OnePlus Nord CE 4 review: Jam-packed with features that matter

OnePlus on Monday (April 1) unveiled the new premium mid-range phone Nord Core Edition (CE) 4 series in India.

It will be available for purchase on Thursday (April 4) on Amazon, OnePlus e-store and authorised retail outlets with prices starting at Rs 24,999.

I have been using the Nord CE 4 for close to a week. Here's my review of OnePlus Nord CE 4.

Design, build quality and display

The new Nord CE 4 comes with major changes in terms of design language. It has a long vertically aligned dual-camera module with LED flash. It is way different compared to its predecessor as the latter had two big camera islands with LED flash.

The successor's main camera is housed in the elongated glassy strip, which protrudes a bit from the flat back panel. When kept on the flat table, it wobbles a bit. However, it can easily slip in and out of the pocket without any hassle.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 series.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 series.

Our review unit is the celadon marble variant. Like the special edition flagship OnePlus 12 marble Odyssey, Nord CE 4 looks gorgeous in the sunlight. It has a visually appealing green panel with a premium marble-like smooth and wavy texture, which makes the phone stand apart from the rival brands.

OnePlus also offers Nord CE 4 in dark chrome. It flaunts a dark glossy gray design with a metallic finish which looks great too.

Nord CE 4 is not just another pretty phone, it is sturdy and durable too. The device comes with an IP54 rating, meaning it can survive accidental water splashes and even light rain for a few minutes. Be sure to dry the device before putting it to the charging point.

Also, it tested to survive accidental falls for up to 1.5 metres (around five feet). The company also offers free colour-matching high-grade silicone cover case. It is soft and can prevent the device from getting cracked during accidental falls. The corner edges around the display are extra thick to ensure the display doesn't easily get damaged when it falls facing down on a hard surface.

Also, the soft thick case evens out the protruding camera module and prevent the device wobble when kept on a flat surface.

OnePlus Nord CE 4.

Add to that, the device comes with an IP54 rating, meaning it can survive water splashes and light rain for a few minutes. However, device owners are advised to let the phone fully dry, particularly in the USB slot before putting it to the charging port.

The device houses dual stereo speakers, hybrid dual-SIM slots (nano SIM + nano SIM or microSD), a type-C port, a couple of microphones (one each on top and the bottom), and an IR(Infrared) blaster at the top to control smart devices at home. It also features a volume rocker and a power button on the right side.

But, it lacks the trademark alert side feature we see in premium OnePlus phones. It's not a big deal, as users can switch between silent and ring modes with the +/- volume rocker.

On the front, it sports a beautiful 6.7-inch full HD+ (2412×1080p) AMOLED display with a pixel density of 394 ppi (pixels per inch) and an aspect ratio of 20.1:9. It has near-uniform bezels around the edges with a slightly thick chin at the base. It has a screen-to-body ratio of 88.3 per cent.

It also supports 120Hz refresh rate. This helps in delivering smooth internet browsing, scrolling on social media apps and while playing games.

Even under the direct sunlight, the display fared well. I was able to read messages and emails without any hassle. The screen supports peak brightness of 1,100 nits.

Besides the marble-like texture, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 shares another attribute with the OnePlus 12. It comes with Aqua Touch technology. As the name implies, the device's display can register wet finger touch inputs such as scrolling social media apps. It also comes in handy while typing an urgent text message during light rains outdoors.

The in-screen fingerprint sensor too works flawlessly. It instantly recognises the finger impression and opens the lock screen.

Performance

OnePlus Nord CE 4 house Qualcomm's reliable 4nm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 octa-core (2.63 GHz Cortex-A715 x one core + 2.4 GHz Cortex-A715 x four cores and 1.8 GHz Cortex-A510 x three cores) chipset. It can clock peak CPU up to 2.4Ghz and comes paired with an Adreno 720 graphics processing unit.

The company offers the device in two configurations-- 8GB LPDDR4x RAM + 128GB storage (UFS 3.1) and 8GB LPDDR4x RAM + 256GB storage (UFS 3.1).

Also, there is option to double the RAM capacity to 16GB, provided there is enough space in the storage.

It also boasts RAMVita, proprietary technology developed by OnePlus. It usually found on flagship phones. It helps the phone to work smoothly, load apps faster and easily switch up to sixteen different apps without showing any sign of lag-ness.

The latest OnePlus phone is a smooth performer and also excels with efficient heat dissipation. While playing games, it gets slightly warm, which all phones exhibit. However, it is not a major concern at all as all phones exhibit such behaviour while performing heavy-duty tasks. Even while recording 4K videos and streaming content via cellular data, the device maintained a stable temperature on the back panel.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 comes with Android 14-based OxygenOS 14.

