The new OnePlus Nord CE 5G can beat the 108MP powered Mi 10i? Both the phones are up for a grand mid-range war in the ‘best phone under 25000’ category with some really good bunch of features. Mi 10i leads with the high-end 108MP camera sensor, while the Nord CE 5G topples it with an AMOLED display. Both the mid-range phones under Rs 25,000 come with the same budget 5G sensor, the Snapdragon 750G.
As far as the claims go, OnePlus says the new Nord CE has been built in line with what the Nord series stand for, the same OnePlus experience at an affordable price point. The CE in OnePlus Nord CE 5G stands for Core Edition.
Let’s checkout whether or not the OnePlus Nord CE 5G can beat Mi 10i to become the mid-range king.
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OnePlus Nord CE 5G vs Mi 10i 5 Point Comparison
Both Mi 10i and OnePlus Nord CE 5G have some really good features onboard.
Let’s see which one wins it here.
Display, Design: AMOLED Better?
The new Nord phone features a 6.43-inch AMOLED display offering a screen resolution of 1080×2400 pixels and 410 PPI pixel density. The display has a 20:9 aspect ratio with 90Hz refresh rate and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The display is good enough with very slim bezels on sides and a thin chin. The device is handy, and you won’t be disappointed with the display, though you may face some frame drops.
Coming to the design, the plastic build is a definite downgrade, but again it feels premium.
Mi 10i is slightly on the heavier side and as well large. The phone is quite big. Mi 10i has a full-HD+ LCD panel, and an AMOLED one. Though, Xiaomi is offering an adaptive refresh rate which can range from 30Hz to 120Hz depending on the content along with HDR10+.
Mi 10i has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ offering a screen resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels with a water drop-styled notch, NTSC 84 percent colour gamut, 450 nits peak brightness, and 1500:01 contrast ratio. The display is bright enough for everyday use with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. There’s smart eye protection features for Reading Mode 3.0, Sunlight Display 3.0, and TUV Rheinland certification.
Hardware, Gaming: Snapdragon 750G Making It Up?
Both OnePlus Nord CE 5G and Mi 10i are powered by the 8nm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC paired with Adreno 619 GPU. Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G is in line with Snapdragon 765G. It’s a mid-range chip offering an integrated Adreno 619 for graphics and a Snapdragon X52 5G modem. Coming to gaming and everyday use, both the mid-range phones will suit all your needs given other flagship devices.
The chip is powerful enough for your day to day tasks, and even for gaming.
We didn’t face any issues with multitasking or running through different apps at the same time on both the devices. The Snapdragon chip is quite good if you are looking for a daily driver without any hiccups to face. Mi 10i comes with upto 8GB RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage, while the Nord phone offers upto 256GB storage and 12GB RAM.
Cameras, Videography: 108MP Over 64MP?
In terms of optics, OnePlus Nord CE 5G features a triple camera array with a 64-megapixel primary sensor alongside EIS, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a mono-lens 2-megapixel sensor. It supports multi autofocus, a combination of PDAF and CAF. The 64MP Omnivision lens is not a bummer, neither something extraordinary. In good light, the pictures have enough details with almost accurate colours.
The wide-angle sensor lacks details, and is just above average. Don’t expect anything wonders with the camera, it’s just okay to sum up in short.
In comparison, Mi 10i comes with the HM2 108-megapixel primary. The Samsung HM2 sensor uses 9-in-1 pixel binning with an effective 12-megapixel resolution to full 108-megapixels. The quad camera setup has an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
Upfront Mi 10i has a single 16-megapixel selfie shooter in the top of the middle of the display. Rear camera features include six long exposure modes, HDR, Google Lens, night mode 2.0, Pro mode, panorama, raw mode, 4k video recording and more.
Software, Connectivity: The Good & Bad
OnePlus Nord CE 5G will run on OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11. OxygenOS is probably the only silver lining on the list of specifications. The company has promised two years of guaranteed software updates and three years of security updates. For connectivity, the OnePlus smartphone will support 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS GLONASS and NFC
There’s a 3.5mm audio jack making a comeback alongside a USB Type-C. Though OnePlus calls it a 5G phone, the device only supports one band of 5G compared to 12 bands on the European model.
Mi 10i also comes with 5G, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Coming to software, the device runs on MIUI 12 out of the box. There are a few additional changes as a reading mode, Game Turbo mode, video dashboard, Second Space for privacy, plus loads of UI customisations. The device has bloatware and you will see promotions from Xiaomi’s GetApps app store.
Battery, Fast Charging: Really Good!
OnePlus Nord CE 5G is backed by a sizable 4,500mAh battery with support for Warp 30T Plus fast charging. Just like the original Nord, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G can be juiced up to 70 percent in 30 minutes, a real deal breaker for the price here. OnePlus Nord CE 5G charging time is somewhat less than an hour, and the device does offer excellent battery backup.
Mi 10i is backed by a sizable 4,820mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. Xiaomi has claimed the device can be juiced up in just 30 minutes up to a 68 percent charge, and the phone goes from 0 to up to 100 percent battery in 58 minutes. You can easily run on for a day with heavy usage.
Mi 10i vs OnePlus Nord CE 5G: Best Phone Under 25000?
The only things to look out for on the new OnePlus Nord CE 5G are the battery and software, and with Mi 10i the display is better, while Mi 10i has a 108MP primary sensor. If you wish to experience OxygenOS at a mid-range pricing, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G isn’t a bad buy. But if you are looking for a over-all device with really good specifications, then there are other options to look out for including the Mi 10i
Mi 10i pricing is still okay, but the Nord CE 5G price in India is not justified. Given OnePlus Nord’s reputation, whether the base model costing Rs 22,999 will be available or not, remains a big question.
So, if you wish to shell out 25,000 bucks on a mid-range device like this only for the OnePlus branding and OxygenOS, it’s your call.
Mi 10i is priced sensibly. Under Rs 25,000, Mi 10i certainly is an option to look out for. Definitely not the best, but it’s really a value for money device given the pricing and features offered. Mi 10i does have a good set of specifications, a new design and the new 108MP sensor. Display remains a bummer.
Mi 10i price in India starts at Rs 20,999 for the 6GB RAM model with 64GB storage. The 128GB model with 6GB RAM will sell at Rs 21,999. The top-end model will cost Rs 23,999 for the 8GB RAM model with 128GB storage model. OnePlus Nord CE 5G starts at Rs 22,999 for the 6GB RAM model with 128GB storage, the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model costs Rs 24,999 and the 12GB RAM model with 256GB storage costs Rs 27,999.
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