Introduction
OnePlus did a great job in India last year, and that’s because they had a good enough offering at every major price point, and that was enough for them because of the brand value and trust that they’ve built over the years. They’re trying to do the same thing this year. So, this is the OnePlus Note 4 they’re offering in the mid-premium segment. It actually takes a couple of steps forward as compared to last year’s OnePlus Note 4, but it also takes one major step backward which might confuse the consumer.
Build Quality
I have been using the OnePlus Note 4 for the past few days, and let’s talk about that experience. See, there is one major change this time which I do appreciate, and that is with the build quality, especially the material that has been used. The OnePlus Note 4 has a metal unibody back panel. We’ve not seen that in years. In fact, I don’t remember the last smartphone that I tested which had a metal unibody back panel. I am glad that metal has made a comeback over here, and it is very easy to spot metal because of the antenna lines. So, the Note 4 does have antenna lines around it like this. This smartphone is genuinely making me nostalgic. It takes me back to the good old times, and despite it being a metal back panel, it doesn’t feel that heavy in the hand. In fact, it feels very comfortable to hold, so no problem over there. It is not a bulky smartphone.
Heating Issues
Now, with the metal back, there are some concerns regarding the heating of the smartphone, especially with modern processors like the G and all those things. But I have not noticed any heating issues with the OnePlus KN 4. No, I’m not a heavy user. I’m not going to play BGMI or Genshin Impact for a couple of hours. If you are that person, then I would highly recommend you check out some dedicated gaming reviews where you’ll get to know about the FPS, the thermals, and all those things. Because it is a metal back panel, please watch those reviews if you are a heavy user. But for normal usage, I have not noticed any heating issues whatsoever. In fact, it doesn’t even get warm. It’s been quite pleasant. Now, this top part is a different finish which gets scratched up very easily. You can see that there is already a big scratch on this part, so please make sure to use a cover with this smartphone. But yeah, the metal unibody back panel does have a premium feeling to it, and I do prefer it over plastic and glass. The only material that I would prefer instead of metal is vegan leather. So, vegan leather and metal, both are awesome.
Display: Stunning and Immersive
OnePlus has also done a great job with the display of this smartphone, especially the bezel. The bezels are very slim and almost edge-to-edge. That’s why the display feels immersive, and it is a high-quality AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 120Hz refresh rate is working in a very good way. The UI feels smooth, animations are fast, and overall, it’s a buttery experience. Just look at the display; it is awesome. So, watching content is a treat on this display. Instagram reels, YouTube videos, Netflix shows, you name it, you will have a very good experience while consuming content on the Note 4. It also has an in-display fingerprint sensor which is fast and accurate. There is just one thing: the position of the in-display fingerprint sensor is a little lower on the screen. I would have loved to see the fingerprint scanner a little bit higher on the screen.
Performance: Power Under the Hood
Smooth Experience for Normal Users
Performance-wise as well, the OnePlus Note 4 is awesome, especially for this price. It has a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, which has been great in other smartphones like the Realme GT, and it is great in this smartphone as well. For normal usage like Instagram, UPI payments, YouTube videos, maybe some light photo editing here and there, this smartphone will fly. You can also do gaming on this smartphone, maybe a couple of hours of BGMI here and there. Easily possible on the Note 4, and OnePlus has optimized the performance in a good way. I have not noticed any lags or stutters whatsoever. It has been a super smooth experience, and I instantly noticed that when I started using this smartphone. The performance is awesome, definitely a step forward as compared to the OnePlus Note 3, but what is not a step forward is the software.
Software: Oxygen OS Losing Its Charm
The Shift Towards Bloatware
OnePlus is known for Oxygen OS. Oxygen OS is one of the main reasons why OnePlus has such a strong community and fan base. People started loving Oxygen OS and got used to it, but over the years, OnePlus has changed Oxygen OS a lot, and there was a point where Oppo and OnePlus just merged their codebase, which was a very big letdown for a lot of people out there. But even after that, Oxygen OS did have a differentiating factor—that is, bloatware. So, Oxygen OS looked and had similar features to Oppo software but didn’t have the bloatware of Oppo. But now, that has changed with the OnePlus Note 4. This smartphone came with bloatware out of the box, which honestly is very annoying. Like, OnePlus’s main thing is a clean experience, and that has changed at this point. You can pick up any Oppo, Realme, or OnePlus smartphone, and you will get 100% of the same software experience. That is super annoying, and the step backward which I was talking about. See, performance and features-wise, the software is great. You will get a lot of customization and useful features with great performance and optimization, but bloatware in a OnePlus smartphone is a letdown. So, I’m hoping that they will not do this again because if they do this, it will definitely confuse the customers. Customers don’t associate OnePlus smartphones with bloatware. I will end my rant now about bloatware because I think you get the point.
