OnePlus Nord CE 4: Premium Features at a Mid-Range Price
The launch of the OnePlus 12 series earlier this year was a hit among fans, with some even naming it the top premium smartphone of the year. However, not everyone is ready to spend that much. For those seeking a taste of the premium OnePlus experience without the hefty price tag, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 is an excellent choice. It boasts a vibrant and sharp display that enhances your viewing experience. In this long-term review, we’ll explore its advantages and drawbacks in detail.
Phone Review :OnePlus Nord CE 4
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 is offered in two storage variants: 128GB and 256GB, both equipped with 8GB of RAM. Priced at ₹24,999 and ₹26,999 respectively, it comes in two elegant colors – Dark Chrome and Celadon Marble. In this review, I’ll be focusing on the 8GB+256GB model and sharing my detailed insights.
Contents in the Box
Unpacking the OnePlus Nord CE 4 was a pleasant experience, and here’s what we discovered inside the box.”
- OnePlus Nord CE 4 smartphone
- Rubber Phone Case
- Pre-applied screen protector
- 100 Watt SUPERVOOC Charger
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- SIM ejector tool
- Quick Guide
- Red Cable Club Membership card
- OnePlus Nord stickers
OnePlus Nord CE 4: Build and Design
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 makes a strong first impression with its elegant marble finish. It feels robust and well-constructed, likely due to its sturdy plastic material. However, this doesn’t completely eliminate its few shortcomings.
The Nord CE 4 is 8.4 mm thick and comes with either a textured or glossy back, depending on the color variant. Weighing 186 grams, it remains comfortable to hold, even during long calls or extended gaming sessions.
The Nord CE 4 has an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance. Its AquaTouch feature also makes it practical in light rain or when exposed to splashes.
At the top of the phone, there’s a secondary speaker grill, an IR blaster, and an additional microphone. For users who utilize an IR blaster to manage their air conditioner, television, or other household appliances, this feature on the Nord CE 4 is particularly convenient.
On the phone bottom, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 features the main speaker grille, USB Type C charging port, primary microphone, and SIM tray. You have the option to use two SIM cards simultaneously, sacrificing the microSD card, or accommodate one SIM card and one SD card separately.
One feature you might notice missing in this mid-range device is the Alert Slider. The Nord CE 4 opts for both volume buttons and the power button positioned on the right side of the phone.
Moving to the back, you’ll discover the main 50 MP camera positioned at the top, accompanied by an 8 MP ultra-wide camera and a flash sensor, all neatly housed within a single elongated oval capsule. The back of the phone boasts a sleek and glossy finish, smoothly curving into the flat sides of the device.
Despite its plastic body, the phone doesn’t feel cheap when you use it, which is a positive. In general, the device feels comfortable to hold; it may not be perfect, but it’s decent considering its price. By the way, it might not be the most stylish phone in terms of design, but it compensates for that in other areas.
Display of OnePlus Nord CE 4
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 boasts a robust display. It features a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, providing a smooth and vivid color experience. The bezels around the screen are minimal and evenly distributed. Moreover, the Nord CE 4 includes an in-display fingerprint scanner for added convenience.
The phone offers three choices for display settings: Standard (60Hz), High (120Hz), and Auto-Select (switches between the two based on usage). You can select whichever mode suits your preference. During this review, I kept it on High mode consistently, and the refresh rate remained stable, which is a positive aspect.
The Nord CE 4 includes HDR10+ support for popular streaming services like Prime Video and Netflix, offering a range of color options. Watching movies or playing games provided a vivid, bright, and enjoyable viewing experience. However, during extended sessions of highly demanding games or 4K visuals, the display may exhibit some choppiness. Switching to 2K resolution improves the viewing experience on the phone.
The Nord CE 4 boasts 900 nits of brightness in HBM mode and peaks at 1100 nits, making it easily visible outdoors under direct sunlight. This means you won’t need to seek shade or cover the screen with your arm to see what’s on your phone. It’s a great feature from OnePlus!
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 excels in display quality, offering a robust experience for watching movies, anime and series. If you enjoy binge-watching or are a movie enthusiast, this phone delivers a satisfying viewing experience.
A recent software update initially affected the accuracy of the fingerprint sensor, but OnePlus promptly released a patch that resolved the issue within a week. It’s worth noting to avoid using the phone directly under prolonged sunlight, as the display can become too hot to handle.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Sound
While the OnePlus Nord CE 4 impresses with its display quality, the sound performance leaves something to be desired. Equipped with dual stereo speakers and built-in noise cancellation, the phone delivers sound that can fill a room adequately for most listening purposes.
