron K8 Pro is also a wireless Bluetooth keyboard and comes with a detachable USB-C cable. 

The K8 Pro does not come with any official Keychron software support. It does however come with VIA support, through which you can pretty much program the keyboard to fuction as you please. All the macros and shortcut options you can dream of. Without VIA you have access to basic FN shortcuts, including the ability to cycle through the preset lighting modes. Speaking of which, the backlighting is fairly bright, but does not shine through the keys.

Keychron K8 Pro - Performance

The K8 Pro comes with Gateron G Pro switches. Our unit came with Gateron G Pro Blues, but you have options that feature Gateron G Pro Reds and Gateron G Pro Browns as well. While I personally prefer Red Switches, the typing experience on the Keychron K8 Pro with the Gateron Blues was still very satisfying. The keys are well-spaced and feel very responsive, which contributes to a fairly smooth typing experience, even over extended periods of time regardless of the task at hand, be it work or gaming.

The hot-swappable switch design of the K8 Pro makes it effortless to swap out switches without soldering, so if Gateron switches aren't your thing, you have the option to swap them out to the switches of your preference.

Wireless Connectivity and Battery Life

In terms of connectivity, the Keychron K8 Pro excels with both wired and wireless options. Utilising Bluetooth 5.1, the keyboard can be paired with up to three devices, and you can seamlessly switch between them. Any device with BT 5.1 support can pair with the keyboard, including phones and tablets. That makes this keyboard excellent for someone who constantly switches between gadgets.

During the times we did use the wireless connection, it remained stable for the most part, with no noticeable input lag. We wouldn’t normally game wirelessly on a Bluetooth keyboard, but for casual titles, the Keychron K8 works great even wirelessly. Need quicker response times? Simple switch back to wired. The K8 Pro can be used in both Bluetooth and wired modes simultaneously, allowing for charging while using the keyboard without any interruption.

The K8 Pro houses a 4000mAh lithium battery which according to Keychron can last up to 240 hours with the RGB lighting off, and around 72 hours with RGB lighting at maximum brightness. In our day-to-day use, we found that we needed to charge the keyboard roughly once a week at most, which is impressive. 

Keychron K8 Pro - Gaming

We’ve already spoken about how comfortable the keyboard is and how good it feels to type with the K8 Pro. The same carries over to gaming as well, the actuation force on the Gateron G Pros feels just right, which coupled with the spacing and familiarity of the layout meant I never missed a key. Response feels tight and crisp. Plus, there’s a reason pros prefer TKL keyboards as it allows you to keep your hands closer together which helps with responsiveness and overall performance. 

Keychron K8 Pro - Verdict

We had a great time with the Keychron K8 Pro mechanical keyboard. Its sleek and sturdy design, flexible wireless connectivity, the convenience of hot-swappable switches, and long-lasting battery cater to both productivity enthusiasts and gaming enthusiasts alike. It certainly comes with a slightly higher price point compared to other mechanical keyboards, but the K8 Pro's combination of features, design, and performance justifies the investment. So, if you’re looking for a TKL mechanical keyboard to add to your arsenal, the Keychron K8 Pro is definitely worth considering, be it for work, gaming, or both.

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Oppo A58 launched in India with MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, 5G and a 5000mAh battery

Oppo A58 has landed in the country at ₹14,999. This is powered by the MediaTek Hekio G85 chipset. It has 5G support. A 5000mAh battery runs the thing and the device should last long. 

Here are the complete details:

Oppo A58 specs and features

Oppo A58 has a 6.72-inch display on the front with FHD+ resolution, 100% sRGB and up to 680 nits peak brightness. The front camera is a 32MP sensor sitting within a central punch hole.

The back cameras, a 50MP main sensor and a 2MP portrait lens reside on a pill-shaped island.

Inside, the phone is carrying a MediaTek Helio G85 processor, 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and 128GB eMMC 5.1 storage. You can expand the latter further up to 1TB via a microSD slot.

The internal space is also occupied by a 5000mAh battery that supports 33W SuperVOOC fast charging.

Also Read: iQOO Z8 5G to arrive with Mediatek Dimensity 8200 SoC as per Geekbench listing

Among other features, you also get a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, a 3.5mm audio jack, Stereo speakers, a USB-C port, dual-band WiFi ac, dual 4G VoLTE, 5G SA/NSA, and Bluetooth 5.3.

