OnePlus Nord 4: A Competitive Mid-Range Smartphone with Impressive Features

OnePlus Nord 4 Review - Pros and cons, Verdict | 91Mobiles

OnePlus is taking a leaf out of its old playbook for the latest Nord 4, and I am all in for this throwback. The new Nord smartphone marks the return of an all-metal body, which the company introduced on the OnePlus 5 (review) in 2017. As you'd expect, the metal design is much sturdier, and dare I say unique, in a segment where almost all smartphones use a mix of polycarbonate and glass materials. Apart from this, the OnePlus Nord 4 carries a bigger battery, draws power from a new Qualcomm chipset, and offers AI features to keep up with the trend. Do all these upgrades make it worthwhile? Let's find out. There's no doubt the Nord 4 is the most refined Nord smartphone ever, and it may even feel slightly more premium than the OnePlus 12R (review). The new Qualcomm chipset, metal body, and solid battery backup definitely give it an edge. Its camera performance is reliable, though OnePlus may want to add new AI features. The dual-tone finish may raise some eyebrows, and in that case, you can go with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro (review). As I mentioned, the Nord 4 rocks a metal body, and OnePlus has almost nailed it. Despite its sturdy build, the smartphone boasts a slim design and doesn't feel overwhelmingly heavy. Mind you, this is after adding a much chunkier 5,500mAh battery. It also receives a much-improved IP rating (IP65) for protection against dust and water over OnePlus Nord 3's IP54 rating. There are phones in the segment with an IP68 rating, but this is a step in the right direction. However, its dual-tone design can be polarising. I can understand the brand's design decision to stay edgy, which is at least the case with the Oasis Green colour unit I am reviewing. I like the Mercurial Silver the best as it even complements the metal design. Many users may prefer the Obsidian Midnight variant due to its subtle finish. Maybe OnePlus can explore a white-coloured variant in the future, depending upon Nord 4's general reception. Apart from the standard ports and buttons we're used to seeing on top-tier Nord smartphones, there's been a new addition. IR Blasters have become common on new OnePlus smartphones since the OnePlus Open (review) launch last year, and there's one on the Nord 4 as well. I appreciate this addition as I can control almost everything at home (TV, projector, and ACs) directly with the smartphone. There could be some compatibility issues if your home appliances are outdated. The display experience on the Nord 4 is more or less similar to last year's Nord 3 with some nifty upgrades. The new model gets ProXDR support with select apps (mainly Photos) for an ultra-HDR viewing experience. There's Aqua Touch support, which I enjoyed using in all of this year's OnePlus smartphones. Sadly, the display protection remains sub-standard (Panda Glass), while competitors have started offering Gorilla Glass Victus in the range. Otherwise, the display continues to offer a 2,772 x 1,240-pixel resolution, adaptive refresh rates (up to 120Hz), and the same 93.5 percent screen-to-body-ratio. I don't mind the same display specifications as long as the viewing experience remains uncompromised, which rarely does. That means all OnePlus devices (Nord and non-Nord series) of 2024 now have an AMOLED panel for a punchier viewing experience. For our display test, I compared the Nord 4 against Realme GT 6T (review) and Motorola Edge 50 Pro. The Realme GT 6T remains the undisputed leader in the segment for offering the best brightness indoors and outdoors, maybe even a notch better than the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. You can check out that display test on our Instagram (and maybe follow if you don't do that already). In terms of colour reproduction, I found the Nord 4 to be the best among the two devices. During my tests, which involved playing YouTube videos in full HD resolution, the Nord 4 excelled. It's worth noting that while there's HDR playback support, the feature remains unavailable on Netflix at the time of writing. The biggest similarity among this year's Nord smartphones, and the primary differentiator from the top-end numbered series, lies in the camera. The Nord 4 carries the same camera system as the Nord CE4 (review). While the latter performed adequately in our review, customer expectations in the sub-Rs 35K segment have been sky-high with the introduction of telephoto cameras by Realme. The OnePlus Nord 4's camera specifications are modest at best. The back includes a 50MP OIS camera (Sony LYT-600 sensor) and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. The front has a 16MP