OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review: A Balancing Act

The segment of smartphones under 25,000 is overcrowded with options. There are various smartphones from different brands vying for the top spot. The OnePlus Nord CE 4 is a new entrant in this segment, but it stands out from the rest with a simple approach. It neither excels in specific categories nor falls short in others, but offers a good balance between all the features, making it a good choice.

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 is priced at Rs 24,999/- for the variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and Rs 26,999/- for the high-end model with 6GB RAM and 256GB storage. I have been using the phone for more than two weeks and here is our detailed review.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 – Designed for Masses

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 reminds me of the first OnePlus Nord with its blue color and the vertical arrangement of the rear camera. The design of the OnePlus Nord was simple and minimal, and it was one of the most beautiful smartphones at the time. Fast-forward to 2024 and after all of OnePlus’ unattractive design choices for the Nord series, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 now has a marble finish inspired by the limited edition OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey Edition. It comes in two variants: Dark Chrome and Celadon Marble.

However, the premium feel fades as soon as you hold the smartphone in your hand. The marble finish on the back and sides is made of plastic. Every time you pick up the smartphone, you can feel the cheaper plastic design, which may contradict your initial assumption after looking at it. The use of plastic is a compromise here and contributes to the smartphone being relatively lightweight. It weighs 186 g and even has a 5500 mAh battery. The phone feels lighter and is comfortable to hold for long periods of time.

The camera module on the back houses two cameras and a similarly designed flash located just below it. There is a cut-out for the front camera on the front. An IR blaster and a second microphone are located on the top. On the bottom, there is a Type-C port, a SIM slot (supports dual SIM and microSD card) and the main speaker. There is no notification slider, as with all other smartphones in the OnePlus Nord CE series, and the right side is on the left.

It is dust and splash resistant (IP54) and can withstand splashes such as light rain or splashes from hand washing. It has a fingerprint sensor in the center under the display that works fast. The display on the front is protected with panda glass.

Overall, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 offers a simple and minimalist design that appeals to many. The ‘Celadon Marble’ surface looks unique. It is lightweight and feels comfortable in the hand, even during prolonged use. The finish on the back makes the smartphone more slippery, but you can use the included case for a better grip.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Display – Bright & Vibrant

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has a 6.7-inch (2412*1080 pixels) Full HD+ AMOLED flat display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. It is vibrant in color, sharp and reaches a brightness of 1100 nits. The viewing angles are great. By default, the display tone is vivid, so the colors are more vibrant. You can change this in the settings to make it look more normal.

The display supports Netflix Widevine L1, Amazon Prime HD and HDR10. You can watch content in high quality with this smartphone. However, there is a problem with HDR playback. When playing HDR content on YouTube, I noticed the frame drops when I played HDR videos in 4K quality.

A unique feature of the OnePlus display is the Aqua Touch function, which is useful when you touch the phone with wet fingers. The Aqua Touch feature improves the touch sensitivity of the screen and prevents ghost touches. It also works for the fingerprint sensor; you don’t need to wipe your finger with a dry cloth to unlock the OnePlus Nord CE 4.

OnePlus Nord CE 4: Solid Performance

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4nm) mobile platform with an Adreno 720 GPU. I had mixed opinions about the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor when I first used it in the Vivo V30 smartphone. Don’t get me wrong; the day-to-day performance and gaming were all great, but I occasionally struggled with stuttering when switching between apps and swiping through web pages in Chrome. However, I didn’t notice these issues on the OnePlus Nord CE 4. The performance in everyday use is good and smooth overall.

I played AAA title games like PUBG and Construction Simulator 3, and gaming performance was smooth and fast. It can handle PUBG with high graphics settings and maintain a consistent FPS. Although the processor offers solid everyday performance, you should opt for the Poco X6 Pro, a performance-oriented smartphone with better performance if you want to use it for intensive gaming.

Heat management is good. The maximum temperature that the device reaches during prolonged gaming is 41 degrees, which is fine considering the Indian summer. The phone gets slightly warmer at the top. Here are the benchmark numbers of the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Antutu, Geekbench and Cinebench 3D.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Storage and Ram – You Can Expand

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. The memory can also be expanded by up to 1 TB with a microSD card. The OnePlus Nord CE 4 is available in two variants: the base variant with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage and the higher variant with 6 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage.

Expandable storage is hard to come by in smartphones these days. Many brands have omitted this feature to save space and encourage users to buy variants with more storage. With the OnePlus Nord CE 4, however, you get an extra slot so you can save some money and opt for a microSD card instead of the higher variant.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Camera: Needs Some Processing

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has a 50 MP rear camera with Sony LYT-600 sensor, f/1.8 aperture and OIS support as well as an 8 MP 120-deg ultra-wide secondary camera with a Sony IMX355 sensor, f/2.2 aperture and LED flash. The camera performs well in daylight with natural colors and a good dynamic range. The images look sharp and retain detail even when zoomed in. Low light performance is good, but noise kicks up when the scene is not sufficiently lit.

