When OnePlus was first released a decade back, it stood out from the crowds for being a flagship killer aka a device that offers top-end specs at a price affordable by the masses. However, over the course of time, there was a slow yet noticeable rise in the price of its device, thereby making it slightly deviate from its USP. This is when it decided to launch the Nord series, which again brought back the original DNA of the OEM.
Its first iteration managed to grab everyone’s attention, again thanks to its ability to incorporate tons of features without burning a hole in your pockets. However, the Nord series didn’t manage to pick up the pace that its parent company managed to achieve.
As a result of which, it went on a downward spiral and looked like it was going into oblivion. This is when the fourth iteration of Nord arrived. And there are high chances that it might give a new lease of life to the Nord series. Read on our in-depth coverage to know why the Nord 4 might prove to be a fresh breather and where it could have further polished the edges.
Nord 4 Specs Sheet
Before diving deep into the review of the newest addition to the Nord family, let’s first make you aware of the specs that it beholds.
DISPLAY | Type | Fluid AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2150 nits (peak) |
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Size | 6.74 inches, 109.7 cm2 (~90.0% screen-to-body ratio) | |
Resolution | 1240 x 2772 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~450 ppi density) | |
Ultra HDR image support |
PLATFORM | OS | Android 14, OxygenOS 14.1, up to 4 major Android upgrades |
---|---|---|
Chipset | Qualcomm SM7675 Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 (4 nm) | |
CPU | Octa-core (1×2.8 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4×2.6 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3×1.9 GHz Cortex-A520) | |
GPU | Adreno 732 |
MEMORY | Card slot | No |
---|---|---|
Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM | |
UFS 3.1 – 128GB only UFS 4.0 |
MAIN CAMERA | Dual | 50 MP, f/1.8, 25mm (wide), 1/1.95″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm |
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Features | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | |
Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
SELFIE CAMERA | Single | 16 MP, f/2.4, 24mm (wide), 1.0µm |
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Features | Panorama | |
Video | 1080p@30fps |
SOUND | Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers |
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3.5mm jack | No |
COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
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Bluetooth | 5.4, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, LHDC | |
Positioning | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS | |
NFC | Yes | |
Infrared port | Yes | |
Radio | No | |
USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
FEATURES | Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
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BATTERY | Type | 5500 mAh, non-removable |
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Charging | 100W wired, PPS, 100% in 28 min (advertised) |
OnePlus Nord 4: What’s Good
A device making a comeback after ages will surely have plenty to boast about. And that is indeed the case with the latest Nord device as well. Whether it’s the design, display, camera, chipset, gaming experience, battery, and the update cycle, it seems to have checked most of these aspects in quite some style. So without further ado, let’s have a look at how the device has excelled in all these departments.
Design
The OEM finally decided to bring back the metal design and it has been welcomed with open arms. This half-glass, half-metal design has always been quite popular among the masses ever since Google decided to incorporate the same in the Pixel 2 and we are now finally witnessing it in a OnePlus device as well. Moreover, the IP65 certificate for waterproof and dustproof further adds feathers to its caps.
Adding impressive thing worth mentioning is that on one hand, many OEMs are removing goodies from their box, but OnePlus seems to be adding more and more to it with each passing iteration. For instance, with the Nord 4, you get a 100 Watts SuperVOOC charging adapter, a Transparent silicon cover, and stickers eight out of the box. So much so for a budget device definitely deserves praise.
Display
The 6.74-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 2150 peak brightness seems to have done wonders for the device. Moreover, the Ultra HDR 10 image support is also something to look forward to.
Camera
The dual rear camera setup with 50MP wide and 8MP ultrawide lenses manages to take above-average photos and record decent videos. Optical Image Stabilization further helps in recording stabilized videos. The hidden gem came out to be the Night Mode which managed to take quite impressive clicks under low lighting conditions.
Chipset and RAM
The device comes with the latest Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. This when coupled with 8/12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 128 GB/256 GB storage makes up for a powerful device that should be able to handle resource-hungry tasks with ease. Talking about which, it was able to reach and stay at the peak refresh rate throughout the gameplay of COD, BGMI, and Genshin Impact, though the latter took the device to its extreme.
Battery
The device comes with a mammoth 5050mAh battery should be sufficient enough to take you through the entire day with ease. Moreover, the device even comes with a charging brick out of the box [which is a rarity nowadays]. The brick is 100W and could charge the device to 100% in just under 20 minutes!
OS Updates
This one has always been a debatable segment, ever since it decided to ditch its own OxygenOS in favor of the bloated ColorOS style [more on that latter]. With that said, the device comes with the latest OxygenOS 14.1 based on Android 14 and you are guaranteed 4 years of OS upgrades apart from 6 years of security updates, both of which are definitely a welcome move.
AI Tweaks
There has been a slew of nifty AI tweaks this time around, with the likes of AI Writer, AI Note Summary, AI Audio Summary, AI Linkboost, and a new BeaconLink. Do note that some of these features are still in the testing phase, so you might witness a hiccup or two in its usage until the next update is rolled out.
OnePlus Nord 4: Some Room for Improvements
While the device does have some impressive features to brag about, there is still some room for improvement in some of these departments. So let’s have a look at those domains.
Display
The 6.7-inch AMOLED display gave out over-saturated colors which although might checkmark the requirement for some of the users out there, wouldn’t be welcomed by the majority.
Camera
The sharpness gets lost when zoomed in, thereby resulting in the loss of image quality as well. Moreover, even the selfie mode leaves a lot to be desired. Furthermore, the Electronic image stabilization gave us quite a tough time when trying it out while recording a 4K video. And the 8MP ultra-wide is any good either. Do note that we tried out all the camera tests while the AI feature was disabled, because upon keeping it enabled, it only made the matter worse, at least when it came to images.
OS
With OxygenOS 12, OnePlus decided to ditch its in-house OnePlus and adopt Oppo’s ColorOS which is bloated up to the core. While the initial versions of oxygenOS were simply quite pathetic, to say the least, it seems to have recovered somewhat and has lowered the number of preinstalled apps/bloatware apps that will be present on your device.
You’ll get a total of 11 preinstalled, out of which you can skip 4 during setup.
Apart from that, there’s also a secondary app store [apart from Play Store], and similar to Xiaomi’s MIUI/HyperOS, each installation will first go through the scanning process, thereby resulting in unnecessary additional delay during the app installation process.
Not to mention the fact that there’s also a Lock Screen Magazine similar to how you get in Xiaomi. All these customizations might be way too much to digest for many, but if you are looking to get on an OnPlus device when you don’t have any other option to choose, apart from debloating your device to the core via ADB Commands.
Concluding Remakrs
What are your views about the newest addition to the OnePlus family? Does it deserve all the craze and hype that it is getting or is it overhyped there are much better options to choose from in this price range, which by the way is Rs. Do share your valuable opinion with us here in the comments section below.