Leaked OnePlus Nord CE 3 renders hint at a new design, reveal some impressive sp...

What you need to know

• The first OnePlus Nord CE 3 renders leaked online.
• They hint at a new design and reveal rumored specifications.
• It will likely come with a 120Hz display and a 5000mAh battery with 67W fast charging.

The first potential leak of the next mid-range device from OnePlus has surfaced on the web. It comes as the Nord CE 2 5G successor, released early this year.

The leak comes from Steve Hemmerstoffer, widely known as OnLeaks, in collaboration with 91Mobiles. It showcases the official renders of the alleged OnePlus Nord CE 3, which will likely hit stores in the first quarter of 2023. It means we may witness the launch sometime around February, similar to its predecessor, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G.

However, the new renders of the upcoming Nord CE 3 show us that it will look way different from the predecessor. As it appears, the forthcoming handset will feature more flat, squared-off edges instead of rounded ones like the Nord CE 2. It seems it will also equip a centered punch hole cutout for the selfie shooter as opposed to a corner cutout feature in just about every other OnePlus model with a cutout.

(Image credit: 91Mobiles)

On the rear, however, we might see two very prominent camera sensors accompanied by an LED flash. While the design of the alleged Nord C3 3 is not radically new, it is significant for the Nord series compared to earlier models.

According to the 91Mobiles report, the alleged renders are based on a prototype unit, but it should nearly match the final product, says Hemmerstoffer. This means users considering this product will have to consider this information with a grain of salt.

As for expected specifications, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 may feature a 6.7-inch IPS LCD display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. It could be a step up or down from the CE 2, which came with an OLED panel but with only a 90Hz refresh rate. The device is hinted to be powered by a Snapdragon 695 chipset coupled with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage, with OnePlus oddly skipping out on the newer Snapdragon 6 Gen 1. For authentication, the Nord CE 3 is said to be utilizing a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Other rumored specifications of the device look promising for a mid-range device. It includes a 108MP primary camera accompanied by a pair of 2MP lenses in the second camera housing. On the front, a 16MP selfie shooter could be housed in the punch hole cut out. The device is further expected to ship with Android 13 out of the box next to a 5000mAh battery with 67W fast charge support, like the predecessor.