The OnePlus Nord CE 4: A Solid Upgrade or a Missed Opportunity?
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 aims to be a compelling mid-range smartphone, promising a solid foundation based on the brand’s "Core Experience" philosophy. While the Nord CE series initially served as a toned-down version of the main Nord line, OnePlus has progressively narrowed the gap with each iteration. This year, breaking tradition, OnePlus releases the Nord CE 4 before a potential Nord 4, highlighting the CE model’s new hardware features and tempting users to upgrade from the Nord CE 3. However, while the Nord CE 4 looks promising on paper, it faces stiff competition in the crowded mid-range market, making its overall value proposition a bit questionable.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review: Price in India
Unlike its predecessor, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 comes in just one RAM configuration: 8GB. Users can choose between two storage variants: 128GB priced at Rs. 24,999 and 256GB at Rs. 26,999. Available in two colorways, Dark Chrome (glossy grey finish) and Celadon Marble (mint-green), we reviewed the 256GB variant in Celadon Marble.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review: Design
The Nord CE 4 breaks away from previous iterations by embracing a fresh design language—one that was expected to debut with the more premium Nord 4. Since there’s no sign of the OnePlus Nord 4 (launched as the Ace 3V in China) hitting the Indian market yet, the Nord CE 4’s design feels distinctive and modern, standing out from other current Nord devices.
The phone’s rear panel, crafted from polycarbonate with a glossy finish, attracts fingerprints quickly. However, the bright colorway masks them unless viewed at an angle. The curved edges and marble-like texture give the phone a premium look for a mid-range device. OnePlus’s clever use of a transparent, elongated capsule-shaped camera module, which mirrors the marble design, elevates the aesthetics. It appears as if a large water droplet has formed on the rear panel, with the contrasting dark camera cutouts and lenses floating within.
The frame, also polycarbonate, features beveled edges and flat sides, contrasting with the rear panel’s curved design. These edges are not sharp but can feel slightly intrusive in the palm. Thankfully, the box includes a soft, silicon-like, color-matched TPU cover that enhances both feel and aesthetics.
OnePlus promises the Nord CE 4 is durable enough to withstand a 1.5-meter drop, a claim that wasn’t tested during the review. Despite the solid build, the phone boasts an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, offering basic protection against splashes. While several budget smartphones offer similar water resistance, higher-priced devices often boast superior IP ratings.
The AquaTouch technology, borrowed from the OnePlus 12 series, enables the screen to be used with damp fingers, adding a practical touch.
The front display features slim bezels and an AMOLED panel, bringing features like an always-on display (AOD) and an in-display optical fingerprint reader which are not new to the Nord CE series. However, I found the sharp plastic lip at the display glass edges to cause friction during swipe gestures. The display is also a magnet for smudges, quickly becoming messy with use.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review: Specifications and Software
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 packs a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC, built on a 4nm process node. This processor offers decent performance and power efficiency, sitting just below the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 SoC in terms of performance. It’s paired with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and offers up to 256GB of UFS3.1 internal storage. The phone employs a hybrid SIM arrangement, accommodating two nano SIM cards or a SIM card and a microSD card for storage expansion up to 1TB.
Connectivity includes dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.4, a USB Type-C port (USB 2.0), support for numerous 5G bands, and the usual global positioning systems. The phone draws power from a 5,500mAh battery and comes bundled with a 100W charger.
The software is OxygenOS 14, based on Android 14, and has already received the March 2024 Security Patch. OnePlus guarantees 2 years of software updates and 3 years of security updates—a solid offering given the device’s launch on Android 14.
The software experience is smooth and responsive, with minimal bloatware. Only Netflix is preinstalled, which is a welcome addition. Customization options include adjusting fonts and icons, adding themes, and modifying color accents. While there was no unwanted notification spam, I noted a couple of double-apps (browsers and file managers).
The phone features several new features trickled down from Oppo’s ColorOS 14. One standout is Fluid Cloud, a Dynamic Island implementation similar to iOS, that floats in the status bar when a supported app is minimized. Thanks to AOD support, the phone also delivers Smart Suggestions, reminiscent of iOS’s Live Activities but with limited support for just Zomato and Swiggy. Additionally, AI-powered features like Smart Image Matting (object and people extraction from images) and Smart Touch (text extraction from screenshots) are included. Lastly, File Dock enables dragging and dropping files or images from the Smart Sidebar into compatible apps.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review: Performance
True to its name, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 focuses on delivering a refined, basic smartphone experience. The software achieves this beautifully, offering smooth multitasking, efficient performance, and a seamless user interface.
Synthetic benchmarks show scores comparable to devices in its price range and even some slightly more expensive options. However, the phone falls short of performance-oriented devices like the Poco X6 Pro.