You can pick the phone in Glowing Black and Dazzling Green colours. 

Oppo A58 price and availability

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy F34 5G launched at ₹18,999: What is unique about the phone?

The Oppo A58 is available in a single 6+128GB variant at ₹14999 on Flipkart. As part of the launch offer, you can grab a ₹1500 discount.

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Gigabyte Aorus 15 Review: Great cooling and gaming performance but the keyboard is a letdown

The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a gaming powerhouse, offering top-tier performance at a competitive price. Its understated design houses a potent combination of a 13th-Gen Intel Core i7 and Nvidia's RTX 4070 GPU, delivering impressive frame rates for gamers. However, it's not without its flaws. The touchpad's inconsistency, the keyboard's slightly mushy feel, and the noticeable fan noise during gaming sessions detract from its overall appeal. Additionally, the battery life is relatively short when gaming. Despite these shortcomings, for gamers seeking power and affordability, the Aorus 15 is a solid choice, but it may not be ideal as a daily driver.

The Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a gaming laptop that, at first glance, doesn't scream "gamer." Its exterior is unassuming, almost stealthy, a design choice that may appeal to those who prefer a more professional aesthetic. However, this understated exterior belies the powerful tech housed within. The Aorus 15's 2023 model is equipped with a 13th-Gen Intel Core i7 and Nvidia's RTX 4070 mobile GPU, a combination that packs a serious punch in terms of performance.

The RTX 4070 mobile GPU is particularly noteworthy as it allows the Aorus to utilise Nvidia's Frame Generation AI tech. This technology uses Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) to boost game frame rates, adding around 20 additional frames per second in benchmarks. This is a significant advantage for gamers, offering smoother gameplay and a more immersive experience. With a price tag of Rs. 171599, the Aorus offers impressive performance for its price. But how good is it in everyday use? Here's my review after weeks of intensive testing. 

Gigabyte Aorus 15 Review: Design And Build Quality

The Aorus measures 20.8mm high when closed, but its angular chassis gives it a bulkier feel. Weighing in at 2.24kg, it's not exactly lightweight, either. The top display is metal, while the base is plastic – but both feel remarkably sturdy. The plastic base has no discernible squishiness or creaking, and the lid glides open smoothly.

The Aorus features a 15.6-inch 2560x1440 display. Gigabyte markets it as a “Thin Bezel” frame, but this is somewhat of a stretch. The sides are relatively small, but the top and chin are quite large. The top bezel houses a large camera array, supporting Windows Hello sign-in. However, the webcam's performance is lacklustre in less-than-ideal lighting conditions, producing images that are often darker than they should be.

The Aorus features an appealingly large glass touchpad, reminiscent of the MacBook's best-in-class touchpad. For many tasks, it makes a mouse nonessential. However, if you prefer a tactile click over a touch click, you may find the touchpad's inconsistency frustrating. It requires a deep press to register reliably, which can lead to missed clicks.

The keyboard, while better than the touchpad, is still a bit mushy. The keys on the right side feel different from those on the left, with the left side having a bit of give under the keyboard, while the right feels firm. This inconsistency can be distracting during extended typing sessions.

Also read: Gigabyte launches new gaming laptops from the Aorus, Aero, and G5 Series

Gigabyte Aorus 15 Review: Display Performance

Gigabyte has done a fantastic job in calibrating the Aorus 15's display. It features a 1440p 165Hz refresh rate IPS LCD panel in a more conventional 16:9 aspect ratio. The screen has all the essentials of a good display. First and foremost, the display has a matte finish and a peak brightness of 315nits. This combination makes the laptop very adept for indoor usage, especially where there are a lot of overhanging lights. 

Moreover, the laptop also has 100% sRGB and 99% DCI P3 coverage as well. Thus allowing you to enjoy content on the web and HDR content with a wide gamut of colours. Moreover, the average Delta E value for the Aorus 15's display is pretty good as well. At 3.8, the Delta E doesn't make this display colour accurate technically but it serves its primary purpose well enough which is playing games.

