OnePlus Nord 4 Review: Remember peak OnePlus? Blazing fast speeds, top-notch features, without breaking the bank? Well, it's back! This is the OnePlus Nord 4, and it's here to reignite the upper mid-range market. We're talking flagship-level specs at a price that won't make you scream. Can the Nord 4 truly recapture the magic? Let's find out!
OnePlus Nord 4 Design
First things first, the design. OnePlus has definitely shakin things up this time around, and it's a change that might surprise some of you. The Nord 4 looks unlike any other OnePlus Phone of 2024, as it does not follow any particular design philosophy. We're used to seeing glass backs on their phones, but the Nord 4 goes in a whole new direction.
The Nord 4 looks like a throwback to classic Google Pixel phones, with a unique upper glass section which gives it a distinct personality. This part features two camera lenses and a dual flash setup. Plus, the metallic construction and this cool Oasis Green colour with a beach like vibe set it apart from the boring phone crowd.
Let's see if this bold choice pays off, or leaves us wanting more. The Nord 4 might be a bit slippery in hand, so I'd definitely recommend using the case that comes included in the box to improve grip. Now, diving into the utility aspects, there's plenty to appreciate. A standout feature is the alert slider, which is awesome and very handy to use.
Additionally, the Nord 4 comes equipped with an IR blaster, allowing you to control home appliances. The stereo speakers are decently loud and clear, while the in-display fingerprint scanner is responsive & you can do your payments through its NFC.
This phone also boasts an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance. Plus, a special shout out to the O-Haptics, typing on this device feels incredibly responsive and satisfying.
OnePlus Nord 4 Display
Shifting our focus to the Nord 4's display, I must say it truly stands out. Featuring a 6.74-inch AMOLED panel, this large screen boasts a 1.5K resolution paired with a 120Hz refresh rate. Additionally, the adaptive 120Hz refresh rate smartly adjusts down to 60Hz based on the app in use, optimising both performance and battery life.
The display impresses with its slim, almost uniform bezels, giving it a sleek, premium look. Colour reproduction on this vibrant panel makes viewing content a genuine pleasure. It has a peak brightness of 2150 nits, and it’s also bright enough in high brightness mode to be comfortably visible in direct sunlight.
However you can watch HDR videos on YouTube but unfortunately you can’t watch it on Netflix. Maybe it will be fixed in an upcoming update.
OnePlus Nord 4 Performance
OnePlus has effectively integrated a solid performance setup into the Nord 4, which features the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset. This configuration is supported by up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. For those who need more space, the 256GB model includes UFS 4.0 storage, enhancing data transfer speeds.
Now In practical terms, the Nord 4 manages everyday multitasking and more demanding applications smoothly, without noticeable lag. Now for those who are always curious about the benchmarks, we also ran those but in High Performance Mode.
The Nord 4 achieved an AnTuTu score of 13 lakh 82K. This falls short of the Realme GT 6T's score of 14 lakh 70 thousand. Similarly, the Nord 4 also scores lower than the Realme GT 6T in Geekbench benchmarks. However, in the CPU throttling test we almost saw a green graph indicating 77% of cpu throttle.
Nord 4 showed strong real-world gaming performance surpassing benchmark results. In our testing, Call of Duty runs seamlessly at a smooth 90fps, offering an uninterrupted gaming experience. Likewise, even graphically intensive games like Genshin Impact maintain steady performance with minimal frame drops, even during longer play sessions.
Additionally, you can enjoy BGMI at an impressive 90fps, ensuring fast and responsive gameplay. But it gets warm after an intense gameplay session.
OnePlus Nord 4 Camera
This phone packs a punch in the camera department, especially considering the price. The main star is the 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600 sensor. In bright, outdoor settings, it captures photos with natural-looking colours and a good amount of detail.
You'll also get a pleasant blur effect in the background when you get close to your subject, and skin tones look spot-on. Plus, the portrait mode does a great job of keeping your main focus sharp while artistically blurring the background. And the night mode is also pretty good adding details to photos even in low light.
But wait, there's more! The 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor is another winner. We actually found the photos from this sensor with richer contrast. There's a slight difference in colour tone compared to the main sensor, but it's nothing major.
Generally the picture gets softer from edges in the ultrawide but in this device we didn’t face this issue, so the overall results are good.
Now, let's get down to video. The Nord 4 keeps impressing with the ability to shoot up-to 4K at 60 fps with the main rear camera. If you need more stabilisation, you can switch to the ultra steady mode, but keep in mind that this mode limits you to 1080p at 30fps.
On the flip side, the 16-megapixel front camera delivers crisp selfies in all kinds of lighting. from bright sunshine to nighttime environments, you'll get clear results. The portrait mode on the front camera is decent too, but the lack of 4K recording here is a bit of a missed opportunity.
OnePlus Nord 4 Software
The Nord 4 is equipped with OxygenOS 14.1, based on Android 14. This version of OxygenOS continues its clean and minimalistic design, enhancing user experience with more features. Surprisingly, the device does come with bloatware which includes a few pre-loaded games. You can uninstall them, however.
While the AI trend is going on, OnePlus has integrated several AI features into the Nord 4. The AI Eraser tool allows users to remove unwanted objects from photos in post-processing. Additionally, the device offers features to summarise information or read web pages for you.
Well, well, well OnePlus isn't messing around with updates. They're promising a whopping 4 years of Android updates and 6 years of security updates.
OnePlus Nord 4 Battery
Powering this performance beast is a massive 5,500mAh battery. This should comfortably get you through a full day, even longer for lighter users. The real star here though, is the included 100W SuperVooc fast charger. In our tests, it juiced the phone from zero to 100% in about 35 minutes! That's impressive for a battery this size.
OnePlus Nord 4 Verdict
So, let's wrap this up. The OnePlus Nord 4 positions itself as a strong contender in the upper mid-range market. It strikes a compelling balance between price and performance, offering a smooth user experience, a capable camera system, and a long-lasting battery.
While a couple of minor drawbacks exist, such as the lack of 4K front-facing video recording, the overall package remains highly competitive. So, if you're looking for a well-rounded smartphone, the OnePlus Nord 4 deserves serious consideration.
