OnePlus Nord CE4 Full Specifications: Sony 50MP Camera With Snapdragon Chipset

OnePlus launched its most expected OnePlus Nord CE4 smartphone in India today. It is a major upgrade from last year’s Nord CE3, since this gets a faster SoC, bigger battery and faster charging, and also gets cheaper. Is this worth the price? Let us dive into the review and find out.

OnePlus Nord CE4

• 50MP Sony LYT-600 with OIS
• 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB
• Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset

• The OnePlus Nord CE4 boasts 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, expandable for even more memory. Its powerful processor keeps things smooth while the
• 5500mAh battery offers long-lasting power.

OnePlus Nord CE4 Specifications

Display

• Size: 6.7 inches (17.02cm)
• Resolution: 2412×1080 (FHD+), 394ppi
• Screen-to-body Ratio: 93.40%
• Aspect Ratio: 20.1:9
• Refresh Rate: Up to 120 Hz
• Touch Response Rate: Up to 240 Hz
• Type: AMOLED

Technical

• USB 2.0, Type-C
• Hi-Res, Hi-Res wireless
• Supports GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo, QZSS

Connectivity

• Yes (Dual nano-SIM slot)
• 2×2 MIMO, Supports up to UL Cat 13 (150Mbps) / DL Cat 12 (600Mbps), depending on carrier support
• 5G NR: n1/n3/n5/n8/n28B/n77/n78
• Bluetooth 5.4, support SBC/AAC/aptX HD/aptX/LDAC/LHDC

Camera

• Sensor: Sony LYT600
• Megapixels: 50 MP
• Lens Quantity: 5P
• Sensor Size: 1/1.95″
• Focal Length: 26mm equivalent
• Utra wide Megapixels: 8 MP
• Ultra-wide Angle: 112°
• Front Camera Megapixels: 16 MP

Memory & Processor

• OxygenOS 14.0 based on Android™ 14
• Snapdragon® 7 Gen 3 Mobile Platform
• Qualcomm® Kryo™ CPU
• 8GB LPDDR4X
• 128GB / 256GB UFS3.1
• Up to 1TB Micro SD

Battery

• 5,500 mAh (Dual-cell 2,750 mAh, non-removable)
• 100W SUPERVOOC
• Battery Health Engine

Sensors

• Proximity Sensor
• Accelerometer
• In-display optical sensor
• Gravity sensor
• In-display optical sensor
• Pedometer

• The phone has a 2160Hz high-frequency dimming technology. In dark environments where DC dimming can’t work, the phone will automatically switch to 2160Hz PWM dimming mode to maintain accurate colors on display with a more comfortable eye experience. There is Aqua Touch that uses HyperTouch algorithm for even smoother touch experience even when the hands are wet.

• The phone also has HDR 10 support, which works for YouTube and Netflix. You can enable video HDR boost from display settings, which increases the colors when playing SDR videos to make them look like HDR. There is always-on-display that shows contextual info and notifications all day or as per schedule.

• The Celadon Marble has texture-based designs inspired from special edition OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey, the company says. Even though it packs a huge, 5500mAh battery, it weighs 186 grams. Even though the plastic back looks glossy, the fingerprints are not noticeable.
• The phone also comes in Dark Chrome color that builds upon OnePlus’s legacy of iconic dark colorways featuring a subtle shiny gradient.

Camera

• 50MP rear camera with 1/1.95″ Sony LYT-600 sensor, f/1.95 aperture, OIS
• 8MP 120° ultra-wide camera with Sony IMX355 sensor, f/2.2 aperture
• 16MP front-facing camera with f/2.4 aperture

• The camera UI in the OxygenOS 14 is familiar. There is Pro mode, Panorma, Slo-mo, Time-Lapse, Dual-View video, and text scanner. The rear camera offers 12.5MP output after pixel binning, and the front camera images are 16MP in size.

Daylight shots came out well, thanks to the 50MP sensor, and the dynamic range is better with auto HDR.  2X is good, but as you zoom in you lose details even though you get up to 20X zoom. The portrait mode offers a good edge detection. This drops the 2MP macro camera, which is a good thing.

The colors are natural, but I felt the IMX890 did a slightly better job in the low light. The night mode is useful, but it takes a few seconds to process. There is also a tripod mode. The 16MP front camera also does a good job in daylight, but doesn’t do much in low light. The bokeh shots are good, and the edge detection is decent.

Software, UI and Apps

• It runs Android 14 based OxygenOS 14 out of the box. It has Android security patch for March 2024. The phone will get 2 Android updates and 3 years of security updates, similar to older CE series phones. OxygenOS 14 offers Trinity Engine with HyperTouch, HyperBoost and HyperRender. There is a new GO Green feature, promoting climate change awareness.
• The File Dock feature enables collection, analysis, and sharing of global information through the Dock or other applications simply by making gestures. Notes 2.0 offers more convenient, enriched, and intelligent editing capabilities. The Smart Cutout feature is also able to accurately recognize and extract the subject from complex backgrounds, or background that shares a similar color scheme with the subject, or in group photos.

• Apart from the usual set of OnePlus apps and Google apps, it comes with several pre-loaded apps such as Instagram, Netflix and some games. These apps can be uninstalled, but come back once the phone is reset. The IR remote app is useful.

• Out of 8GB LPDD4X RAM, you get 7.2GB of usable RAM, and about 3GB of RAM is free when default apps are running in the background. It also has DRE or dynamic RAM expansion feature, which uses the built-in storage as RAM. This has up to 8GB of additional RAM expansion. Out of 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, you get about 195.97GB of free storage.

Battery life

• Coming to the battery life, the phone packs a 5500mAh (typical) battery, which is slightly bigger than the 5000mAh battery in the CE 3. It can easily last for a day with heavy use and for 2 days with typical use.

• I over 6 hours of screen on time with 1 and half days of use, mostly on Wi-Fi, and occasional 5G use in 120Hz. Since the phone has support for 100W SuperVOOC fast charging, it can charge from up to 100% in less than half an hour. There are smart charging, option to stop charging at 80%, and the smart rapid charging can charge the device faster if the battery is too low.

Conclusion

• At a starting price of Rs. 24,999, the OnePlus Nord CE4 5G undercuts the price of the CE3, making it a worthy successor and gives a good competition to others. The performance has improved, the camera is good enough, and the phone gets a huge battery bump with support for 100W fast charging. Wish the company had retained NFC support and had gone with a large camera sensor for better low light photography.

Alternatives

• The Nothing Phone 2a is a cheaper alternative, but it has a MediaTek SoC and a smaller battery. Redmi Note 13 Pro offers a better screen, and a better low-light camera performance.

Pricing and availability

• The OnePlus Nord CE4 is priced at Rs. 24,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model, and the 8GB + 256GB model costs Rs. 26,999. It will be available dadamobiles.com, OnePlus Store App OnePlus offline stores, OnePlus Store App, Amazon.in, Reliance Digital, Croma & other offline partner brands starting from April 4th. There are also launch offers.

Pros

• 120Hz AMOLED display is good
• Smooth performance
• Capable cameras
• Eye-catching design, IP54 ratings
• Good battery life, 100W fast charging

Cons

NFC support from CE3 has been removed

Low-light camera performance could be better