OnePlus Nord 4 vs OnePlus Nord CE 4: What’s the Difference? Which One Should You Get?

OnePlus recently dropped a new smartphone in its Nord series in India. This makes the OnePlus Nord 4 5G the third smartphone in the Nord series to debut in 2024.

And while the OnePlus Nord 4 offers a major upgrade over the Nord CE 4 Lite, we wanted to see how it stands up against the more OnePlus Nord CE 4 5G, given the nearly identical specifications of the two phones. Now, let's find out what are the differences between OnePlus's two mid-range Nord smartphones.

OnePlus Nord 4 vs OnePlus Nord CE 4: Full Specs Comparison

Design and Build

The OnePlus Nord 4 features a standout design with a two-tone finish and a full metal back, a major departure from the glass, leather, and plastic rear panels we've come to expect from most smartphones. The back of the phone has a dual-tone finish with a glass-like finish on top, which houses the two rear cameras.

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 5G, on the other hand, opts for a plastic back panel. Both phones offer glass protection on the front, although the Nord 4 opts for a metal frame as opposed to plastic on the Nord CE 4. The Nord 4 also boasts a superior IP65 rating for better protection against water.

Display

While both OnePlus Nord phones come with 120Hz AMOLED displays, the vanilla Nord 4 takes things up a notch. The OnePlus Nord 4's display features a higher resolution and can achieve a higher peak brightness than the Nord CE 4 5G. It also comes with Ultra HDR image support.

Performance

At first glance, the chip on Nord 4 and Nord 4 CE might be deceptive. The Nord 4's incorporation of the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chip ensures a major gap in performance over the Nord CE 4 5G's Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC. Apart from massive performance gains, the Nord 4's chip also ensures better AI performance.

Moreover, the vanilla Nord 4 supports faster LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage (128GB model is downgraded to UFS 3.1). The OnePlus Nord 4 also uses an advanced crystalline graphene and steel VC liquid cooling system.

Cameras

Unfortunately, the OnePlus Nord 4 hasn't received a camera update, with the device using the same rear and front sensors as the OnePlus Nord CE 4 5G. However, the Nord 4 does have a couple of advantages here, namely the upgraded image signal processor (ISP) and the ability to shoot 4K video at 60fps on the main rear camera. The Nord CE 4 5G is limited to 4K at 30fps.

Software & Battery

Both the OnePlus Nord 4 and Nord CE 4 5G feature similar battery capacities and offer equally fast charging. However, the Nord 4's power hungry chip gives it a slight disadvantage in battery life. While both phones feature similar software, the Nord 4 delivers the best support of any OnePlus smartphone to date (4 Android OS & 6 Years of Security), rivalling some of India's best flagships.

Should You Buy the OnePlus Nord 4 vs OnePlus Nord CE 4?

The three standout features of OnePlus Nord 4 5G are undoubtedly its performance, build quality, and software support. And while the Nord 4 does have a few advantages in the camera and display departments, they are minuscule upgrades.

However, the one major reason we believe that the OnePlus Nord 4 5G is worth the extra Rs 5,000 is longevity. The faster performance will ensure the Nord 4 will keep pace with your daily smartphone requirements in the long run. The all-metal design and IP65 rating ensure better protection against accidents and the elements.

Additionally, the improved software support won't only allow you to use the phone for longer without worry but will also offer better resale value. Despite its higher price tag, the OnePlus Nord 4 feels like the better value proposition on paper.