OnePlus Nord 4 Review: The Chinese tech manufacturing giant OnePlus has been instrumental in tapping the mid-range smartphone market in India with its cutting-edge interventions and premium designs over time. Building upon its legacy, the company has launched the OnePlus Nord 4, which sports a metallic and slimmer profile. The device has a sturdy outlook and a handy feel. In this review, we shall analyse its other features including a bigger battery, the Qualcomm chipset, and more. 

OnePlus Nord 4 Review: Design

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The OnePlus Nord 4 has a metallic body, which is a nice addition to the sub-Rs 30,000 category. The initial feel of the device reflects the sturdy build. Weighing 199.5g, it dons a slim profile despite packing a 5,000mAh battery. The smartphone comes with an IP54 rating, which elevates the dust and water resistance of the device. Moreover, the indispensability of the IR blaster with the OnePlus smartphones bolsters the utility of the device in controlling ACs, TVs, and other appliances. Sporting a dual-tone design, the smartphone is available in three colour options: Mercurial Silver, Obsidian Midnight, and Oasis Green.

OnePlus Nord 4 Review: Display

Featuring a 6.74-inch AMOLED with 2,772 x 1,240-pixel resolution, the display is dynamic, thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. The content viewing experience with this device is great. If you prefer streaming HD content on OTT, the device is the go-to option for that. The colours are natural and vivid, maintaining a fair amount of sharpness and contrast. Furthermore, up to 2150nits of peak brightness ensures an adequate bright screen even during outdoor usage. The display is extremely responsive, letting users switch from one task to another in the blink of an eye. 

OnePlus Nord 4 Review: Performance and Software

Performance-wise, the device appears to have neatly placed itself among its contemporaries. With the inclusion of Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 SoC supported by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, the OnePlus Nord 4 performs brilliantly on performance benchmarks, albeit being considerate of the segment it belongs to keeps our expectations grounded. When the device was used for intensive tasks, we did not encounter noticeable heating issues, which is commendable with its metallic body.

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The optimisation part also seems to be settled well, reflected in less battery drainage. The device runs on OxygenOS 14.1 based on Android 14. The UI is smooth and easy to use, and it comes with some added functionalities, including AI Note Summary, Linkboost and others, to elevate the user experience. However, the issue of bloatware persists. The company offers four years of Android updates and six years of security patches.

OnePlus Nord 4 Review: Camera

The OnePlus Nord 4 is equipped with a dual camera setup, which encompasses a 50MP camera with OIS support and an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. The primary camera captures quality photos under daylight, maintaining natural colours and satisfactory contrast. The final outputs are closer to natural objects when it comes to colour representation and adjusting the brightness, which is a palpable improvement over its predecessors.

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The ultra-wide sensor does well to complement the main camera in ensuring colour consistency, however; sometimes, the outputs are more towards the warmer side. The portrait photos are decent, with manageable facial details. The selfie camera, a 16MP sensor, performs exceedingly well in capturing skin tones and true colours. It performs considerably well even in low-light scenarios. Nonetheless, the night mode proves inadequate once the dimness of the surroundings intensifies. 

OnePlus Nord 4 Review: Battery

The battery is the segment where OnePlus has recently been accommodative of users’ interests. The OnePlus Nord 4 packs a 5,500mAh battery, which ensures longer battery life without the frequent need to plug in the charger. The dual-cell battery, this device comes with, gets fully charged in almost 25 minutes with 100W charging support. Under modest usage circumstances, the battery lasts for a day with some fuel still left in the tank. 

OnePlus Nord 4 Review: Verdict

Clearly, the OnePlus Nord 4 has arrived at the scene with considerable improvements in its design and battery. The sturdy design renders it an impressive outlook, while the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 SoC places it among the better-performing devices, if not the best. The battery has gone stronger with elongated backup, while the cameras do the job and don’t squarely disappoint. However, it might not be a certain gamer’s delight or a content creator’s go-to device, but a modest user shall always keep this device in contention, given its delicate act of balancing a variety of features along with its design. 

OnePlus Nord 4 Review: Pros and Cons

OnePlus Nord 4 Pros:

• Powerful battery

• Fast charging

• Sturdy and slim profile

• Four years of software updates

OnePlus Nord 4 Cons:

• Cameras are not the best 

• Not a gamer’s device
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