selfie shooter. Daylight The overall camera experience on the OnePlus Nord 4 may feel snappier due to a more powerful processor, but there's not a substantial difference in the output compared to the Nord CE4. Images in daylight continue to feature a natural finesse with a slight degree of high contrast for a more dramatic approach. Most colours will look natural and close to the actual scene. I compared the camera performance against the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, and there's a visible difference in the overall brightness and colour reproduction. For instance, the Edge 50 Pro typically boosts green and blue spots for aesthetic appeal. The same can be achieved on the Nord 4 via the native editing app. It depends on your preference. Otherwise, both smartphones excel at capturing details while minimising noise levels. The portrait shots also look good, and in my case, the phone has managed to detect the complexion accurately. Facial details are still not the best. Ultra-wide You will notice a colour consistency between the primary and ultra-wide cameras in most cases. However, the Nord 4 tends to add a warm layer for outputs with the ultra-wide lens. Details remain decent, if not the best. The Edge 50 Pro exhibited a similar camera performance as you will notice both images are nearly identical. You can argue Moto turns out to be more versatile as its ultra-wide camera doubles as a macro camera. Selfie Selfie shots with portrait mode look much more natural than those taken with the primary camera. A simple point-and-shoot image may appear a little dull, but this is easily fixable by adjusting the brightness. In that case, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro performs relatively better. I compared the same shot with the Realme GT 6T, and the Nord 4 did a significantly better job with edge detection and skin complexion. Low light I was mostly pleased with photos in dim conditions, which was also the case with Nord CE4. That's also because the Nord 4 increases exposure time by default to capture more light. However, in extremely dim conditions, things can get very tricky. Even enabling night mode does not offer a big relief. To be fair, that's a setback with most smartphones in this range. You will notice Nord 4 performing relatively better than the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, but the difference isn't substantial. Video Video performance on the Nord 4 is decent and there is support for 4K recording at 30fps. However, stability isn't always the best and you may notice some jitters. Additionally, the front camera only allows full HD recording at 30fps. Therefore, upcoming creators may want to increase their budget and probably consider a Realme GT 6T. For serious content creators, iPhones remain the best for video in any segment. In many ways, the Nord 4 feels more premium than the pricier OnePlus 12R. Its top 256GB variant utilises the faster UFS 4.0 storage type, which we now know isn't available on the OnePlus 12R. The Nord 4 is also eligible for extra years of software updates. There's a lot of noise around AI, which wasn't the case at the launch of the OnePlus 12 series. The Nord 4 features Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 SoC paired with up to 12GB of LPPDR5x RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage (priced at Rs 35,999). The base model offers 8GB RAM and 128GB of USF 3.1 storage at Rs 29,999. The variant I am using has 8GB RAM and 256GB storage for Rs 32,999. Therefore, this variant goes up against Realme GT 6T (Rs 32,999) and Motorola Edge 50 Pro (Rs 34,999). Based on the synthetic benchmarks, the OnePlus Nord 4 attained decent scores in AnTuTu and Geekbench. However, the Realme GT 6T with the same Qualcomm chipset performed better, likely due to OnePlus' old habit of underclocking the peak performance to avoid heating issues. OnePlus had to be extra mindful of heating because of Nord 4's metal chassis. I can safely say that I did not encounter abrupt heating issues during my week-long test. The phone may sometimes feel warm, possibly due to Delhi's humid weather. You may feel the extra warmth during intense gaming, though it does not affect the performance substantially. I played BGMI on the Nord 4 and was happy to see an average fps of 55, which was better than what Motorola Edge 50 Pro offered. In fact, the Nord 4 consumed less battery at the end of a 30-minute-long BGMI round. The flat display also ensured a smooth touch experience. There's not much to complain about the software experience either, as OnePlus is known for offering a near-stock Android experience with its own added flavour. Some of those additions remain my absolute favourites, including Shelf for