OnePlus Launches World's First All-Metal 5G Phone
Not withstanding the glass screen, of course.
OnePlus has launched what it claims is the world’s first and “only metal unibody 5G smartphone” (key word being body, the screen’s still made of glass).
The new OnePlus Nord 4 is made from a single piece of precision-milled aluminum and measures in at just 7.99mm thick, with a bright 120 Hz AMOLED screen that . Though metal phones are nothing new, the advent of 5G technology (and its rapid growth in recent years) has influenced how smartphones and other cellular devices are designed, and – owing to a need to accommodate more onboard antennas – brands have built their devices using less metal and more glass.
OnePlus says it has achieved several technological “breakthroughs” to make this possible, including a fully reworked motherboard and antennas that are “over 50% smaller” than previous designs.
It’s not just about what’s on the outside, though. The OnePlus Nord 4 is powered by Snapdragon‘s impressive 7 Plus Gen 3 processor and can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, making for a versatile device that promises good performance across the board (gaming included). The phone features a 5,500mAh battery – “the largest battery ever fitted to a OnePlus Nord phone”, according to the brand – that can be fast-charged at a rapid 100 watts. For context, this means it takes approximately 28 minutes to charge the phone to 100% from empty, and OnePlus even claims users can get the equivalent of “5 hours of Netflix viewing with just a 5 minute top up.”
The main onboard camera features optical image stabilization and is powered by Sony’s LYT-600 sensor, producing sharp and color-accurate 50 megapixel photos. Additionally, the OnePlus Nord 4 features an ultra-wide camera with a 112-degree field of view, as well as a 16 megapixel selfie camera that, like the main one, is by Sony. Users can also take advantage of the phone’s powerful processor to utilize AI help when it comes to editing photos on the device, with tools including AI Eraser (for removing unwanted things in your pics), AI Clear Face (for high-definition photos) and AI Smart Cutout 2.0 (for adding fun elements to your shots) available now, and others like AI Best Face (which fixes group photos “so that one friend with their eyes closed can magically open them again”) coming later this year.
OnePlus has also promised that owners of its new device will receive six years of security updates and four versions of Android, the “longest ever support package” it has offered.
The OnePlus Nord 4 is available now via the brand’s website in three colours including ‘Oasis Green’, ‘Obsidian Midnight’ and ‘Mercurial Silver’ with prices starting at £429 GBP / €499 EUR. There is no current information on a US launch, but stay tuned to Hypebeast for any updates on this.
And, lastly, would you expect anything other than an all-metal band for an all-metal phone? OnePlus teamed up with the legendary Finnish heavy metal band, Lordi, to front its campaign. Of course it did.
