I’ve tested almost all the smartphones from OnePlus’ Nord series. And our Riccardo has had the Nord 2 for two years. They’ve always been a mark of quality, but the OnePlus Nord 4 goes beyond that, positioning itself as the best ever.
It has a fantastic design (better than the 12, inexplicably), great battery life, a solid camera setup, and flagship-level performance. Plus, with 6 years of updates, at this price point, it’s hard to beat.
OnePlus Nord 4: Our Tops&Flops
If you’re not specifically looking for a true cameraphone like the OnePlus 12, with its telephoto lens and Hasselblad camera system, then the OnePlus Nord 4 is perfect. It boasts a beautiful, elegant, and refined design, especially in this golden color. It’s smooth, has a fantastic display great for watching multimedia or gaming. And, despite having read some critiques about it, it takes good photos and videos, up to 4K at 60 fps, which isn’t bad for its price. In short, it’s a smartphone that leaves a great impression, with well-integrated software into the rest of the ecosystem, making it an ideal tool for work for most people. The only downside is that, despite being Dual SIM, it lacks eSim compatibility, which is a real pity, especially for travelers.
What we like
- 6 years of updates;
- Exceptional processing power;
- Fantastic display
What we don’t like
- No option to install an eSim;
- “Only” IP65 certification;
- Audio recorded in videos could be better;
Prices in Scandinavia
Design and Build Quality
The OnePlus Nord 4 stands out as a unique device in a sea of glass-backed smartphones.
With its unibody aluminum design, it offers a level of solidity and build quality that’s hard to come by nowadays, even in more expennsive devices. It appears like a premium smartphone and, to be honest, it seems the real flagship of the brand, compared to OnePlus 12’s design.
While many manufacturers have shifted to glass for its practicality and cost-efficiency, the Nord 4’s brushed aluminum back and soft curves give it a premium feel.
The tactile experience is unmatched, and you’ll immediately notice the sturdiness when holding it.However, using a full aluminum body in a 5G era comes with challenges, particularly with signal optimization. OnePlus tackled this by integrating a glossy glass insert around the camera module, allowing for better antenna placement on the sides.
Eight plastic inserts on the frame further enhance the signal strength. The phone features dual nano SIM slots but lacks eSIM support, which is a notable omission in this price range.
Display and every-day usage
The 6.67-inch AMOLED display on the Nord 4 offers a resolution of 1.5K and a refresh rate of 120Hz: it’s stunning, a pleasure to game or to watch movies/videos on social network, but also in video editing with CapCut.
Although it lacks the LTPO technology seen in higher-end models, the display performs well for daily use, remaining responsive even when exposed to water droplets. With a peak brightness of 2150 nits for HDR content and around 1200 nits for everyday usage, it’s plenty bright for outdoor viewing.
Unlocking the device can be done through an under-display fingerprint sensor or 2D facial recognition. While both are fast, only the fingerprint sensor offers secure authentication.
Equipped with the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 processor, the OnePlus Nord 4 delivers near-flagship performance. Tasks like 4K video editing in CapCut are handled with ease, and the LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage ensure quick loading times and smooth multitasking.
In fact, the memory speeds outshine some of its competitors, making the device feel faster than its price point suggests. It’s usage is closer to a flagship than to the oder middle-range smartphones.
The 5500mAh battery, paired with 100W SuperVOOC fast charging, offers exceptional endurance. During moderate usage, the phone easily lasts two full days, and even with heavy use, it manages over 6 hours of screen-on time. The only downside? The aluminum body, while premium in feel, tends to heat up a bit during intensive tasks like gaming, but nothing too annoying.
Long-term support
One of the most attractive features of the OnePlus Nord 4 is its long-term software support. The device will receive 4 major Android updates and 6 years of security patches, rivaling even Google’s Pixel lineup in terms of longevity.
The OxygenOS 14.1, based on Android, remains one of the cleanest and most feature-rich UIs, offering a pleasant balance between customization and simplicity without the bloatware typical of other manufacturers.
Speaking of software, the latest version of Oxygen OS is, of course, available here, and it is perfectly integrated into the OnePlus ecosystem.
Image: NordiskBil
For example, I was able to control the smartphone directly from the OnePlus Pad 2 (review here), offering exceptional convenience; the OnePlus Nord Buds Pro 3 headphones connect at lightning speed, and file sharing via Google’s QuickShare is impressively fast.
Image: NordiskBil
Moreover, all the AI features seen on the 12 and Pad 2 are also present here, such as the ability to remove objects from photos (although Google’s version works better) and smart transcription of our recordings.
Cameras are fantastic for the common user and for social posting
The OnePlus Nord 4 comes with a triple-camera setup.
The ultrawide 8MP secondary camera and the 16MP Sony IMX371 selfie camera remain unchanged from previous models (and that means that the front camera could be much better), while the main camera features a newer Sony Lytia-600 sensor, which offers slightly better performance than its predecessor, despite being smaller.
The 50MP main sensor with OIS delivers good results, particularly in portrait mode, but overall, the camera performance isn’t what sets this phone apart.
These photos are, in my opinion, very good. Even at night, as shown by the high-contrast shots of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 on the roof of Fisketorvet in Copenhagen, they are rich in detail with minimal noise (see the picture just up to here).
Overall, this is certainly not a camera phone, nor is it intended for professional-level photography or videography.
But if you’re looking for a smartphone to take great photos while on vacation or for social media posts, I’d give it some serious thought.
The videos aren’t bad either: OnePlus Nord 4 records in 4K at 60fps, with great quality during the day and decent performance at night. Stability is good, and it’s nice to see that it includes all the recording options found on the 12, including the cinema mode for 21:9 videos.