a quick glance at some productivity apps and ORelax for a peaceful audio experience. Apart from those, OnePlus is taking a leaf out of OPPO's playback and introducing features like Linkboost, AI Note Summary, and AI Audio Summary. The same features are available on the newly launched OPPO Reno12 series, plus some others. We may see more tools in the coming days following the OxygenOS 15 update. Until then, you can enjoy Gen AI integration via Google's Gemini app and ChatGPT from the Play Store. The Nord 4 is the fourth OnePlus smartphone of 2024, featuring a much bigger 5,500mAh battery. Despite this chunky addition, OnePlus has managed to cap the weight under 200 grams - a remarkable achievement. Unlike the cheaper Nord smartphones, the Nord 4 uses a dual-cell battery, which attains a full charge in just 23 minutes. Even the battery backup is equally impressive despite using the device with the highest settings enabled (AOD, 120Hz refresh rate, and Vivid display mode). Even in the PCMark battery test, the Nord 4 exhibited a respectable performance. Users can easily prolong the battery life by over a day by choosing modest settings. OnePlus's efforts to push the boundaries with design and battery have truly paid off, making the Nord 4 a highly impressive smartphone. It may not be the most powerful device in its segment, but it gets the job done for most users. The cameras are decent, if not the best. However, I'd still recommend the POCO F6 (review) or the much more affordable Infinix GT 20 Pro (review) for hardcore gamers. Upcoming content creators may also want to look at the Realme GT 6T only if only shooting 4K videos with the front camera matters to you. But if you want a reliable performing device with an out-of-the-box design, the Nord 4 will surely impress.

OnePlus Nord 4 hasn't forgotten why it exists, and it's a reason for consistency

OnePlus' Nord really is now in its fourth generation, as the name suggests, which makes any attempts to justify its positioning and proposition as irrelevant as pressure washing your car on a rainy day. The OnePlus Nord 4 follows through on a legacy that began dressed in the beautiful marble-esque finish of the first-generation Nord back in 2020. A rare bright spark, in those dark times. Through the years, OnePlus hasn't derailed from the core proposition that originally defined the Nord phones - an alternative flagship phone experience. Not easy to achieve as the smartphone market still finds itself largely hemmed into two major category boxes - mid-range Android phones and premium, flagship Android phones. This doesn't sit in either of those boxes, and that remains its charm. The OnePlus Nord 4's charm offensive begins with an aluminium unibody, which isn't always the case (in fact, it's rarely ever the case) with phones that are priced around ₹29,999 onwards. Competition landscape includes Xiaomi Redmi Note 13, the Vivo V30, Samsung Galaxy A35, for those who find it relevant the Galaxy S23 FE, and for higher spec variants, the Google Pixel 8a. An ode to the OnePlus 3T perhaps? You may remember how far ahead of the curve OnePlus used to be in that era, a foundation that serves it well today. There are three variants to choose from, take your pick. I'd recommend the green, with a stand-out dual tone finish on the back. That said, just an IP65 dust and water resistance rating - don't complicate with specifics, just keep this phone away from water. Also Read:Turf wars: OnePlus Nord CE4 counters Nothing's pitch for new-age ₹25k phones It is logical that the Nord 4 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 chip. This, in their hierarchy, sits a notch below the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. A good fit then, for a phone that also positioned below a flagship. In fact, the Nord 4's performance competition comes from the Google Pixel 8a and the Tensor G3 chip it shares with the rest of the Pixel 8 series. As far as thermals go on a warm summers day, the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 is a step ahead. It is a fairly consistent chip in terms of overall performance, the way it holds that during sustained multitasking and the overall snappiness when you're loading apps, switching between then or navigating the interface. It is therefore a tad perplexing that the Nord 4 will eventually begin to show signs of a struggle after about 30 minutes of playing Asphalt 9 Legenda. To iron out any game specific variables, the same was replicated with a couple of other titles. It is not certain whether this clocking down of performance is due to heating because of an unfortunate timing with the seasons, or something that can potentially be solved with a software update to change how the process loading