The midrange Android handset market is undoubtedly crowded these days, especially with the likes of Samsung, Motorola and Xiaomi launching a ton of different mid-tier devices. While many of these offer significant upgrades such as better displays, battery and such, there are times when performance might not be adequate enough, at least in proportion to pricing.
It seems then that this is something that OnePlus looks to change, at least with the introduction of its latest “Nord” model, the Nord CE4. OnePlus originally debuted its Nord line a few years ago as a way to give buyers a taste of the OnePlus ecosystem without spending too much cash, and the Nord CE4 is continuing this tradition based on what we’ve seen. Priced at around £230 (when converted), the phone does pack some nice upgrades, especially when compared to its predecessors and competitors.
Hardware Highlights
Perhaps one of the biggest key differentiators of the Nord CE4 against rival devices is that it comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, one of Qualcomm’s newest chipsets. While it’s not exactly a flagship-grade SoC like the 8 Gen 2 or 8 Gen 3, it’s still a much-welcome addition to the Nord CE4’s list of hardware components, and easily edges out chips like the Exynos 1480 on Samsung’s new Galaxy A55 midranger.
OnePlus has also equipped the Nord CE4 with an impressive OLED display on board measuring 6.7 inches, with a 120Hz refresh rate as well as HDR10+. The rest of the phone is made mostly out of plastic, and is available in “Celadon Marble” and “Dark Chrome” colours variants. The phone also packs a 5,500 mAh battery with support for 100W fast charging, meaning that you can quickly top up your battery in no time. For cameras, the handset features a 50MP main rear camera, 8MP ultrawide rear camera, and a 16MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls.
Software and Other Details
Perhaps one big consideration with the OnePlus Nord CE4 is the length of software support that the phone comes with – in an age where most manufacturers offer five to seven years of continuous software and security updates, OnePlus says that the Nord CE4 will only come with a maximum of two years’ worth of major OS upgrades, and three years of security patches. This might not be ideal if you plan on keeping your phone for longer than that, so do keep this in mind.
On one hand, this does mean that the phone will get three Android versions, including the pre-installed one of course. The Nord CE4 also packs Oxygen OS, so you get all the usual array of exclusive OnePlus software features and apps. Right now, the Nord CE4 is only available in India, but we imagine that OnePlus mighty very well likely bring over the phone to more markets including the UK, either through its official website or through carriers.
Either way, we’d advise interested buyers to keep an eye out for when the Nord CE4 arrives in the United Kingdom.
