The OnePlus Nord 4 shows that quality doesn’t have to be overly expensive, but also has tough features. One thing is for sure: there is no other device like this one.

OnePlus announced its latest Nord device with great fanfare on July 16. The Nord series plays an important role in OnePlus’ brand strategy. The devices are meant to symbolize the price-breaker role – the company likes to call itself a “flagship killer” – that OnePlus wants to take on. The first three generations succeeded in doing so.

The OnePlus Nord 4 promises to be an interesting device. With some striking design changes and premium hardware, OnePlus wants to further distinguish itself in the highly competitive mid-range segment. Apart from a few unfortunate errors, the Nord 4 is once again a hit.

Metal jacket

In times when smartphone designs have become a bit boring, OnePlus dares to surprise again and presents the Nord 4 in a Full body Metal casing to the limit. Only the cameras are surrounded by a glass plate. With the silver color option, OnePlus goes all out with the metal theme and gives the back a “corrugated iron effect” that we like. The signature Alarm slider reminds you that you are holding a OnePlus phone.

In the past, an all-metal chassis was more common in mobile devices, but it is now rare to see it. Metal can affect the strength of wireless signals and interfere with 5G connectivity. In addition, metal brings additional challenges related to cooling. OnePlus has found solutions for this: we have not had any issues with connectivity or heat.

Some specifications of our test device:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3
• 16GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 512GB UFS 4.0 storage
• 5,500 mAh battery (max. 100 watts fast charge)
• 6.74-inch screen (AMOLED, 1,240 x 2,772 pixels)
• Main camera: 50 MP, iOS; f/1.8
• Selfie camera: 16 MP, f/2.4
• Android 14
• IP65

Waterproof screen

The Nord 3 already had an excellent screen, so there was little OnePlus could do to improve on the image specs. The Nord 4’s screen has the same resolution (1,240 x 2,772) as well as an adaptive screen refresh at up to 120Hz. OnePlus says it has increased the brightness to 2,150 nits, but in our testing it’s not much higher, at around 1,000 nits.

OnePlus comes up with an original image technology: AquaTouchThis technology makes the screen more water-resistant. Sometimes a wet finger is enough to render a smartphone screen unusable. A few drops of water are no surprise to the Nord 4 and the screen can be operated without any problems even with wet fingers. The IP65 protection rating promises that the metal can withstand a fall: we advise against taking the device into a refreshing bath.

Graphics Champion

OnePlus hasn’t skimped on the hardware. The Nord 4 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is standard on the most expensive devices, and the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 is one level below. Complemented with 12/16 GB RAM and 256/512 GB, this smartphone is well equipped.

We’ve already put many mid-range devices that have been released this year on our rack. We compared the Nord 4 with five of its direct competitors and the cheaper Nord CE 4 Lite from its own family. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 is a more than capable processor. It’s neck-and-neck with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro (Snapdragon 7 Gen 3), Google Pixel 8a (Tendor G3), but the Nord 4 just pulls it off.

Almost every smartphone has a decent CPU these days. When you look at the graphics performance, the masks quickly fall off. The Nord 3 has already delivered excellent performance in this regard and the Nord 4 is also by far the graphics champion in its price class. Google can still hold its own fairly well, everything else has to fail with its tail between its legs.

Good battery

The device has a large battery with a capacity of 5,500 mAh. In order to squeeze the battery into the case, OnePlus had to arrange the cameras horizontally instead of vertically. With daily use, bridging a whole day’s battery life is no problem.

Given its large battery capacity, we expected the OnePlus Nord 4 to excel in battery tests, but that wasn’t the case. In the video test, where we continuously play videos at maximum brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate until the battery dies, the Nord 4 performs worse than smaller battery rivals.

The Nord 4 has recovered somewhat in the performance test, but still has to compete with the Nord CE4 Lite. A larger battery capacity does not lead to a significantly longer battery life.

Fast charging with the right cable

Fast charging is a major flagship for OnePlus and the manufacturer brings this to its cheaper devices as well. The Nord 4 charges at a maximum capacity of 100W, but with a limitation. The maximum charging speed is only possible if you already own a SuperVooc charger from the brand, as the charger is not included in the box.