is handled. OnePlus' pitch says the metal body, apart from necessitating changes to antenna design, acts as an amplifier for 5G signals. I really cannot tell you how true that is and to what extent, since the Nord 4 held signals at the same level as a OnePlus 12 and other accompanying Android phones (the same networks across all). A reason why the OnePlus Nord 4 feels fresh, responsive and fluid to use whilst multitasking, are a number of OxygenOS improvements too. That has always been a strong point for OnePlus phones, across its portfolio. In fact, software is one of the reasons why I recommend OnePlus phones over its rivals, to the many who ask. The familiarity with OxygenOS 14.1 remains too, which is great for anyone who's considering upgrading to yet another OnePlus phone. There's AI in the mix too now, some genuinely utilitarian and some good to haves. I'd file audio transcriptions (there are summaries too) and AI Note Summary, in the former. That said, it is difficult to ignore that the OnePlus Nord 4 does come with a rather unexpected bunch of preloaded apps and games that you may not exactly want to keep around. Delete the ones you can, is all I can suggest, as it seems another phone maker has fallen to the lure of preloaded apps as a revenue stream. Cannot hold a grudge, the market is such. I must note my partial surprise at the Nord 4's robust battery stamina. Two hours of continuous video streaming at around 60% display brightness level, and the battery dropped from 100% to 91% only. Couple that 100-watt fast charging, and battery anxiety may not really figure during the time you use the Nord 4. The numbers and real-world usage are better than expected. We need to talk about the camera. The dual camera setup at the back is led by a 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA sensor, alongside an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor. OnePlus also says the RAW photo algorithms have been taken straight from the flagship OnePlus 12's book. The predecessor has a 2-megapixel macro shooter as well, but that's not around anymore. And safe to say, it won't be missed. Nevertheless, each photo you take will return with some positives and some elements that aren't as much. Chances are, much like I did, you'll like how colours look. They're well separated, not too vivid and not too dull. Equally, there will be times when the look too subdued, and that often has to do with lesser than optimal lighting. Sharpness is not as much as I'd have liked, which also has an impact on finer details. I'd recommend sticking to the main camera, and not as much on the ultrawide. I have a feeling this phone needs a couple of camera focused updates before it'll achieve the sort of performance you'd expect from the optical hardware in place. Before tackling anything else, it is good to see that OnePlus has kept the Nord 4's price very much in check, and in turn, competitive. The 6.7-inch display doesn't elicit any complaints, and neither does the metal build, battery optimisations and overall performance. Cameras need some work, and nothing tells me OnePlus will ignore that aspect. After all, its competition is the Google Pixel 8a, and the camera performance is significantly better there. The Nord 4 must continue to improve. It just has to.

I took 250 photos with OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Google Pixel 8a -- here's the winner

The Pixel 8a is an incredible value when it comes to its cameras, which include 64MP main, 13MP ultrawide and 13MP selfie sensors. The Nord offers similar specs, with a 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide and 16MP selfie combo. But Google's well-known for its photography prowess, especially with its image processing and AI editing abilities. OnePlus has historically struggled to match up to the best in the business with its own processing pipeline. But every new phone is a chance to shake up our assumptions. So with the luxury of a trip to the Franciacorta wine region near Milan, I was able to take some fantastic photos of rural northern Italy with both phones. But which one did it better? Scroll onwards and see. One thing I'll note before we get to the photos is that taking photos on the OnePlus Nord 4 is much less consistent than it is on the Google Pixel 8a. All my Pixel shots looked similar enough to one another, but the Nord's cameras produced photos in a range of brightness levels, even when capturing the same subject. For each comparison you're about to see, I picked what I felt was the best version of each image, but be aware that sometimes the phone took brighter and darker versions of the same shot, which could impact which photos another person would consider the best. Our first image