When we think of the best Android experience with some great features, OnePlus emerges as one of the best brands to choose from. The brand has managed to steal one of the top spots in the smartphone market and it is safe to say that premium OnePlus phones like the OnePlus 12 are one of the best you can get. However these premium giants are not for all users and that is where the OnePlus Nord CE Lite enters. This is a phone series that aims to offer some flagship features but at a very affordable price. The latest in this series is the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G, this phone is made for those who want great features without breaking the bank – under Rs 20,000.

With a price starting at Rs 19,999, OnePlus positions the CE4 Lite as a budget phone that can deliver the true OnePlus experience but at more affordable prices. So, is it the best budget phone you can buy? Yes, almost. Sure, the phone comes with some cost-cutting measures to come in under Rs 20,000, but overall, the Nord CE4 Lite promises to give users the things that matter most: long battery life, a bright display, and good cameras. You can read our review of the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite here. We wrote: “The Nord CE4 Lite has a lot to offer. It has a really good AMOLED display, a big battery with fast charging, good speakers, and even a competent camera.” But we’ve also written some 1900 other words and if you’re short on time, here’s a quick rundown of why the CE4 Lite could be your next budget phone, and one reason why you might want to skip it.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite: 4 reasons to buy

— One of the best displays in this segment : The display is one of the biggest highlights of the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite. OnePlus has ditched the LCD display for its CE Lite series and there are good reasons behind it. Because now with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display and a 120Hz refresh rate, the CE4 Lite is offering the best display experience in the segment. The display shows vibrant colours and has a maximum brightness of 2100 nits, making it perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. While colours may seem a bit oversaturated at times, they are bright and immersive. In short, this is one of the best displays you can get under Rs 20,000.

— Battery lasts continuously: The CE4 Lite’s battery life is another big plus of this budget phone. It has a big 5500mAh battery that easily lasts a day and a half with regular use (including streaming and gaming). And when you need to charge back up, 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging gets you from 0 to 100 percent in about an hour. Plus, there’s a 5W reverse charging option to give your other devices a quick battery boost.

— Advanced photography with Sony LYT-600 sensor: The camera on the CE4 Lite has also been improved and now uses a primary 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600 sensor. The main camera is capable of giving you social media-worthy photos with ample details and rich colour. The photo samples are well-exposed photos, although details can be a bit inconsistent at times depending on the lighting. Still, compared to the CE3 Lite, the camera shows improvements. The portrait mode also offers good edge detection and background blur and delivers fairly good shots. When we talk about the front camera, the 16-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies also works well in bright conditions, although it struggles in low light. Bonus, OnePlus also offers some great editing features including its new AI Eraser.

— Audio boost for loud music: Budget phones often lack speakers, but that is not the case with the CE4 Lite. It comes with dual stereo speakers that deliver clear, crisp audio. Also, OnePlus has released an OTA update a few days ago that promises a 300 percent audio boost. In my usage, I found the Nord CE4 Lite speaker system to be great for entertainment, including watching videos, movies as well as casual gaming sessions.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite: 1 reason to skip it

Old chipset: While the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite really has a lot to offer, there is one disappointment and that is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, which, despite being capable, is an old processor. It’s not that the processor can’t manage the workload, but the company has used the same processor in the CE2 Lite and CE3 Lite. So, it would have been nice to see a performance upgrade with the 4th-generation CE. That said, the Snapdragon 695 isn’t bad at all. In our review, we found that the chipset handles day-to-day tasks with ease, including multitasking and a lot of media consumption, without any noticeable lag.