The OnePlus Nord 4 has made its entrance as the latest in the Nord series, a lineup known for bringing high-end features to a mid-range price point. With enhancements in design, battery, and performance, the Nord 4 aims to stand out in a competitive market. I’m Joan for Superfashion.us, and today we’ll dive deep into what makes the OnePlus Nord 4 a compelling option for smartphone enthusiasts.
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Design and Build Quality
Unlike the flagship lineup from OnePlus, the Nord series focuses on balancing high-end features with affordability. The Nord 4 showcases a striking new design compared to its predecessor, the Nord 3. This year, OnePlus has opted for a metal unibody made predominantly of aluminum, a departure from the glass or vegan leather finishes we’ve seen before. The top around the cameras is still glass, adding a touch of elegance.
The metal back features a laser-engraved texture, which gives it a premium feel, although it can be a bit slippery. OnePlus has mentioned the challenges they faced in crafting a metal phone without compromising 5G connectivity. They overcame this by using a new compact antenna design and leveraging the phone’s entire back to amplify the signal. The iconic three-position slider for notification alerts remains, and the device boasts an upgraded IP65 rating for water and dust resistance, compared to the IP54 rating of last year.
In terms of ergonomics, the Nord 4 feels solid and well-balanced in the hand. The slight curves and the meticulously crafted edges contribute to a comfortable grip, although users might want to consider a case to enhance grip and protection. The metallic finish gives the phone a modern and sleek look, making it visually appealing and exuding a sense of durability and quality.
The Nord 4’s design is a testament to OnePlus’s commitment to innovation and quality in their mid-range offerings. The attention to detail is evident, from the precise cutouts for the speakers and ports to the seamless integration of the camera module. This meticulous craftsmanship ensures that the Nord 4 not only looks premium but also feels robust and ready to withstand everyday use.
Display Quality
The display on the OnePlus Nord 4 is a 6.74-inch OLED panel with a resolution that delivers 451 PPI, ensuring sharp and vibrant visuals. The display supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling and swiping incredibly smooth. When the screen is idle, the refresh rate drops to 60Hz to save battery life, and in some apps like Chrome, it maxes out at 90Hz.
The screen’s brightness is impressive, with a manual maximum of around 530 nits. Switching to automatic brightness can boost this to over 1,000 nits when needed, making it easy to use the phone in bright outdoor conditions. The display also supports 10-bit color and HDR10+ video, providing rich and dynamic visuals for streaming and other media consumption.
Color accuracy is another strong point of the Nord 4’s display. The colors are vivid and true to life, making it a pleasure to view photos, videos, and other multimedia content. The deep blacks and high contrast ratios characteristic of OLED technology enhance the overall visual experience, making everything from browsing the web to watching movies an immersive experience.
The display’s responsiveness is also noteworthy. The 120Hz refresh rate not only makes navigation smoother but also enhances the gaming experience by reducing lag and providing a more fluid interaction. The high refresh rate, combined with the high resolution and color accuracy, ensures that the display is a major highlight of the OnePlus Nord 4.
Speaker Quality
The OnePlus Nord 4 is equipped with stereo speakers that deliver very good loudness and sound quality. The audio is full, with decent bass and clear vocals. However, the highs can get a bit distorted at maximum volume. Despite this, the overall audio experience is satisfactory for most users.
The stereo setup ensures that audio is balanced and immersive, making it suitable for watching videos, playing games, and listening to music. The speakers are well-tuned to provide a rich sound experience, with enough bass to give depth to music tracks and clear mids and highs for vocals and dialogue.
For those who prefer using headphones, the Nord 4 supports high-quality audio codecs, ensuring that wired and wireless headphones deliver the best possible sound quality. The inclusion of Dolby Atmos support further enhances the audio experience by providing a more immersive and three-dimensional soundstage, which is particularly noticeable when watching movies or playing games.
Biometric Unlocking and Storage Options
For biometric security, the Nord 4 features an under-display fingerprint scanner that is both fast and reliable. The scanner is conveniently placed and works seamlessly, providing quick and secure access to the device. Additionally, the phone supports facial recognition, offering users an alternative method for unlocking their device.
In terms of storage, the device comes in two variants: 128GB and 256GB. The 128GB version uses UFS 3.1 memory chips, while the 256GB variant boasts the faster UFS 4.0. Unfortunately, there is no option for expandable storage via microSD. This might be a limitation for users who require a lot of storage space for their apps, photos, and videos.
The decision to offer two storage variants allows users to choose based on their needs and budget. The UFS 4.0 in the 256GB version provides faster read and write speeds, which can enhance the overall performance of the device, especially when it comes to app loading times and data transfer speeds.
Software and Interface
The OnePlus Nord 4 runs on OxygenOS 14.1, based on Android 14. The .1 update brings several AI-based features, including text summarization, translation, and call transcription. These enhancements also optimize the phone’s performance and connectivity in the background. OnePlus has included an IR blaster, allowing the phone to control other devices remotely. Notably, OnePlus promises four years of major software updates and six years of security patches, the longest support period they’ve ever offered.
OxygenOS 14.1 is known for its clean and intuitive interface, which enhances the overall user experience. The software is optimized for performance, ensuring that the device runs smoothly even with multiple apps open. The inclusion of AI-based features adds a layer of smart functionality, making the phone more versatile and user-friendly.