Gigabyte Aorus 15 Review: Gaming And Performance 

The laptop's internals are impressive, with 16GB DDR5 48000MHZ SODIMM memory (upgradable to 64GB), and a terabyte of NVMe storage for the OS drive. The Aorus has plenty of fan vents to keep its powerful components cool, with most of the heat being expelled from the rear exhaust. This design choice adds about an inch of overhang to the laptop, but it's a small price to pay for effective cooling.

While gaming, the Aorus 15 is a powerhouse. It's capable of running games at 60+fps on Ultra settings. Titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider easily delivered over 150 FPS at 1080p high settings without DLSS. Proving the raw power of the RTX 4070. Meanwhile, the Intel Core i7-13700H's performance is also praiseworthy, thanks to the Aorus 15's awesome cooling system. The mere 300-point drop in scores during a Cinebench R23 test is a great example of this system's real-world performance. For reference, usually, the drop in performance is around 800-1000 points.

When it comes to real-world gaming performance, The Gigabyte Aorus 15 easily beats out the other 4070 laptops in this category. The QHD Display is stunning, with high contrast and vibrant colours. The 165hz refresh rate ensures smooth gameplay, and even during intense gaming sessions, there was no noticeable longing for a faster refresh rate. However, the fan noise becomes quite noticeable during gaming sessions, and the laptop's speakers are not powerful enough to drown it out.

During day-to-day usage, the Aorus stays quiet. The fan noise isn't noticeable while watching videos, browsing the internet, or performing other mundane tasks. But as soon as you start a game, it's an entirely different story. The fans get loud, and it doesn't matter if you're playing a less demanding game or a high-end title. The battery life in everyday usage is around 4.5 hours under normal conditions. However, the battery reduces to just 67 minutes. 

Also read: Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master Review: Geared to power Intel’s 8-core beast

Verdict 

In conclusion, the Gigabyte Aorus 15 is a gaming laptop that offers a lot of power at a competitive price. Its understated design may appeal to those who prefer a more professional aesthetic, while its powerful internals will satisfy most gamers' performance needs. The Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and 13th-Gen Intel Core i7 make for a potent combination, capable of running most games at high settings with impressive frame rates.

However, the Aorus 15 is not without its flaws. The touchpad's inconsistency and the keyboard's slightly mushy feel can be frustrating during extended use. The laptop's speakers are also underwhelming, and the fan noise can be quite noticeable during gaming sessions. Additionally, the battery life is relatively short, particularly during gaming.

Despite these shortcomings, the Aorus 15's gaming performance is undeniably impressive. For gamers seeking a powerful laptop at a reasonable price, the Aorus 15 is a solid choice. But if you’re also looking for a gaming machine that can double up as a work laptop, then Aorus 15 does not fit the bill, due to its average keyboard and trackpad combination. If you're looking for another value-for-money laptop in this price range then the Acer Predator Helios Neo and the Lenovo Legion 5i can be a great choice.

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iQOO Z8 5G to arrive with Mediatek Dimensity 8200 SoC as per Geekbench listing

Nipun Marya, CEO of iQOO India, has confirmed the iQOO Z7 Pro through a tweet recently, where shared some renders of the smartphone. Following that, we got another new iQOO smartphone news. MySmartPrice has spotted a new smartphone on Geekbench. The moniker it shows is Vivo V2314A. The speculations are that this smartphone is iQOO Z8 5G. The benchmark website reveals the processor, RAM and operating system of the smartphone.

The iQOO Z8 5G, most likely to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chipset because the listing revealed that this chipset will have a 1+3+4 core configuration with up to 3.10GHz peak frequency. In addition to that, the Geekbench listing also revealed the presence of 12GB of RAM. The iQOO Z8 5G is rumoured to be powered by Android 13 and is expected to feature the OriginOS skin as usual.

Also read: iQOO working on interesting smartphone innovations for 2023, says India CEO Nipun Marya

According to the Geekbench 6 benchmark test, the iQOO Z8 5G achieved a single-core score of 1273 points and a multi-core score of 4011 points. The smartphone is expected to be powered by a MediaTek chipset with a k6895v1_64 motherboard and Mali G610 GPU. 

As the iQOO Z7 Pro 5G has been officially announced, we can expect the iQOO Z8 5G to launch once the Z7 Pro 5G is out. However, the speculations are that the launch of iQOO Z8 5G will happen in this month only. 

