Upcoming OnePlus Nord Series Phone Looks Like A Rebadged Realme 9 Pro

It was a busy week for OnePlus fans across the globe, as the company's 2022 flagship smartphone — the OnePlus 10 Pro — is finally on sale. Now that OnePlus has taken care of its most important launch for this year, the company can finally turn its attention to the rest of its portfolio — particularly the mid-range Nord series. We have been hearing a lot of buzz about an upcoming smartphone called the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite over the past couple of weeks. The folks at 91Mobiles were the first to talk about the device, which was supposed to be a toned-down variant of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 launched a few weeks ago in select global markets.

Today, we have a few more updates about the Nord CE 2 Lite, thanks to famous leaker Yogesh Brar who shared the model's alleged specifications on his Twitter account. More importantly, Yogesh also posted the first-ever render of the smartphone he claims is the Nord CE 2 Lite.

The image shared by Yogesh shows a phone that is markedly different from one posted by 91Mobiles two weeks ago. The new photos showcase a device that shares several design cues with the OnePlus Nord CE 2. Upon closer inspection, though, it becomes evident the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite has an uncanny resemblance to the Realme 9 Pro. And as you would soon find out, the resemblance isn't just limited to the design language but also extends to most of the hardware specifications — albeit with some notable exceptions. 

After carefully going through the purported specs of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite, it seems the only differences between the Nord CE 2 Lite and the Realme 9 Pro are the following:

• The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite loses out on an ultra-wide-angle camera and uses twin 2MP sensors for depth and macros.
• The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite runs OxygenOS instead of Realme UI.
• The color options for both phones will almost certainly vary.

As for the rest of the specs, Yogesh claims the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite will feature a 6.58-inch IPS LCD panel that supports FHD+ resolution. Like the Realme 9 Pro, it will reportedly use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset with support for up to 128GB of storage. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite could be offered in 6GB and 8GB RAM options, as well. The 64MP primary camera used on the Realme 9 Pro is carried over to the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite. What has not been carried over, however, is its 8MP ultrawide camera. At the front, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite could get the same 16MP sensor used on the Realme 9 Pro instead, though that's yet to be seen.

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is expected to pack a 5,000 mAh battery that will support 33W fast charging just like the Realme 9 Pro. As mentioned in our previous report on the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite, the device will not get OnePlus' traditional alert slider. Aside from sporting a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, previous reports have discussed the likelihood of OnePlus retaining the 3.5mm audio jack on the upcoming phone.