OnePlus Nord 4 review

Design and handling

One of the biggest changes in the OnePlus Nord 4 coming from the 3rd generation is the design. The new Nord isn't your usual glass sandwich phone. Its chassis is almost entirely made of aluminum, reminiscent of past times when most phones were aluminum-clad. Take the OnePlus 3 and 3T, for example.

However, OnePlus claims that with the integration of 5G connectivity, the metal chassis went out of fashion because the antennas need better reception, hence why we get glass, ceramic, plastic and vegan leather options for back panels. The company has found a solution, though, as it uses new antennas and a tech that uses the metal back to amplify the signal.

The result is a nice-looking phone with a gentle anodized finish and smooth edges. While it feels extra nice in hand and doesn't attract fingerprints, it's one helluva slippery device. The flat edges help a bit with the grip, though.

We have the Mercurial Silver colorway, which includes a subtle striped texture on its back made with fine laser cuts but doesn't help with overall grip. The Nord 4 is also offered in Obsidian Midnight and Oasis Green, none of which feature that stripe texture.

It's not all metal, though, as the Nord 4 has a two-tone design on the back. The top end of the back is glass and OnePlus pointed out that it had to reshuffle things inside the chassis to accommodate the chipset. As a result, the two cameras are horizontal, and the engineers were able to squeeze in a 5,500 mAh battery.

Due to its aluminum chassis, the Nord 4 tips the scale at almost 200 grams, which is a bit hefty for a phone without that many cameras.

The side frame accommodates the usual connectivity options and buttons. The power button is easy to reach with your thumb. The Alert Slider is still around and is located on the left side of the frame, near the top corner.

OnePlus Nord 4

The same cannot be said about the under-display fingerprint reader. It's jammed way too close to the bottom edge of the screen and feels awkward to reach.

All in all, we like the design. It may be a bit slippery, but it feels premium, looks nice, and definitely stands out from the crowd with its long-forgotten aluminum design. Moreover, the upgraded IP65 protection against water and dust is more than welcome.