This year is just three months old, and we’ve already seen some impressive smartphones in the sub-₹25,000 price segment. Starting with the Poco X6 Pro, which launched in January, offering rock-solid performance, followed by the Nothing Phone 2A in March, known for its unique design and premium user experience. Now, the OnePlus Nord CE4 has entered the scene, ready to take on its competitors.
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OnePlus Nord CE4: Unboxing Experience
Starting with the unboxing, you’ll feel pampered right away as you get a 100W SuperVOOC Charging Brick, a Red USB A-C cable, a Sim Ejector Tool, a pre-applied screen protector, a case, and, of course, the phone itself. A pretty generous package by OnePlus!
OnePlus Nord CE4: Design
The moment I took the Nord CE4 out of the box, I was impressed with its design, especially the marble-looking back. Although the phone is made entirely of plastic, including the back and the frame, it still manages to look quite premium. It’s not the thinnest, but it feels light, even with a 5500 mAh battery packed inside. The device is IP54 rated, which means it can handle light splashes. Additionally, it includes an IR blaster, USB-C port, speaker grilles, two microphones, volume and power buttons, and a dual SIM + microSD slot. One missing feature? The alert slider, which has been highly requested by OnePlus users.
OnePlus Nord CE4: Display and Multimedia Experience
The Nord CE4 features a 6.7-inch, 120Hz Full HD AMOLED screen with HDR10+ support and an in-display fingerprint scanner that works quickly and accurately. The display is protected by twice-reinforced Panda Glass and offers vivid colors thanks to its 10-bit panel. Since it’s HDR10+ certified, you can enjoy HDR content on YouTube and Netflix. Initially, the HDR support on Netflix wasn’t available, but it started working after a software update.
Watching movies on this phone is an enjoyable experience, thanks to stereo speakers that can get quite loud without distortion, even at maximum volume. While there’s no Dolby Atmos support, you do get Holo Audio for high-res surround sound. The Aqua Touch display is another highlight, allowing you to use the phone with wet fingers or in the rain, a feature also seen on the OnePlus 12 series.
OnePlus Nord CE4: Performance, Benchmarks, and Gaming
The Nord CE4 is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, paired with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. The performance is strong, and the device holds its ground against competitors like the Nothing Phone 2A, particularly in benchmark tests such as AnTuTu and Geekbench, where the Nord CE4 scores higher in multicore performance.
However, the Poco X6 Pro with its Dimensity 8300 Ultra chipset outperforms both the Nord CE4 and the Nothing Phone 2A in every benchmark test. In the CPU throttling test, the Nord CE4 maintained 89% peak performance in a 15-minute test, although it did throttle down to 70% in a 60-minute test, which is still respectable.
In real-world usage, I experienced no issues with multitasking, browsing, or everyday tasks. Gaming performance was solid as well. Playing Genshin Impact at High 60FPS was smooth, with no lags or overheating even after an hour. BGMI ran smoothly with Ultra HDR + Ultra FPS settings, and other games like COD Mobile, Honkai Star Rail, and Asphalt 9 performed without any frame drops or jitters. The only downside is the lack of 90FPS support in games, which would have been a nice addition.
OnePlus Nord CE4: Software and Updates
The Nord CE4 comes with OxygenOS 14, based on Android 14, offering a clean software experience with no ads or recommendations and minimal bloatware. The device also includes the full version of Link to Windows, allowing you to use Android apps on a Windows PC. OnePlus has promised two OS updates and three years of security patches, which is slightly less than the competition that offers three OS updates.
OnePlus Nord CE4: Camera Performance
The camera is where things get a bit mixed. The Nord CE4 has a dual rear camera setup with a 50MP primary sensor with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide sensor. In daytime, the primary camera captures decent photos with good detail, but the colors seem a bit faded. Portrait shots show nice blur effects, but the edge detection isn’t the best in this price range. In low light, the Nord CE4 performs better than the Poco X6 Pro but falls behind the Nothing Phone 2A.
For videos, the phone supports 4K30FPS recording with OIS, offering good video quality. The 16MP selfie camera produces sharp and detailed photos in daylight, but low-light selfies are not as impressive compared to its rivals. Overall, the Nord CE4 lags behind the Nothing Phone 2A and the Poco X6 Pro in the camera department, but software updates might improve the situation, as seen with previous OnePlus models.
OnePlus Nord CE4: Battery and Charging
The Nord CE4 comes with a 5500mAh battery, providing a screen-on time of around 6 to 7 hours during heavy use, such as watching videos and gaming. With casual use, the phone easily lasts a day and a half. The 100W SuperVOOC charger can charge the phone from 1% to 100% in just 30 minutes, which is impressive.
OnePlus Nord CE4: Connectivity
The Nord CE4 supports WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 7 5G bands. However, the number of 5G bands is lower than its competitors, with the Poco X6 Pro offering 14 bands and the Nothing Phone 2A offering 13. Despite this, the 5G connectivity on the Nord CE4 is reliable, and the WiFi performance is also solid.
Conclusion
So, should you buy the Nord CE4 at ₹25,000? If you prioritize good software experience, solid processing power, a large battery, and fast charging, this phone is worth considering. However, if you’re looking for the best camera performance and a cleaner software experience, the Nothing Phone 2A might be a better fit. For those who value performance and display quality the most, the Poco X6 Pro is the way to go.
That’s it from our side! If you have any more questions about this phone, feel free to ask in the comments, and we’ll be happy to answer them.
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