I’ve had mixed results with portraits; the smartphone usually takes good portrait shots with shaped edges, but sometimes it misses the mark completely. You can only take portraits in standard mode; however, 2x portrait shots are also supported. The ultra-wide-angle camera is a nice addition; it takes decent wide-angle shots, but lacks detail. On the front, you’ll find a 16 MP front camera with f/2.4 aperture.

The rear camera can record up to 4K at 30 fps and slow-motion 1080p at 120 fps, while the front camera can record 1080p video at 30 fps. The ultra-wide-angle camera can also record up to 1080p at 30 fps. It also supports portrait videos, which can be recorded at up to 1080p at 30 fps. The video quality is good and the colors look natural. However, the camera overexposes the videos in bright lighting conditions. However, it automatically adjusts the overexposed areas when you tilt the smartphone. Here are the video examples I took with the front and rear cameras. The OIS ensures that the video remains stable when recording in Full HD, but the 4k video quality is blurred.

The camera quality is better than I expected. However, there is one small thing you should be aware of. The image looks bad in the preview, but turns out better after processing. The image takes time to process. This applies to both the front and the rear camera. Also, in some cases the photo looks completely washed out.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Software: The Oxygen for This Smartphone

Do you remember the time when you would pick a OnePlus smartphone just because of OxygenOS? That has changed over the years. The OnePlus fans who chose a OnePlus smartphone because of OxygenOS don’t care so much anymore, because OnePlus merged the codebase with ColorOS, and they basically look the same now. But there are still traces of OxygenOS. The strength of OxygenOS is still its fluid performance.

This is still true, as I was able to enjoy the smoother experience of OxygenOS in less than five minutes after booting up the smartphone. Apps open fast and work smoothly. I can tell the difference between a smartphone running OxygenOS and one running another operating system.

The OnePlus Nord CE comes with Android 14 and OxygenOS 14. It will receive two Android updates and three years of security updates. OnePlus has also started to introduce generative AI features. The first feature available for the OnePlus Nord series is the ability to remove unwanted images in the background. OnePlus Object Eraser is similar to the Google Pixel Magic Eraser, which allows you to remove unwanted backgrounds using AI. The OnePlus flagship and the Nord are the first smartphones to have this feature.

In addition, many users complain about the bloatware installed on the phone. You can deactivate the permission to install these apps when setting up the smartphone. This happens with many low-cost smartphones: companies aggressively push advertising and app installations on their smartphones, and this also applies to OnePlus.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Network Connections: Misses

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 comes with dual SIM support. You can insert two SIM cards or use the other slot to expand the storage with a microSD card. It supports 5G for six bands in India, including the N1, N3, N5, N8, N28B, N77 and N78 bands. The 5G support is available for all major mobile operators in India. I tested it with Airtel and Jio and had no issues with 5G.

The signal reception is great. The phone has strong reception both indoors and outdoors. I have also tested the 5G speeds of the smartphone. The download and upload speeds are good and there is no latency on the phone network when playing games or making video calls. The phone supports the latest Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ax (2.4GHz + 5GHz), and has Bluetooth 5.3. However, the phone does not offer NFC, which is a downgrade compared to the Nord CE 3.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Battery: Champ

Speaking of the battery: The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has a 5500 mAh battery with 100 W SUPERVOOC fast charging function. Although it has a huge battery, the smartphone feels light in the hand thanks to the plastic design and good weight distribution. The battery life is excellent; you get an average screen time of 7-8 hours, even with intensive use, which includes hours of gaming. It also comes with a 100-watt super-fast charger, allowing you to charge your smartphone from 0 to 100% in less than 45 minutes.

What’s in the Box: A Complete Package

You get everything in the box to get started with your new smartphone. The screen protector is already attached to the smartphone; OnePlus also offers a case that matches the colors of the smartphone. It’s a color-matching case that looks great on the smartphone. You also get a 100-watt charger and a Type-A to Type-C cable, as well as the instructions and Nord stickers.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Review Verdict – The All-Rounder

All in all: Should you buy the OnePlus Nord CE 4? In short, YES, if you’re looking for an all-rounder. Let’s define an all-round phone: an all-round smartphone fulfills all the requirements to be a good smartphone.

Whether it’s the display, the performance, the camera, the software or the battery life, it meets all the criteria. It offers solid performance in all areas and doesn’t just excel in one area while not being so good in another. For example, I can categorize it better when I compare it to other smartphones. If you love design and software, choose the Nothing Phone (2a) to make your choice easier. If you want solid gaming performance, choose the Poco X6 Pro. If you want the best camera smartphone, choose the Realme 12 Pro Plus, or if you want a complete package of good smartphones, choose the OnePlus Nord CE 4.

Buy OnePlus Nord CE 4