The interface is highly customizable, allowing users to personalize their phone to suit their preferences. From custom icons and themes to gesture controls and advanced privacy settings, OxygenOS offers a wide range of options to enhance usability. The software is also optimized for gaming, with features like Game Mode that provide a more immersive and uninterrupted gaming experience.
Performance
Under the hood, the Nord 4 is powered by the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset, marking its first appearance in a smartphone. This chipset is a significant upgrade from the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, offering more power and built-in AI capabilities. In benchmarks, the Nord 4 outperformed most competitors in its class in both CPU and graphics tests. However, it still falls short of flagship silicon like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset ensures that the Nord 4 can handle everyday tasks with ease. From browsing the web and streaming videos to multitasking and running demanding apps, the phone delivers a smooth and responsive performance. The built-in AI capabilities enhance the overall experience by optimizing performance and battery life based on usage patterns.
Gaming performance is also commendable, with the device capable of running popular games smoothly and without noticeable lag. The Adreno GPU provides solid graphics performance, ensuring that games look good and run smoothly. However, sustained performance is where the Nord 4 struggles. During prolonged stress tests, the device experienced heavy thermal throttling within just a few minutes, indicating that it may not handle extended high-performance tasks as well as some users might hope.
Battery Life and Charging Speed
The OnePlus Nord 4 features a larger battery capacity this year, at 5,500 mAh. This upgrade contributes to excellent battery life, with the phone achieving an active use score of 14 hours and 41 minutes. The Nord 4 supports 100W SuperVOOC charging, a step up from last year’s 80W. With the appropriate charger, the phone can go from zero to full in just 28 minutes. This speed is impressive, especially considering the battery’s increased capacity.
The larger battery ensures that the Nord 4 can easily last through a full day of heavy use, and possibly more with moderate use. Whether you’re streaming videos, playing games, or browsing the web, you can rely on the Nord 4 to keep up with your demands. The inclusion of fast charging means that even if you do run low on battery, you can quickly top up and get back to using your phone.
One drawback is that a charger is not included in the box, which means that users will need to purchase a compatible charger separately to take full advantage of the fast charging capabilities. This might be a slight inconvenience, but the overall benefit of having such a rapid charging solution outweighs the hassle.
Camera System
The camera setup on the Nord 4 includes a 50MP main camera paired with an 8MP ultra-wide camera. The main camera features a Sony IMX600 sensor, which, while smaller than last year’s sensor, still performs admirably.
Main Camera: Photo and Video Quality
In daylight, the main camera captures photos with a decent amount of fine detail and minimal additional sharpening. Colors are conservative but accurate, and the dynamic range is wide. The two-times digital zoom produces good results, though the sharpness isn’t quite on par with standard shots. In low light, the automatic night mode kicks in frequently, delivering natural and clean photos with impressive detail and minimal noise. However, sharpness could be improved in some instances.
4K video from the main camera is sharp, with plenty of detail, wide dynamic range, and natural colors. In low light, the video quality remains high, with good contrast, dynamic range, and low noise. However, the lack of electronic stabilization when recording in 4K is a notable drawback. There is an ultra-steady mode that mimics action camera stabilization, but it only records in 1080p at 60fps.
The main camera’s performance is consistent and reliable, making it a good choice for everyday photography. Whether you’re capturing landscapes, portraits, or close-ups, the camera delivers good results with accurate colors and sufficient detail. The night mode is particularly impressive, enhancing low-light photos without making them look unnatural.
Ultrawide Camera: Photo and Video Quality
The ultra-wide camera performs decently for its type, delivering photos with enough detail, good contrast, and accurate colors. However, the images aren’t the sharpest, and the dynamic range is limited. In low light, the night mode takes several seconds to capture a photo, resulting in soft and fuzzy images with low contrast.
The ultra-wide camera is limited to 1080p video recording, and these videos lack detail, with washed-out colors and limited dynamic range. While the ultra-wide camera adds versatility to the camera setup, it’s clear that it doesn’t perform as well as the main camera, particularly in challenging lighting conditions.
The ultra-wide camera is best used in well-lit conditions, where it can capture expansive scenes with decent detail and color accuracy. It’s a useful tool for creative photography, allowing users to experiment with different perspectives and compositions. However, for critical or professional use, the limitations in low-light performance and video quality are worth noting.
Selfies
The 16MP front-facing camera is underwhelming. While it captures enough detail, the images are soft with low contrast and color saturation. The dynamic range could also use some improvement.
The selfie camera is adequate for casual use and social media, but it falls short compared to the competition. The images often lack the sharpness and vibrancy that users expect from a modern smartphone camera. In low light, the performance drops further, with noticeable noise and a loss of detail.
However, the front camera does support various beauty modes and filters, which can enhance the overall selfie experience for those who enjoy tweaking their photos before sharing them. The inclusion of portrait mode adds a professional touch to selfies, with decent edge detection and background blur.
Conclusion
The OnePlus Nord 4 distinguishes itself with a unique metal design, excellent battery life, fast charging, and a powerful chipset. The overall camera experience is mixed, with the main camera performing well but the lack of stabilization in 4K video and the mediocre performance of the other cameras being notable downsides. However, if you can overlook these shortcomings, the Nord 4 offers a lot of value, especially as its price inevitably drops over time.