Also read: iQOO Z8 leaks: Will switch to LCD display from AMOLED be a good move?

Previously another leak surfaced on the internet which suggested the LCD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate in the iQOO Z8 5G. Along with this, a 5000mAh battery is also expected in the smartphone with the support of up to 120-watt fast charging.

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5 discounted smartwatches selling under 5000 in Amazon Great Freedom Festival 2023

Amazon is hosting its Great Freedom Festival 2023 sale to celebrate India’s Independence Day. It started on August 4 and will continue until August 8. During the sale, Amazon is offering great discounts on various electronics and gadgets including smartwatches. If you're in the market for a budget-friendly smartwatch, now is the perfect time. Check out these 5 top smartwatch picks you shouldn't miss considering during the Amazon Freedom Day Sale.

Fire-Boltt Ninja Call Pro Plus

The Fire-Boltt Ninja Call Pro Plus was launched in India at a price of ₹1,398. Now it is available for ₹1,297. 

It comes with a 1.87-inch HD display. It can run up to 8 days on a single charge, Fire-Boltt claimed. It comes with such features like SpO2 tracker, heart rate tracker, notifications from social media platforms, call notifications and sports tracking. 

Buy the Fire-Boltt Ninja Call Pro Plus

Also read: 5 gaming laptops starting at ₹53,000 in Amazon Great Freedom Festival 2023 sale

  Noise ColorFit Vivid Call

The Noise ColorFit Vivid Call is available on Amazon at a price of ₹1,199. It can be bought from the sale with a steal of ₹200. However, the MRP listed on Amazon is ₹4,999. 

It features a 1.69-inch display. The smartwatch comes with features like bluetooth calling, Blood oxygen monitor, Sleep monitor & 24x7 heart rate monitor, AI voice assistant. It is packed with a 260mAh battery which can be charged in two hours. 

Buy the Noise ColorFit Vivid Call

Boat Wave Leap Call

Boat Wave Leap Call can be purchased with a discount of ₹200. It was launched at a price of ₹1,499 but available on Amazon at just ₹1,200. 

It is equipped with a 1.83-inch HD Display. The smartwatch features an oxygen tracker, heart rate monitor, bluetooth calling and dial pad.

Buy the Boat Wave Leap Call

AmazFit Bip U Pro

The AmazFit Bip U Pro is available at a discounted price of ₹3,799. The smartwatch was launched in India at a price of ₹4,999. So you are getting a good ₹1,200 steal on this smartwatch. 

It has a 1.43-inch display and apart from that it comes with SpO2, Built-in GPS, Built-in Alexa, Sleep and Stress Monitor. 

Buy the AmazFit Bip U Pro

Also read: Amazon Great Freedom Festival Sale 2023: Save the most on these TV offers

Boat Xtend

The Boat Xtend is listed on Amazon at a discounted price of ₹1,797. The original price of this smartwatch is ₹3,499. 

It comes with a 1.69-inch HD display and features Stress Monitor, Heart & SpO2 monitoring, 14 sports modes, Sleep Monitor and up to 7 days of battery life on a single charge.

Buy the Boat Xtend

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OnePlus Nord CE3 5G Review: Well-balanced mid-ranger, but nothing extraordinary

After spending a week with the OnePlus Nord CE3 5G, I can confidently say that the phone is a well-rounded mid-ranger that ticks many boxes. It has excellent battery life, super fast charging, good performance, an impressive primary camera, and an immersive display. However, the OnePlus Nord CE3 5G never once completely floored me with its performance.

The OnePlus Nord CE series of smartphones has been a popular choice for users since its launch. It benefits from the trust in OnePlus as an OEM, it is always a cheaper option when compared to the Nord series, and these smartphones often don’t sacrifice too many features to cut down costs. The OnePlus Nord CE3 5G is priced at ₹26,999, a sweet spot in the price-conscious Indian market, servicing users who want a performance champ without breaking the bank. However, competition in this price segment is rife. 