We certainly don’t believe that manufacturers should provide a charger for every device: nobody wants a drawer full of chargers. But then be fair and support the Power Delivery standard for USB-C, as other manufacturers do. If you want the complete package of the Nord 4, you have to buy the branded charger for 60 euros.

With a “normal” USB-C cable, we see that the charging power drops from a theoretical 100W to 45W. This still gives you decent charging times, but they could have been significantly faster. In our opinion, you certainly don’t need to buy the SuperVooc charger.

Built to last

According to the manufacturer, the OnePlus Nord 4 is designed to last. The battery is equipped with Health Engine technology to optimize battery consumption and charging, so battery wear should only occur after four years. The processor is certified to operate smoothly for at least six years. After a two-week test phase, we cannot of course give a definitive answer and therefore have to take the manufacturer’s word for it.

Long-lasting hardware only makes sense if the software is also maintained for the same period. Unlike its sister company Oppo, OnePlus seems to have recognized this. The brand spoke out against the sense of offering support for more than five years, but now recognizes that it must follow this trend.

The Nord 4 gets four Android updates and six years of security updates, beating Samsung in the price range. This alone makes the Nord 4 a better choice than the Nord CE 4 Lite. Google does another year better with seven years for the Pixel 8a.

Cameras

The cameras are placed next to each other on the camera island, but there is a clear hierarchy between the two lenses. In most situations, you will use the 50 MP main camera (OIS, f/1.8). In good lighting conditions, this camera produces good results. Grass and plants appear to be a little more colored, which many smartphone cameras seem to struggle with. The following series of photos was taken with the main camera:

We compare some pictures of the Nord 4 with the Pixel 8a, which perhaps has the best smartphone cameras for 500 euros. The photos of the OnePlus Nord are much better lit. Google relies on more realistic colors. The main camera of both devices was used for this comparison.

The main camera is supported by an 8 MP wide-angle lens (112°; f/2.2). Low-resolution wide-angle lenses rarely have any added value, but the one on the Nord 4 isn’t bad at all. The quality and color reproduction remains fairly consistent compared to the main camera. Tall buildings are “stretched” a lot to fit the lens.

Despite the lack of a zoom lens, the main camera’s zoom capabilities are surprisingly good. You can digitally zoom in up to 2x without any loss of quality, and you can zoom further to get decent sharpness. The cameras are not without limitations: this is not a device for night photography, and portrait photos produce mixed results.

Chaotic software

The OnePlus Nord 4 runs on OxygenOS 14: OnePlus’ take on Android 14. The forced merger with sister brand Oppo’s software has been causing chaos for several generations and unfortunately it’s no different now. One strange effect is the mechanical “click” you hear every time you touch the function keys.

The biggest annoyance for us is the amount of applications that OnePlus forces on you, which gets out of control year after year. The manufacturer creates a folder for you with its own applications, most likely you will not use all of them. In addition, we see Netflix, Facebook, TikTok, Booking.com, Amazon Shopping, AliExpress, Microsoft 365 and another four games, including a bad clone of Tetris. You can delete these apps, but we don’t need them at all.

Unique device with stubborn features

The Nord 4 is a OnePlus device through and through. OnePlus has gone for a unique design and done it well. The Nord 4 feels and performs like a premium phone without you having to pay a premium for it. The hardware on this device is unmatched even by its direct competitors.

We hope that next year OnePlus will learn to let go of some bad habits. The stubborn advocacy of its own, non-universal charging standard and the chaotic software spoil the Nord 4’s appearance. Google and Samsung’s phones behave much more professionally. If OnePlus adapts this, the Nord series will become the king of the mid-range.

The OnePlus Nord 4 is available in three colors: black, silver and green. The basic version has 12 GB RAM with 256 GB storage and costs 499 euros. The version with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage costs 549 euros. The prices include VAT.

Android update policy: OnePlus guarantees that the Nord 4 will receive security updates and four operating system updates for at least six years. This period begins with the launch of Android 14 on July 16, 2024. The statutory warranty period is two years.