When OnePlus decided to turn to the high-end market, the brand also chose to offer accessible, mid-range-classified models. This is the case with the Nord series, now in its fourth generation.
With the OnePlus Nord 4, the brand offers a rather attractive new design, and without raising the price. Indeed, the smartphone features a metal unibody aesthetic, reminiscent of other OnePlus models by the way. It’s time to review the device, to determine what it’s really worth.
Design and packaging
If you’ve already had a chance to see the third generation, you’ll notice that the main change on the OnePlus Nord 4 is its design. Unlike previous models, which used a lot of glass, the Nord 4 has an almost entirely aluminum chassis.
OnePlus explains that the integration of 5G connectivity has made the metal chassis less popular, as antennas require better reception, hence the frequent use of glass, ceramic, plastic or vegan leather for rear surfaces.
The good news is that the company has found a solution with new antennas and technology that uses the metal back to improve the signal. Personally, I find the result rather successful, with an anodized finish and smooth edges.
Although it’s pleasant in the hand and doesn’t retain fingerprints, it can be very slippery. The flat edges, however, help to improve grip.
We received the Mercurial Silver model, which is in fact silver, with a special texture on the back, probably due to fine laser cutting. While this is aesthetically pleasing, it doesn’t really improve grip, given that the phone proves to be quite slippery.
The Nord 4 is also available in Obsidian Midnight and Oasis Green, without this striped texture. By the way, it’s not really full metal, since the back features a two-tone design, with the top part, which houses the photo lenses, made of glass.
I should add that OnePlus had to reorganize the inside of the chassis to accommodate the chipset. This made it possible to arrange the two cameras horizontally and integrate a 5,500 mAh battery. With its aluminum chassis, the Nord 4 weighs close to 200 grams, which is quite heavy for a phone with only two photo lenses.
The frame of the smartphone obviously offers the various connectivity options, as well as the traditional buttons. The right-hand side features the volume control modules and the power button. The lower part features the USB-C 2.0 port, a sound output and the dual nano-SIM drawer.
The border on the left features alert cursors, very reminiscent of the iPhone. It’s found on theiPhone 15 Pro in particular, although it’s a little different.
Indeed, where Apple removed the alert slider with the 15 Pro Max, OnePlus has fortunately kept its own with the OnePlus Nord 4. The latter is also very interesting, in that it offers three positions:
- Silent
- Vibrate
- Ringer
To conclude with the connectivity options, the top surface of the OnePlus Nord 4’s frame features a microphone and an IR blaster.
Finally, the front features the smartphone’s 6.74-inch AMOLED display. Although it looks rather classic at first glance, it’s of superb quality, and I’ll talk more about it in the dedicated section. A little higher up, I note the presence of the traditional selfie lens.
All in all, I confess to being a fan of the overall design of the OnePlus Nord 4. Its back is a little slippery, admittedly, but I find that it gives off an impression of superior quality compared with the HMD Pulse Pro, for example. What’s more, the IP65 certification is a welcome addition.
OnePlus Nord 4 specifications
| Model | OnePlus Nord 4 |
| Software | Android 14 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 |
| Overlay | OxygenOS 14.1 |
| RAM | 16 GB (expandable) |
| Graphics processor (GPU) | Adreno 732 |
| Storage capacity | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.74″ display |
| Definition | 2772×1240 pixels |
| Pixel density | 450 dpi |
| Back camera | Main lens: 50 MP Wide-angle lens: 8 MP |
| Front camera | 16 MP FRONT CAMERA |
| Video | 4K / 60 fps |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| 5G compatible | Yes |
| NFC | Yes |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes |
| Face recognition | Yes |
| Connectivity | USB-C 2.0 |
| Battery capacity | 5500 mAh |
| Wireless charging | No |
| Fast charging | 100 watts |
| Waterproofing | IP65 |
| Weight | 200 grams |
Performance
Proudly equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, the OnePlus Nord 4 doesn’t stand out much from the competition. Indeed, performance is very good, but the aggressiveness of the brand’s early days is long gone. However, it does have quite a few other trump cards up its sleeve. For example, it comes with 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, which is a very good thing, with the possibility of extending the RAM to get even more. However, I don’t find this useful when you have so much RAM natively in a smartphone.
With this, a total of 512 GB of storage, another very good news here, offering the possibility of storing a large number of photos / videos / applications in the smartphone’s memory. Finally, let’s add the presence of an Adreno 732 GPU, a decent chip offering fine performance. In benchmarks, however, the smartphone does very well.
On GeekBench, the maximum score doesn’t exceed 4,000 points in multi-core, at 3,919 points, which is still decent for a smartphone in this range. On Antutu, the score reaches over 1,200,000 points, with a GPU that confirms its excellent performance.
As for RAM, it’s very good, with speeds of 3360 MB/s for reading and 3346 MB/s for writing, all with only 13.2 ns latency, a little more than the Honor Magic 6 Pro, a top-of-the-range smartphone for the latter. Similarly, storage is fast, with a very good chip offering 1386 MB/s read and 1380 MB/s write, which is fully satisfactory.
Finally, graphics are also very good, with 3 benchmarks exceeding the maximum score! As for the rest, the smartphone’s performance is pleasing, allowing you to play the vast majority of PlayStore games without any slowdown.
OnePlus Nord 4 screen
The OnePlus Nord 4 uses the 6.74-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 2,772 x 1,240 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz of its predecessor, which is frankly satisfactory for a smartphone sold at 549 euros.
