How to Install Custom ROM on OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G [GSI build]

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G finally launched in India with Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset and runs on Android 12 out of the box. The device sports an AI-backed triple rear camera unit headlined by a 64 MP main sensor and packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W SuperVOOC fast charging.

Well, If you are here, then you may probably want to install the Custom ROM on OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. As you read our title, yes we can guide you on installing the latest custom ROM on OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G based on GSI build.

When you buy a new phone, it comes with so-called stock ROM or stock firmware which basically means a pre-installed operating system. This ROM usually comes with some limited functionality defined by the OEM (phone manufacturer). Whereas a custom ROM is developed by using AOSP also known as Android Open Source Project. Yes, we all know that Android is open-source and therefore any developer can edit the code, or recompile it according to his or her need. You can read our complete article to understand the difference between Custom ROM and Stock ROM.

Flashing the ROM in OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is easy! All you need to do is follow the instructions carefully. If you are a newbie, then you need to understand that before flashing, you must unlock the bootloader on your OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. To unlock the bootloader, follow our guide on how to unlock the bootloader via fastboot mode on any Android device.

If you already unlocked the bootloader, then you can simply follow our guide to install the custom ROM on OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. Before that, let’s understand What is a GSI build.

What is GSI Stands for?

GSI stands for Generic system image which is an Android System image that can be used to replace the current installed Android version with a new one. It is a pure Android with an unmodified Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code. With Android 8.1, Google introduced the project treble support for many devices and now with Android 9.0 Pie, Google finally added the API level 28 to support Generic System Images to all app developers to install and run the latest Android GSIs on a variety of existing Android devices. To know more: Read here

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G Device Overview:

The Oneplus Nord CE 2 Lite features a 6.59-inch IPS LCD panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. It is an FHD+ panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2412 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Under the hood, we have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 built on a 6 nm manufacturing process. It is an octa-core processor with two Kryo 660 Gold cores clocked at 2.2 GHz and six Kryo 660 Silver cores clocked at 1.7 GHz. For handling the graphics-intensive tasks, we have the Adreno 619.

In terms of optics, we have a triple camera setup at the rear and a single camera at the front. The triple setup consists of a 64 MP primary sensor paired with an f/1.7, a 2 MP macro sensor paired with an f/2.4 lens, and a 2 MP depth sensor paired with an f/2.4 lens. At the front, we get a 16 MP selfie camera paired with an f/2.0 lens. Both the front and the rear setup are limited to 1080p video recording.

The smartphone is available in two storage options: 128GB internal storage + 6GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage + 8GB RAM. There is a MicroSD slot for storage expansion, but this is a hybrid slot that you cannot use if you insert two SIM cards inside the phone. In terms of communications, we get Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, and USB Type-C 2.0. And in terms of sensors, we have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass. Powering it all is a 5000 mAh cell that can be topped up quickly using a 33W charging adapter. The smartphone is available in two color options: Black Dusk and Blue Tide.

How to Install Custom ROM on OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G

To install, as we said, you need to unlock the bootloader and must have a TWRP (to install via a  device) or a PC (to install via Fastboot). Yes, there are two methods to install the custom ROM GSI on OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.

Pre-Requirements:

• This guide is for OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G.
• You will require to unlock the device bootloader at first
• ARM, ARM64, or x86: Check your Android Phone’s Processor
• Treble Support: Check If Your Smartphone Supports Project Treble
• Download the required file and Supported the GApps file from below.
• Keep your device battery charged up to 60% at least for a smoother process.
• Take a complete backup of your device data without Root. In case anything goes wrong, you can easily restore all the data.
• Download and install OnePlus USB Drivers
• For adb method: Download ADB and Fastboot tool
• For TWRP Method: Download and Install TWRP Recovery on OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G

Download Links:

• AOSP Quack Phh-Treble: Download
• LineageOS 19.1Download – If broken link, check the official forum
• Pixel Experience 12 GSI: Download

Install via TWRP Recovery:

1. To install via TWRP, you need to factory reset your device using TWRP
2. Go into the Wipe option and Swipe to Factory Reset.
3. Transfer the GSI build to your OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G using a USB Cable.
4. Once you have moved, you can remove your USB cable.
5. In your TWRP, tap on the install button –> Change type to Install Image and find the GSI you have moved in the 3rd step.
6. Confirm the flash by choosing the system partition
7. Once it is done, you can reboot your device and wait for a few minutes to boot up.

Flash via Fastboot

1. First, do the factory reset on OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. There are two methods to do it, follow anyone.
   • Factory Reset When Powered On: To install without TWRP, you have to factory reset using your Umdigi A7 Pro factory reset option.
   • Factory Reset via Stock Recovery: Reboot your OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G into stock recovery using a button combination or ADB command.

     adb reboot recovery

   • In your Stock Recovery, navigate using the Volume UP and DOWN button.
2. Make sure to extract the downloaded GSI build.
3. After resetting the factory ROM, you can now boot your device into bootloader mode using adb command adb reboot bootloader.
4. Now open the extracted folder of GSI build, there, now open the command prompt window by holding the SHIFT KEY and Right Mouse click.
5. In your command window, enter the command fastboot erase system
6. To flash the system image, enter a command in the following format: fastboot -u flash system name_of_system.img
7. Wait for the image to flash, it could take a few minutes. Once it has been completed, reboot your device either manually via power key or by entering fastboot reboot and wait for a few minutes to boot up.

We hope that this guide is helpful to you and you have successfully installed the Custom ROM on your OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G handset easily. If in case anything goes wrong or if you have any queries, feel free to ask in the comments below.

Credits to all the developer from XDA forum and 4PDA forum