Cameras: Impressive for the Price
Rear Cameras Performance
Moving on, let’s talk about the cameras. So, there are two cameras on the rear side: the main and ultra-wide, and both of them are doing a good job for the price of this smartphone. You can click high-quality, detailed images with good dynamic range when you give this camera a lot of light. The shadows and highlights are exposed consistently well, and you will get a pleasing image out of this camera. Even the colors are great—not too oversaturated and not too undersaturated. There is just the typical OnePlus look that you will get. It is common amongst all OnePlus smartphones. I think Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a good choice of processor in terms of the camera as well because of the processing. The processing does matter in smartphone photography. You can also click good quality images in artificial and low-lighting conditions. There is a dedicated night mode which works really well. I mean, I enjoy clicking photos with the OnePlus Note 4, and this goes for the main as well as ultra-angle camera. The ultra-angle camera has a great perspective and is clicking good photos for the price of this smartphone. Even portrait mode is working well with good edge detection and natural background blur, although the skin tones can be a little bit better, and that can be clearly noticed in the front camera. Skin tones in the selfies are not accurate, but the overall quality of the selfie is good enough.
Video Performance
Alright, this is a very quick front camera video test with the OnePlus Note 4, and the front camera cannot shoot in 4K. It is limited to 1080p, which is kind of disappointing because I was expecting 4K. Now, you guys have one job: let me know about the microphone quality that is coming out of the front camera. Is it good? Is it bad? Whatever it is, let me know in the comment section down below. And this is a very quick rear camera 4K video sample. Now, the rear camera can shoot up to 4K at 30 FPS, so that is incredible. Let’s get up close to check the focusing. I think it is nice. Yep, the focusing is nice and fast, and even the video quality is looking good, at least on the smartphone display. Now, you guys, let me know about the video quality in the comment section down below. It’s a beautiful weather, obviously. It is not the best camera out there, but it is not the worst either. If I had to rate the camera, I’m going to give it an 8 out of 10, which is a good rating.
Other Features: Useful Additions
Convenience with the Alert Slider and IR Blaster
What else? What else? Yeah, the alert slider is still here, which is a super convenient feature. I’m glad that they did not remove the alert slider. Basically, you can just use this slider to change ring modes: ring, silent, and vibrate. There is an IR blaster as well, which is super convenient. You can use this smartphone to control your TVs, ACs, basically anything with an IR receiver.
Battery Life and Charging
As far as the battery goes, it has a 5000mAh battery, and this is dual-battery technology. Basically, you get two batteries inside the smartphone, and combined, it is 5000mAh. I have not noticed any issues with battery life whatsoever. If I would typically start the day at 100%, towards the end, there would be 20 to 30% left, which is great battery life in my books. The day would consist of normal usage like Instagram, Reels, Google Map apps, UPI payments, maybe some YouTube videos in there, and some light photo editing. That’s about it.
Charging Speed
One great thing with this smartphone is the charging experience. You do get a 65W charger inside the box itself, which will charge the phone completely in about 40 minutes—like 0 to 100 in 40 minutes. That is super convenient.
My Opinion: A Solid Smartphone with Room for Improvement
See, all in all, for 30,000 rupees, the OnePlus Note 4 is a good smartphone, but essentially, because of bloatware, Oxygen OS is losing its character, and that is kind of a step backward. OnePlus should not do it because they are known for Oxygen OS. They’ve already changed so much about it. Please don’t add bloatware because people are not going to like that, and it’s just going to confuse consumers. I hope OnePlus will take this feedback constructively. But apart from the bloatware, this is a solid smartphone from OnePlus. If you are considering buying the OnePlus Note 4, then you can go ahead with it.
