OnePlus Nord 4 First Impressions: Heavy Metal On Budget
The metallic design kind of harkens back to the OnePlus 3T, which was the last pure metallic phone OnePlus had made.
Metallic smartphones went out of fashion the moment 5G came into play because the mmWAV antennas required a more radio-transparent material. But hey, OnePlus was like, "to hell with traditional maxims" with its Nord 4. Yes, Nord 4, its budget flagship. This series is one of its best-selling phones. Now, I have barely tested this phone, but it gives out a fascinating first impression.
The metallic design kind of harkens back to the OnePlus 3T, which was the last pure metallic phone OnePlus had made. There is also a kind of early Google Pixel dual-tone feel to this device, with the top area of the rear housing dual cameras horizontally aligned while housed inside a glass area, while the rest of the back is metallic with a patterned look. The sides are also metal rails encompassing an almost unibody-like finish, something that Apple has pioneered with the MacBooks.
The sides don’t dig into the palm of your hands because they are neatly beveled, making the phone comfortable to hold, even though it is cold to touch. The top left corner has the iconic OnePlus alert slider, while the power and volume rockers have been placed on the right-hand side of the device. The top is home to an IR blaster, a neat appointment that OnePlus has owned up to in the last couple of years, while the bottom is home to the type C connector, the SIM tray, and the speaker grille.
The bezels are short on the screen, but the bottom bezel is slightly chubbier than the rest. Symmetry is not precise on this device.
So what does one feel holding something like this? Old school for sure, in a good way. The phone feels solid and substantial. I am not too sure about the patterned metallic finish on the back, which will be polarising but interesting and unique for sure. It also feels quite minimal and clear in the sea of smartphones we have these days.
Ergonomically, this phone feels fantastic in the hand. It is not very thick or chubby. It’s well balanced and never feels overly hefty. So all in all, from a design point of view, this is a phone that will be a conversation starter and is decidedly unique, mostly in a good way.
Of course, there will be a lot more to talk about in terms of specs, display, software, and camera performance — which all will be covered in the main review.