The new Nord CE 4 runs Android 14-based OxygenOS 14 software. It comes pre-loaded with a handful of third-party apps and its proprietary apps. They don't eat too much into storage space. Users can install hundreds of new apps and also store thousands of images and videos captured by the camera without any worry of running out of storage space any time soon.

Also, the device comes with a microSD card slot option. But, if the user has inserted two SIMs, he/she has to let go of the secondary SIM to get extra storage space.

The company has confirmed to offer a minimum of three years of Android OS updates up to 2027 and an additional year of software security support up to 2028.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 houses a 5,500mAh battery, the biggest for any Nord phone to date. Also, it is the second OnePlus phone to have such a big cell. OnePlus 12R, which was launched earlier this year has the same capacity.

The Nord CE 4 consistently deliver two full days of battery life under normal usage. Besides the day-to-day tasks such as web browsing and replying emails and messages, I watched a few episodes of a TV series and played a session (around 20 minutes) of gaming on the OnePlus device.

Even if one goes overboard like binge-watching an entire season of a TV series, the device will still be able to easily last a full day.

Also, thanks to the 100W charger, the owner does not have to fret over the device dying out in the office. The company is offering it free of cost with the retail box.

It can charge the device from zero to 50 per cent in under 15 minutes and can reach 100 per cent mark within 30 minutes.

It should noted that the Nord CE 4 boasts Battery Health Engine technology. It ensures the device's power-carrying capacity of the battery stays strong for more than four years of battery charging cycles.

Also, it will monitor your phone charging behaviour and accordingly change the charging speed. For instance, if the phone notices the user leaves it plugged to charging point for several hour throughout the night, it will slow the charging speed. But, the device will ensure the charging reaches 100 per cent or 80 per cent (if this option is selected by the user) capacity just before it gets disconnected in the morning.

If the user don't keep the phone charge

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample. 

Photography

The new Nord CE 4 boasts a dual-camera module-- main 50MP (with Sony LYT600 sensor with OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation) backed by an 8MP ultra-wide angle camera (with Sony IMX355) with LED flash.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample. 

OnePlus mid-range phone takes brilliant photos in the natural sunlight. The phone's native camera does boost the colours of subjects particularly the flowers and human faces. It makes them look pretty and vibrant to the eyes. So, there is no complaint from my side.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample. 

With the ultra-wide angle mode, the Nord CE 4 does a fine job. As you can see in the sample photos below, it accommodates the vast area of the Murdeshwara beach and the temple complex, which houses one of the biggest lord Shiva statue.

It also supports 2X optical zoom and can digitally zoom up to 20X. The zoom quality are good up to 10X and after that, the photos become grainy.

OnePlus phone fares well in the night mode too. It perfectly balances the lights of the name board of the temple complex and the gopura (tower)'s lighting at the top. Even the reflection on the structure on the beach looks amazing too.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample with the night mode on.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample with night mode on.

With close-up shots, the Nord CE 4 does a decent job of capturing the minute details pretty well.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample. 

It also fares well with portrait mode. It excells with perfect focus on the subject and efficiently blur the background to get the bokeh effect.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample with portrait mode on.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample. 

It supports up to 4K video recording, and super slow-motion videos, full HD (1080p) videos, and HD (720p) at 120 fps (frames per second).

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample with wide angle mode.

On the front, it houses a 16MP camera for selfies and video calling. It does a really good job with selfies and video calling.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample with 2X Zoom.

The video quality is really good. And, for selfies, it offers a myriad of editing tools and filters to enhance the beauty of the face.

It offers options to alter eye size, and skin tone, smoothen the skin (remove acne scars), adjust jawline structure and other superficial tools.

OnePlus Nord CE 4's camera sample with 5X Zoom.

I can't complain as customers love these features and want to look good on photos shared on social media posts and also use them as display pictures (DP) on online public platforms.

Final thoughts

The new model comes with big upgrades over Nord CE 3 in several aspects such as design language, build quality, Qulcomm's reliable Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, better camera, bigger battery capacity and more. And, yet it costs Rs 2,000 less than the launch price of the predecessor.

Considering the overall aspects, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 is a really good mid-range phone worth investing your money in. It comes jam-packed with key features that matter the most to the customer.

One of the best perks of owning a OnePlus phone is the superfast 100W charging capability. It is such a value addition to the user experience.

The company is offering Nord CE 4 series in two storage options -- 128GB and 256GB -- for Rs 24,999 and Rs 26,999, respectively.

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