So, even though the OnePlus Nord CE3 brings numerous improvements compared to its predecessor, fierce competition in the mid-range segment may diminish its popularity. It competes with options such as the Realme 11 Pro+ (review), Samsung Galaxy F54 (review), Moto Edge 40 (review), POCO F5 (review), and iQOO Neo 7 (review) – all of which inhabit the ₹25K-₹30K price segment. Does the Nord CE3 shine amongst these competitors, or does it fade out of view? Let’s find out.

OnePlus Nord CE3 5G Review: Build and Design

All of the 2023 lineup of OnePlus Nord phones look strikingly similar. From the ₹19,999 OnePlus Nord CE3 Lite (review) to the ₹33,999 OnePlus Nord 3 (review) – one would find it difficult to distinguish between these phones at first glance. While all three look similar, do not mistake this for a glass rear panel like the Nord 3. The Nord CE3 Lite comes with a polycarbonate back panel in two colourways – Aqua Surge and Gray Shimmer. The former is a glossy design while the latter sports a more metallic look. I got the former for review.

The glossy back picks up a lot of fingerprints and smudges and just looks cheap when compared to the likes of the gorgeous Motorola Moto Edge 40 and the Realme 11 Pro+ with their premium leather backs. The buttons on the sides are nice and tactile and the flat display has slim bezels, but overall, this doesn’t compete against the new grain of mid-range smartphones that come with elevated build and design for the price.

The phone’s rear panel has rounded edges which is comfortable to hold, but the back panel is a bit too slippery. Thankfully, OnePlus has provided a stellar-looking case in the retail box. Alongside an 80 W SUPERVOOC charger with the iconic red cable. The Nord CE3 is heavier than the CE2 at 184 g, but the weight is well-distributed. There’s even an optical under-display fingerprint sensor included that works decently well. The phone is rated IP54 but once again, the Moto Edge 40 has it beat with an IP68 rating.

There’s no fatal flaw in the build of the OnePlus Nord CE3 5G, but there’s nothing that stands out as well. 

OnePlus Nord CE3 5G Review: Display

If I had to applaud some aspects of the OnePlus Nord CE3, the display would definitely be one of them alongside the battery (which I will talk about later). The phone houses a 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED panel with a Full HD+ resolution and a 20.1:9 aspect ratio. There’s 120 Hz refresh rate, 2160 Hz PWM dimming, 10-bit colour depth, and HDR10+ support, making this a very capable display.

The display looks stunning with good colour reproduction, solid levels of detail, and fantastic viewing angles. HDR content on YouTube looks stellar, but unfortunately, Netflix doesn’t identify the screen as being HDR-capable. The phone’s display is also very bright; I recorded 948 nits of peak brightness outdoors on Auto-Brightness. So, you shouldn’t face any sunlight screen legibility issues as the display is plenty bright for outdoor viewing. 

The 120 Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling when you’re searching for apps or settings. Oddly, apps such as YouTube and Chrome default to 60 Hz when scrolling which can appear rather janky after the smooth scrolling experience in the UI. I hope OnePlus can fix this issue via an OTA update, but I am not keeping my hopes high since the same issue was present in the Nord 3.

Nevertheless, the content consumption experience is great coupled with the Dolby Atmos-enabled stereo speakers. These speakers sounded full, warm and got pretty loud, which is definitely an above-average performance at this price.

OnePlus Nord CE3 5G Review: Performance

Mid-range smartphones in 2023 are giving flagships a run for their money, so the OnePlus Nord CE3 has a lot to prove in that regard. Long story short, it performed well, but it is nothing exceptional. The OnePlus Nord CE3 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 782G chipset (which is a slightly improved Snapdragon 778G+ SoC). My review unit came packing 12 GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage, with an option to expand it via microSD card. There’s also the RAM Expansion feature that sets aside a predetermined portion of your internal storage as Virtual RAM, allowing for slightly better multitasking abilities.

In benchmarks, the OnePlus Nord CE3 performed admirably well, but it never astounded us as some of the latest mid-rangers did. We’re talking about the likes of the iQOO Neo 7 and the POCO F5 which only cost a few thousand bucks more, but offer performance that’s truly a class apart. The OnePlus Nord CE3, on the other hand, offers reliable performance across the board. In AnTuTu, the phone scored 6,50,000+ but it was soundly beaten by the iQOO Neo 7 and POCO F5. In GeekBench, we saw the POCO F5 beat the OnePlus Nord CE3 in both Single Core and Multi-Core tests. The performance was comparable to that of the Realme 11 Pro+ and Samsung Galaxy F54. 

