OnePlus started the Nord lineup with the focus on giving value-for-money devices and the market has duly obliged in the past few years. Now, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 is another Nord phone from the brand that tries its best to bring premium features to the mid-range bracket. People these days want a compact, good-looking and a fast-charging phone that also offers a quality display and reliable cameras.
The Nord CE 4 tries to tick all these boxes for the buyers but does it give you the best value for its starting price of Rs 24,999 when there are plenty of other options available? We used the device to find the answer.
Lighter Design Counts For Something
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 sees a shift in its design and we liked the changes on offer. The phone is a lot lighter compared to its predecessor, and having the flat display means the grip is solid. The new variant of the Nord CE 4 still feels slippery but the texture doesn’t catch smudges easily which is a good thing.
The camera module gets a new vertical layout stitched together, unlike the separate sensor that Samsung offers on most of its phones these days. The polycarbonate frame is a usual trend in this price range and the Nord CE 4 continues with it. The phone gets IP54 rating which is barely going to help you manage water splashes but we don’t recommend you try anything adventurous with it.
Bright Display, Thin Bezels
The big talk worthy upgrade of the Nord CE 4 display is that like the OnePlus 12, the screen gets AquaTouch technology which allows you to use the phone even when your hands are wet. The thin bezels on the 6.7-inch AMOLED display also gives you real viewing real estate which comes in handy when watching videos at full tilt.
The screen supports 120Hz refresh rate which can be switched manually from the phone’s settings. The display in general is crisp, bright enough for most conditions and the contrast that you expect from an AMOLED panel.
The Power Upgrade You Need
The Nord CE 4 is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip which is based on the 4nm process. However, OnePlus has trimmed its lineup by offering an 8GB RAM variant only this year, with 128GB and 256GB as the storage options. The storage is an example but only with a hybrid SIM card slot. It seems OnePlus decided to focus on upgrades in other aspects which has already given it a price bump.
The performance of the new chipset will satisfy regular smartphone users thanks to its higher efficiency but you do take a hit on power which does not make the Nord CE 4 a gaming powerhouse. You will get 2 OS updates and 3 years of security updates for the Nord CE 4 which comes with OxygenOS 14 version out of the box. The software doesn’t have a lot of preloaded apps and those you get can be deleted.
Less Cameras, More Quality?
OnePlus has decided to remove one sensor from the Nord CE 4 so now you get two cameras in the vertical module along with the LED flash instead of three. The main sensor of 50MP gives you clear and detailed images in bright conditions. The low-light imaging does take a hit and you get the details in a washed out state.
We feel that a software update can fix these issues and OnePlus should offer them at the earliest. Also, worth pointing out that the Nord CE 4 doesn’t have a macro lens, and you only have the option of using a ultrawide sensor this time around which isn’t that good either. But nothing that an update cannot fix.
Battery And Charging Boost
OnePlus Nord CE 4 packs a 5,500mAh battery, its biggest on a smartphone, including the flagships. The unit supports 100W wired charging speed which is a big upgrade from the Nord CE 3 model that offered 80W charging speed.
You might say the difference in the charging speeds isn’t much but OnePlus feels it is an improvement that people will appreciate and we can see the reason behind this thinking. The large battery is easily able to handle your daily tasks and still offer more than a day’s backup which gets quickly fueled up thanks to the bundled adapter which could soon become a rarity among brands.
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