With the cost of living rising, even tech geeks have less to spend on their favourite gadgets, and you don’t need to shell out for a flagship model to get some of the coolest new features.
Android manufacturers like Samsung and OnePlus have been raising their game with their more affordable, mid and budget-range phones that leave the pricier Apple iPhones in the dust.
Samsung’s A series have been a staple of the midrange landscape since 2014. Meanwhile, challenger OnePlus is best known for creating affordable phones that push the envelope by including some incredible top-tier tech while maintaining a low cost.
These more modestly priced options are now featuring the latest tech that you would normally only see in cutting-edge flagship phones like 120Hz displays, and 5G connectivity as well as improved performance and powerful graphical capabilities for gaming.
Samsung's A54 was released last month and offers respectable if modest upgrades on its predecessor but is on the upper end of the mid-range budget at £449.
The OnePlus Nord CE3 Lite 5G might be a mouthful of a name but this is also a successor and the Chinese tech firm has crammed in some very impressive features while also beating Samsung on price with this new phone costing just £299.
CPU
First, the battle of the brains of these smartphones, with Samsung Using their own Exynos 1380 and the OnePlus Snapdragon 695.
While it’s not cut and dried, the Samsung chip does overall come out on top making it better for gaming but not really affecting day-to-day use.
Screen
Display dominance unsurprisingly goes to the A53 as Samsung is known for its screens. While both have 120Hz displays, the Nord can’t compare to the A54 has that glossy, bright AMOLED sharper screen which is also protected by Gorilla Glass 5.
Battery
Both phones feature an impressive 5000mAh battery but OnePlus wins the race here with its 67W fast charging that can see the Nord fully charged in just over 40 mins compared to the Samsung 25W fast charging which also doesn’t come included with the phone.
Camera
Camera wise the Nord features a very high resolution 108 MP camera with 3x zoom and a basic 2 MP Macro sensor.
While the Samsung A54 features a balanced three-camera approach including a 50 MP main, a 12 MP Wide angle and a 5 MP Macro.
The Samsung is more versatile while the OnePlus will capture higher resolution and more detailed shots which could be preferred depending on what you use your camera for.
Full specs below
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G
CPU: Snapdragon 695 5G chipset
Display: 120Hz, 6.72 inch LCD, 2400 x 1080 pixels
Battery: 5000mAh, 67W charging
Camera: 108MP, 2MP
Memory: 128 Storage 8 GB RAM
Cost - £299
Samsung A54
CPU: Samsung Exynos 1380
Display: 120Hz 6.4 inch Super AMOLED, 2340 x 1080
Battery: 5000mAh, 25W charging (not provided)
Camera: 50.0MP, 12.0MP, 5.0MP
Memory: 128 Storage 8 GB RAM
Cost: £449
Price
Overall it’s both phones are neck and neck with each slightly outperforming the other on certain features, and ultimately it depends on what you want to use the phone for, if you want a nicer screen as well as slightly more graphical oomph and storage Samsung is your best bet.
However, the average user won’t notice much difference in performance and the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is £149 cheaper which can’t be overlooked.
Other options?
There are other low-cost options from both companies with Samsung offering the A34, A23 and A13 with Oneplus offering the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite for £199. While Apple’s lowest-priced up-to-date alternative is the iPhone SE for £449.
The OnePlus Nord CE3 Lite is available from the OnePlus website and the Samsung A54 is can be purchased from Samsung's site.