shows us part of the vineyard's hedging, all the way out to the hills beyond. The Nord 4's image is brighter overall, perhaps due to its larger main camera aperture letting in more light. However, the Pixel 8a offers richer colors and better contrast in return, so I can't really pick a favorite Winner: Draw This ultrawide shot of an imposing wooden door with an eagle crest above, all set into a stone brick wall, looks very different from the two phones since they offer different magnification levels. But we can also see the coloring of the Nord 4's image is quite a bit cooler than the Pixel's, and that the lower resolution camera on the OnePlus has really impacted its ability to capture detail. A straightforward victory for the Google phone thanks to superior specs. Winner: Google Pixel 8a I couldn't help but check out this sommelier's sword (used for dramatically opening champagne bottles) when I found it within the vineyard's dining room, and took these close-ups to remember all the fun details. The Pixel produces higher-res photos with its main camera, but somehow we've got a less-detailed shot from it. While it is not as bright, the Nord's photo does a nicer job at grabbing the details in the chain and leather hilt. Winner: OnePlus Nord 4 At the top of the vineyard's main building was a small enclosed turret with slit windows, through which you can see the surrounding landscape. It's a tricky mix of light and dark that makes a great test of our two phones' dynamic range abilities. The OnePlus Nord's image is okay, even if the view through the window is a bit washed out. But the Pixel 8a has nailed this image, showing the brightest part of the image in full detail and color while allowing the outer portion of the image to look properly dark. Winner: Google Pixel 8a Let's now judge these phones' color reproduction abilities with the pink, white and green of this flowerbed within the grounds of the vineyard. Similar to the main camera comparison above, the OnePlus has focused on brightness over color saturation, and vice versa in the Pixel's case. While I don't think the Nord 4's photo is necessarily bad, as this is a color-focused round, the Pixel is the clear winner. Winner: Google Pixel 8a This long line of bottles in the vineyard's cellar fit nicely within these two phones' 2x in-sensor zoom modes, resulting in the shot we have here. The Nord gives us a darker shot since it can't use all of its big sensor to absorb light. Therefore the red wine bottles end up appearing near-black with minimal detail, something that the Pixel 8a doesn't struggle with. Winner: Google Pixel 8a A dimmer part of the cellar provided a great place to try the night mode powers of our two phones, overlooking rows and rows of stored bottles. The OnePlus Nord 4 has produced a darker photo, but doing so has kept the highlights on the bottles in check. The brighter Pixel 8a image overcooks the highlights somewhat, which makes me lean towards the Nord in this instance. Winner: OnePlus Nord 4 While I didn't dare remove my baseball cap and sunglasses for fear of being sunburnt, I still tried out a portrait selfie picture. The Nord 4's portrait mode is softer than the Pixel 8a's, but as a result the OnePlus doesn't feature weird artefacts like the halo around my cap. Meanwhile when it comes to color, the Pixel 8a's super-saturated look and the Nord 4's less intense one both overshoot the coloration I was hoping to see. Combined with the minimal detail difference between the two shots, this round has no particular winner. Winner: Draw This close-up of a flower gives us a chance to check out how well these phones create a natural bokeh effect (background blur) without applying an artificial effect. The Pixel's blurring is more intense, even if the strange color cast of this shot does spoil the overall look. The Nord's got a similar ratio of focus/blur, so while I would pick this shot as the winner on the whole, in terms of bokeh neither phone wins. Winner: Draw So the Pixel 8a's spot at the top of the cheap phones pile remains safe for now it seems. OnePlus has the hardware to match Google's phone, but a lot of the time the Nord 4 can't quite deliver the goods. It's unfortunate that OnePlus seems unwilling to bring the Hasselblad tuning from its flagship phones to the Nord family, as I suspect that would go a long way in improving things. But for now, U.S. buyers can sit safe in the knowledge that missing out on Nord 4 sales won't deprive them of a secret budget camera phone champion. Meanwhile in Europe and elsewhere, you can decide whether the Nord 4's other strengths, like its lower price, more interesting design and bigger display and battery, make up for the gap in camera quality with the Pixel 8a.