In AnTuTu, the phone scored 8,14,981 points, while Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core scores reached 1,154 and 3,000 respectively. Graphics benchmarks yielded 5,423 in 3DMark’s Wild Life and 5,553 points in Wild Life Unlimited. GFXBench returned 60 FPS, 60 FPS, and 39 FPS in its T-Rex, Manhattan 3.1, and Car Chase tests.
When running Call of Duty: Mobile, the phone struggled, offering only High graphics and Max frame rate. Although the device barely warmed up during 60 FPS gameplay, the 240Hz touch sampling lagged behind, leading to a considerable disadvantage in competitive online tournaments. Asphalt 9: Legends, however, performed as expected from a mid-range device, offering a 60 FPS mode for smooth graphics and gameplay. Overall, the phone delivers decent mid-range graphics but falls short in fast-paced first-person shooter games.
The phone’s 6.7-inch AMOLED 120Hz display remains unchanged from the Nord CE 3, retaining its HDR10 certification. It boasts stereo speakers which are adequate for gaming and movie watching. HDR10 support is also present in streaming apps like Netflix, delivering vibrant visuals and good dynamic range for HDR10 content. Brightness is sufficient for sunlight, and the display presents accurate colors in its Natural screen color mode. Text and images appear sharp despite the Full-HD+ resolution. The in-display fingerprint reader is also reliable.
Thanks to the massive battery, the phone delivers remarkable battery life. Our standard video loop test yielded an impressive 32 hours and 21 minutes. Casual use, including a mix of gaming, video streaming, and camera usage, manages close to a day and a half of battery life. Even with heavy continuous use, the phone comfortably lasts for a full day. It’s even possible to eke out two days with minimal camera or gaming usage.
When the battery dwindles, the 100W wired charging comes to the rescue. A full charge takes just 39 minutes, a significant advantage over other smartphones in this price segment.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review: Cameras
OnePlus has replaced the previous Nord CE 3’s Sony IMX890 primary camera sensor with a new 50-megapixel LYT600 ½-inch type sensor featuring an f/1.8 aperture. The 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera (Sony IMX355) and a 16-megapixel selfie camera remain unchanged. The dedicated 2-megapixel macro camera from the Nord CE 3 has been omitted in this new camera setup. The camera interface is typical OnePlus, offering a wide range of customization options.
The primary camera captures vibrant, saturated pictures with impressive dynamic range, delivering good detail in shadows even in bright daylight. Images are not oversharpened, showcasing natural depth and separation between objects or people. The 2X digital zoom produces expected results, cropping the primary camera image for close-ups or framing. While passable, there’s a noticeable reduction in image quality and detail, requiring ample light for decent results.
The phone’s lack of a dedicated macro camera means extreme close-ups are not achievable, unlike the predecessor. However, getting close (15-20 cms) to objects is possible, and thanks to the wide f/1.8 aperture, a natural bokeh effect appears behind the subject.
Photos captured in low light suffer from detail loss. Textures appear flat, resembling paintings in dimly lit areas. The dynamic range is lower, resulting in less detail in shadows and dark areas when shooting street-lit scenes. Photos also appear washed out, lacking accurate color representation. Future software updates might address these issues.
Switching to the ultra-wide camera, pictures show decent dynamic range with good shadow detail but appear slightly soft. Texture details are below average, typical for a phone in this price range. Low-light images appear soft and blurry.
Selfie photos capture details well in daylight but exhibit below-average edge detection in Portrait mode. In low light, selfies lack facial detail, requiring flash for acceptable results.
Video recorded at 1080p (30fps and 60fps) appears scaled down, lacking resolution and detail. However, stabilization is better than the 4K 30fps footage. 4K 30fps footage is shaky when panning or walking, but offers better resolution and detail. Notably, there is significant noise in both 4K and low light video recordings, rendering low light videos unusable.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review: Verdict
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 offers a solid upgrade over the Nord CE 3, featuring a fresh design with IP rating, a more powerful processor, decent camera performance, longer battery life, and faster charging.
However, its pricing becomes a concern when compared to the fierce competition. The phone’s only standout feature appears to be battery life and fast charging, which are not unique selling points in the current market. A better camera experience would have been appreciated.
At the same price point, devices like the Poco X6 Pro offer comparable camera performance but excel in gaming and general performance, an appealing factor for the Nord’s target audience (young adults). The Motorola Edge 40, now available at a discounted price of Rs. 26,999, offers good performance, near-stock software, quality cameras, wireless charging, and an IP68 rating, making it a strong contender.
At a slightly higher price, the Realme 12 Pro+ may not match the Poco X6 Pro’s raw performance, but it boasts a premium design (IP65 rating), exceptional cameras with impressive low-light and telephoto performance, and excellent battery life.
Recommending the OnePlus Nord CE 4 is challenging unless battery life and fast charging are the top priorities for a mid-range upgrade. Notably, other contenders excel in these areas as well. However, if budget is a concern, and a smooth, stable software experience is sought, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 may be a suitable option, offering a decent value proposition.