However, there is room for improvement in the bass department. While I enjoyed listening to soulful songs and singing along with the CE 4’s speakers, I felt that songs with powerful beats lacked the depth and punch I expected.
The Nord CE 4’s dual speakers are enhanced by OPPO’s OReality Audio and OnePlus’ Holo Audio features, offering users the ability to choose from various sound profiles and spatial settings for a more immersive audio experience.
To listen to audio, you’ll need to use Bluetooth headphones since the Nord CE 4 doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Another standout feature is the O-Haptics, which provides realistic vibrations akin to those found in gaming console controllers. These vibrations integrate smoothly with OxygenOS animations, enhancing your overall interaction with the device. It’s a feature that other brands could definitely learn from!
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Performance
The Nord CE 4 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, featuring an octa-core processor built on a power-efficient 4-nanometer architecture, which helps in conserving battery life. It comes equipped with 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.
Over extended use, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 paired with 8 GB RAM performs admirably, smoothly handling more than a dozen apps simultaneously. Below are the benchmark scores for the OnePlus Nord CE 4.
Benchmarks:
While benchmarks provide insight into a device’s potential under extreme conditions, they may not perfectly reflect everyday performance. Here’s what we discovered from testing the Nord CE 4’s benchmarks.
CPU Throttling and Heating Results: The CPU throttling test assesses how much the processor’s performance diminishes under sustained stress. We conducted the test twice on the Nord CE 4. In the initial test, performance remained above 80%. However, after nearly eleven minutes of continuous testing, there was a slight performance dip to around 60%. This indicates that the phone handles intensive tasks well with this processor.
Enabling the High-Performance Mode in the battery settings significantly enhances the device’s performance, although stability decreases to around 60%.
Geekbench Results: Geekbench evaluates both single-core and multi-core CPU performance. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 achieved a score of 735 in single-core and 2468 in multi-core tests, comparable to Snapdragon 888+. Additionally, it achieved a solid GPU score of 5805.
Gaming Results
For gaming enthusiasts, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 performs admirably in terms of overall performance. While it’s not marketed as a dedicated gaming phone, it handles most games quite well. The phone’s haptic feedback enhances the gaming experience, adding a satisfying tactile element.
Throughout my testing, popular competitive shooting games like PUBG (or BGMI) and Call of Duty Mobile ran smoothly even at their highest FPS settings. I was able to achieve victories in several ranked matches with ease using the Nord CE 4.
However, when playing demanding titles with intense graphical frames, such as Solo Levelling: Arise, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 occasionally experienced drops in FPS to around 30-20, which did recover after a short time. While this wasn’t the smoothest experience, one area where the phone could improve is managing heat during extended gaming sessions exceeding 2 hours.
On the other hand, racing games like Asphalt 9 run smoothly on the device with support for 60FPS gameplay. Even during extended sessions, the phone maintains stable performance without any noticeable stuttering.
Games like Genshin Impact also perform well on the Nord CE 4, although the phone can heat up after a short period due to the game’s demanding nature. To address potential overheating, the device features vapor chamber cooling to help maintain optimal temperature levels during gameplay.
Advantages and Disadvantages of OnePlus Nord CE 4
Having thoroughly examined all the various features of the device, let’s now delve into its advantages and disadvantages.
Benefits of Purchasing
Stunning edge-to-edge 1.5k screen that is visually appealing
Outstanding tactile response
Significant improvement in performance with a 5500 mAh battery
Equipped with a 50 MP Sony LYT600 sensor that enhances the camera capabilities
Compatible with all current connectivity protocols
Fast 100W charger that fully charges the phone in just 30 minutes
Why you shouldn’t buy:
Certain AI functions, such as the Object Eraser, may not always work effectively.
The rear camera setup has an unattractive appearance.
Experiencing choppy frames during intense gaming or prolonged usage.
The device tends to overheat during extended periods of use.
The absence of an Alert Slider is noticeable.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Evaluation: Ultimate Conclusion
After using the OnePlus Nord 2T and Nord CE 3 for about a year, I can confirm that the Nord CE 4 Lite is a step forward in the right direction. The display, battery, and camera quality of the Nord CE 4 have met or exceeded expectations. While the design may not be very distinctive and the absence of an alert slider is noticeable, the Nord CE 4 still stands out as a solid choice in the mid-range market.
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