The display supports HDR10+ and Widevine L1 content, enabling high-quality streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as Ultra HDR functionality to display the highlights of photos in the gallery.
The screen offers excellent legibility, with brightness up to 529 nits in manual mode and up to 1,163 nits in automatic mode, which is sufficient for outdoor use even in bright sunlight. OnePlus claims that the display can reach over 2,000 nits, presumably when displaying HDR-compatible content on small areas of the screen.
As with most of its brethren, the Nord 4 offers control over its refresh rate via settings, but it still has some imperfections.
In “Select Automatically” mode, the refresh rate often remains stuck at 90 Hz in several applications, such as Google Chrome, even though the device is capable of reaching 120 Hz in the system menus.
To save energy, the screen switches to 60 Hz when not in active use, including video playback.
The camera
Honestly, I find the OnePlus Nord 4 takes surprisingly good photos with the main lens in daylight. I was expecting the quality to be worse than the one on offer, especially given that the 50-megapixel sensor is smaller than the one on its predecessor.
Photos show an appreciable amount of fine detail, are sharp without being excessively accentuated, and the dynamic range is sufficiently wide. Of course, some high-contrast scenes can pose difficulties for the Nord 4, but it handles them well enough.
Photos taken with the 2x zoom are generally of good quality. Despite its smaller sensor size, the Nord 4 produces good images with 2x zoom. They are relatively sharp and close-up or medium-distance objects are well-detailed, although distant objects appear rather blurred.
Some photos also feature lower contrast, probably due to problems with the HDR algorithm. The rest of the processing is similar to that of the main camera, albeit with slightly less detail and sharpness.
Compared to most 8 MP ultra-wide-angle cameras, the Nord 4 performs well in this area. The small sensor produces relatively detailed photos with good contrast and accurate colors, although dynamic range is limited and sharpness insufficient.
When the automatic night mode is activated, it often kicks in, sometimes more than necessary. However, despite this frequent activation, night shots retain a fairly natural look. There’s no excessive sharpening or extreme post-processing. Shadows are well preserved and contain plenty of detail.
Photos show a good amount of detail, although sharpness could be improved in some cases. Dynamic range is impressive and noise is virtually non-existent, resulting in clean, vivid images.
OxygenOS 14.1 interface
The OnePlus Nord 4 runs on the latest version of OxygenOS 14.1. This “14.1” update introduces many new AI-based features, similar to those in Oppo’s ColorOS 14.1.
Indeed, these two Android overlays, along with Realme UI 5.0, share the same user interface and functionality, as they come from the same software base.
Starting with Nord 4, OnePlus is now committed to providing 4 years of major software updates and 6 years of security patches. However, not all features are available, as OxygenOS 14.1 offers some handy AI-based features, which are essentially the same as those introduced with ColorOS 14.1
It offers automatic summarization of texts from e-mails and other online sources, an AI translator, and a transcriber for voice notes.
In addition, an AI optimizes background processes and manages connectivity, ensuring a smooth transition between different Internet sources when on the move, guaranteeing a stable and reliable connection.
In terms of performance, OxygenOS 14.1 remains very fluid. I didn’t notice any slowdowns or hiccups in its operation, which is a good point.
OnePlus Nord 4 battery life
The OnePlus Nord 4 is equipped with a large 5,500 mAh battery and is powered by a Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 processor, known for its energy efficiency. Results show that this device is one of the best in its class in terms of endurance, and the software also deserves praise for this performance.
In active use, the Nord 4 achieves a screen time of 14 hours and 41 minutes, an impressive score that easily surpasses most of its competitors. The device achieves excellent results in web browsing and video playback tests, while gaming performance is average.
The Nord 4 supports 100 W SuperVOOC charging, enabling full recharging in just 28 minutes, putting it at the top of its class.
Sound quality
The Nord 4’s speakers are of the hybrid type, meaning that the left speaker, or top speaker depending on orientation, doubles as an earphone. Although this can often lead to a sound imbalance, in this case the two speakers offer almost equal power.
Overall, sound quality is good, with a relatively full sound and pronounced bass. I must admit, however, that treble can become a little shrill at maximum volume. Voices are always very clear.
OnePlus Nord 4 connectivity
The OnePlus Nord 4 offers its users excellent connectivity. I could even compare it to those of more high-end smartphones. For a start, it’s compatible with 4G and 5G networks, and has a slot for two SIM cards on the underside of the phone.
What’s more, it supports Wi-Fi 6, which isn’t the latest standard, but still offers ample connection speeds. It also features Bluetooth 5.4 technology, making it easy to connect to various audio and other devices.
Otherwise, in terms of ports, I could only make out one USB-C 2.0 port, which you’ll need for recharging as well as for data transfer via OTG.
Locking and security
The Nord 4 offers two quick methods of unlocking the device: a fingerprint reader integrated beneath the AMOLED screen, and facial recognition. The fingerprint reader is precise and provides fast, secure access to the smartphone.
Being integrated under the screen, it is discreet and does not alter the aesthetics of the phone. Facial recognition works effectively in daylight, but can be less reliable in low-light conditions, unless a direct light source is present.
OnePlus Nord 4: Reviews
The OnePlus Nord 4 is a very good smartphone in its price range. This is made possible by its design, excellent battery life, fast charging and good performance. Although the camera isn’t the best I’ve tested, I’m satisfied with most shots.
With its 512 GB of storage, the Nord 4 is even more competitive, because it’s rare to get so much space for less than 600 euros. The promise of 4 years of software updates is another asset that could appeal to users seeking longevity for their device.
