OnePlus previews Nord 4’s all-metal body and AI features in new preview
Ahead of its Summer Launch Event, OnePlus is previewing four products it will unveil on July 16. Much of the information in the preview pertains to the upcoming Nord 4, a smartphone that breaks new ground for the company in several areas.
First, the device features a unibody construction made entirely of aluminum. OnePlus President and COO Kinder Liu told DigitalTrends The metal form provides “durability, beauty, permanence and strength.” Part of the striking appearance can be attributed to the company’s “Nordtones” color scheme. This is essentially a two-tone paint job where the top portion is polished metal and the bottom has a matte coating.
There are three colors in total: Obsidian Midnight (also called black), Oasis Green, and Mercurial Silver with a ribbed texture running across the back.
OnePlus is set to reveal that the Nord 4 will be the thinnest model in the line at 7.99mm thick. The company states that due to the aluminum unibody, it had to move some components around in order to maintain a lightweight smartphone. As a result, the camera lenses have been shifted to sit horizontally instead of vertically. This also allowed OnePlus to fit a smaller motherboard and give more space to the battery.
AI-enhanced
Under the hood, you’ll find a Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 chipset, up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a maximum storage capacity of 512GB. The hardware is supported by a wide range of AI features, the most notable of which is the Trinity Engine. This component allows the Nord 4 to fine-tune its performance using various tools. For example, CPU Vita can give the processor a power boost when the situation calls for it or reduce its power when the device is idle.
Many of the AI features are reminiscent of tools you’ll see on other smartphones, like the Pixel 8. You’ve got AI Audio Summary for transcribe audio files, Note Summary for summarizing emails, and Text Translate for translating other languages. There’s an interesting feature coming called AI Linkboost, which allows the Nord 4 to quickly reconnect to mobile networks if you leave an area without service.
Other notable features of the OnePlus Nord 4 include a 6.74-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, a 50MP Sony LYT-600 camera, and AquaTouch, which lets you operate the display even when it’s wet.
Associated hardware
OnePlus didn’t share much information about the other three devices, likely saving that for the event, but they did provide some insight. The OnePlus Pad 2 has a 12.1-inch touchscreen and its own set of AI tools like Eraser 2.0 for image editing and Scan Document.
The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro are said to be a “significant leap forward from its predecessor” when it comes to the way it handles low and high frequencies. The 12.4mm drivers cover a frequency range of up to 4,000Hz and can cancel up to 49dB of noise. As for the OnePlus Watch 2R, very little is known about the wearable, other than that it has a 100-hour battery life and dual-frequency GPS.
Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to find out more, as OnePlus’ Summer Launch Event kicks off on July 16 at 6am PST / 9am EST / 2pm BST. Stay tuned for more coverage.
In the meantime, check out TechRadar’s list of the best OnePlus phones for 2024.