In GPU benchmarks, The Moto Edge 40 and iQOO Neo 7 blow past the OnePlus Nord CE3 while the Realme 11 Pro+ and Samsung Galaxy F54 perform about the same. So, benchmarks put the OnePlus Nord CE3 around the middle of the pack in the sub-₹30K range. Real-world performance tells the same story. The phone is smooth and fluid when performing basic tasks such as texting, calling, social media, web browsing, and more. Gaming is mostly lag-free, but the phone did heat up after about 20 minutes of playing Call of Duty: Mobile and I faced a couple of frame drops. 

We also ran the CPU Throttling Test to see how the phone performs under sustained workloads and the OnePlus Nord CE3 throttled to 77 per cent of its peak performance in 15 minutes. Not the best result, once again.

Overall, the performance of the OnePlus Nord CE3 5G will never leave you disappointed, but it is not a performance monster like some of the recent mid-rangers have proved to be. If you’re looking for a fluid phone under ₹30K, this is a good choice. However, for pure, unadulterated performance for gaming or other intensive tasks, maybe look at the POCO F5 or iQOO Neo 7 instead.

Moving on to software, the OnePlus Nord CE3 runs Oxygen OS 13.1 on top of Android 13. OnePlus promises 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security updates, which yet again, lies in the middle of the pack – not the best in business, but decent. OxygenOS 13.1 is feature-rich and highly customisable, there’s a lot of character and it is veering closer towards ColorOS than ever before, but it is pleasant to use. Surprisingly though, there’s not a lot of bloatware and barely any ads at all.

OnePlus Nord CE3 5G Review: Camera

The OnePlus Nord CE3 houses a triple camera setup consisting of the popular Sony IMX890 50 MP primary camera, an 8 MP ultrawide shooter, and a 2 MP macro lens. The main camera provides excellent pictures in ideal lighting with good dynamic range and detail. There’s a bit of extra contrast added at times and skin tones are not the most accurate, but most photos look pleasing to the eye. Here are some camera samples; do note they've been compressed for the web:

Portrait shots look good as well with decent edge detection and good colour. Human skin tones could be tuned a bit better though. The 8 MP ultrawide shooter is mediocre – it takes a serious hit when it comes to detail and dynamic range. The 2 MP macro lens is decent and clicks some usable shots.

Low light imagery is impressive from the OnePlus Nord CE3’s primary camera. Noise and grain are kept to a minimum and the detail and colour are quite stunning for a sub-₹30K phone. There’s also a 16 MP selfie camera that clicks vivid and detailed shots in ideal lighting; you get nice-looking portrait shots as well but low light performance isn’t great.

OnePlus Nord CE3 5G Review: Battery life

Sporting a large 5,000 mAh battery, the OnePlus Nord CE3 5G has long-lasting battery life. Coupled with the power-efficient Snapdragon 782G chipset, the phone has more than enough juice to last most users one whole day without a hitch. My day consisted of benchmarking, clicking pictures, shooting 4K videos, watching OTT content, and using Google Maps, and the phone still managed to preserve 21 per cent of its battery capacity by 10 PM that day.

In our video loop test, the OnePlus Nord CE3 lasted a whopping 16 hours from 100-0 per cent, which is fantastic. Moreover, the 80 W SUPERVOOC charging tops up the smartphone from empty to full in just 32 minutes! There’s no wireless charging support though.

OnePlus Nord CE3 5G Review: Verdict 

After spending a week with the OnePlus Nord CE3 5G, I can confidently say that the phone is a well-rounded mid-ranger that ticks many boxes. It has excellent battery life, super fast charging, good performance, an impressive primary camera, and an immersive display. However, the OnePlus Nord CE3 5G never once completely floored me with its performance. Neither does it match up to the performance champs of the mid-range segment nor does it impress with its build and design. It hovers in the middle, providing a safe and reliable option for the masses. I’d suggest you consider the Moto Edge 40 if you’re looking for far superior build quality though. And for faster performance, the iQOO Neo 7 is a no-brainer in the sub-₹30,000 price segment.

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