OnePlus Nord 4 vs IQOO Neo 9 Pro: Best Mid-range Phone?

Jul. 16, 2024

There have been only a couple of midrange devices that have come close to the prowess of the IQOO Neo 9 Pro. So how does it compare to the newly launched OnePlus Nord 4? A device that offers all-around value for money. I have used both devices extensively and this OnePlus Nord 4 vs IQOO Neo 9 Pro comparison should help you decide which device to go for.

OnePlus Nord 4 vs IQOO Neo 9 Pro: Specs at Glance

To start off, both brands don’t disappoint when we talk about the unboxing experience. You’ll get all the goodies you could ask for within the box itself. This includes the phone itself, the charging brick which is 100 Watts for OnePlus and 120 Watts for IQOO.

You also get a transparent silicon case for both devices, a SIM ejector pin, and the manual and warranty papers. OnePlus does take a minor leap with stickers and their Red Cable Club card that comes bundled in.

In terms of design, both phones bring something special to the table. The IQOO Neo 9 Pro that we have comes with a Red and white stitched leather-like back while OnePlus Nord 4 brings back the beloved metal design. This has been something that I dearly miss in phones nowadays.

As you can tell from the images, both phones rock huge camera sensors at the back. IQOO went for a vertical setup while OnePlus opted for a more spread-out horizontal style. This prevents the Nord 4 from stumbling when laid on a flat table.

Apart from their design, both devices have similar placements with power and volume buttons on the right, a USB-C port, a SIM card tray, and a speaker grill at the bottom. OnePlus fan-favoritealert slideris placed on the left this time (like it should be) and theIR blasterat the top. This is missing on the Neo 9 Pro.

I have to give this one to OnePlus. While the Neo 9 Pro’s false leather back does look cool, the Nord 4 hit it out of the ballpark with itsmetal + glass design. Its compact size makes it easy to hold, not to forget how much of a premium feeling metal offers. It just invokes the sense that you are holding a quality device in your hands.

Winner: OnePlus Nord 4

Now that we have discussed the back, let’s talk about the front. Both devices come with a 1.5k Full HD+ display which is a flat panel. Now, the competition is pretty neck-to-neck in this department. But the IQOO has an edge with a higher peak brightness of3000 nitscompared to 2150 nits. Plus a high144 Hz refresh ratecompared to OnePlus’ 120 Hz.

In regular usage, I can tell thatIQOO’s screen was more visibleas I was taking photos on the bright sunny weekends in Delhi. As someone who often watches content on the go, I often felt the need to crank up the brightness on the OnePlus which wasn’t an issue on the other device.

The colors also pop out a bit more on the Neo. It takes complete advantage of its 6.78-inch size however, certain objects and colors look better on the Nord 4 thanks to higher pixel density. You can adjust a bunch of display settings of IQOO, but I’d prefer the OnePlus display for consuming content as long as I decide to stay indoors. When you go outside, IQOO is the clear winner.

Speakers and Haptics

But what’s a display without a good set of stereo speakers? Both devices come with a dual stereo setup that gets plenty loud. The audio experience is enjoyable here. But while listening to Sabrina Carpentar’s viral hit “Espresso”, I noticed that IQOO’s speakerssound clear at louder volumes. Whereas OnePlus went for a louder route that added a distorted effect to the audio.

For haptics, I think both phones offer a decent experience but the Nord 4 takes the cake in this one. You can thank the O haptics here and how well they are integrated into the UI. It’s tactile, precise, and clicky, in comparison with Neo 9’s soft vibrations. You feel compelled to keep vibrations enabled on the Nord 4.

Winner: IQOO Neo 9 Pro

On the software side of things, you will get Android 14 right out of the box on both phones. The IQOO Neo 9 Pro comes with the latestFuntouchOS 14which will 3 major Android updates. AndOxygenOS 14.1for OnePlus Nord 4 which will get a longer 4-year update cycle.

At a glance, most of you would opt for the latter because of its reputation for serving no bloatware. But that is not the case anymore. The Nord 4 comes with 11pre-installed appswhich is way more than IQOO. They have also included a Glance lock screen, ads in Global Search, and a security page when you install apps.

If it wasn’t for the logo, I would have assumed I was using a budget Oppo or Realme device. You see overall I lean towards FuntouchOS in this scenario. It feels smooth, and snappy and has tons of customizations.

OxygenOS also brings in tons of customizations and even AI features. But the state it ships in the Nord 4 spoils the mood. Suffice it to say that if you are looking for a clean experience, neither will serve you right.

Winner: IQOO Neo 9 Pro

Performance is often the make or break factor for many, especially smartphone gamers when it comes to buying a phone. Now you are getting pretty beefy specs with the two devices here. OnePlus which rocks the latestSnapdragon 7+ Gen 3and IQOO that features last year’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Both are covered by 8 or 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 128 or 256 GB of storage. You can look at our7+ Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 2 comparisonto check them in detail. But in simple terms, the8 Gen 2 is the clear winnerno matter how you look at it. Here are some benchmark results of the two.

Day-to-Day Usage

In everyday use, I don’t think you would have a bone to pick with either of the devices. Both run pretty smooth overall, though I would say that animations looksnappy and the response is fasteron the Neo 9 Pro. No matter how much I push the two phones, they were handling it with charm but OnePlus felt like it needed a breather from time to time.

This was evident when switching from an ongoing match of Call of Duty Mobile, to WhatsApp to reply to a text. The phone stuttered and took a second to get back in the game. I don’t consider it a major problem, and there will be updates to iron out these hiccups. Overall, both phones don’t offer much to complain about in everyday use.

Gaming Performance

This part could be a crucial segment for you if performance is on your top list of priorities. We have laid down a table showing the max FPS and the graphic settings both OnePlus and IQOO were able to run. Have a look at it.GamesOnePlus Nord 4 SettingsIQOO Neo 9 Pro SettingsGenshin ImpactCustom + 60FPS (Got around 57 FPS in intense scenarios)Custom + 60FPS (Consistently hit 60FPS)CoD MobileMax Graphics = Very High + MaxFramerate (Max) = Low + 90FPSMax Graphics = Very High + Max (60FPS)Framerate (Max) = Medium + Ultra (120FPS)BGMIMax Graphics = Ultra HDR + UltraMax Framerate = Smooth + Extreme+ (90FPS)Max Graphics = Ultra HDR + UltraMax Framerate = Smooth + Extreme+ (90FPS)Warzone MobileMedium + Uncapped + High (Average 60 FPS)High + Uncapped (Between 85-90FPS)

If it wasn’t clear from the table, let me tell you that IQOO has been the gaming champ no matter what game you throw at it. The phone has been a champ, even as the best value-for-money device in our best gaming phone video.OnePlus Nord 4IQOO Neo 9 Pro

Nord 4’s 7+ Gen 3 also does a decent job when you think about it as a mid-ranger. It performs well in most games butdemanding titles won’t feel as smoothas they do on the Neo 9 Pro. This is the only phone to handle Warzone even in its launch state decently. Even while playing prolonged sessions, the phone shows no signs of major heating.

Winner: IQOO Neo 9 Pro

Apart from specs, the other important aspect of a phone is its cameras. The OnePlus Nord 4 has a50 MP Sony LYT 600main sensor. The IQOO Neo 9 Pro also features a 50 MP primary camera, however, it isSony’s flagship IMX 920sensor. Both are coupled with an 8 MP ultrawide angle lens and a 16 MP selfie camera. So let’s take a look at the results they produce.

Daytime

During the daylight, both the phones capture good photos but I must say they both have inconsistent results. In most cases, the OnePlus Nord 4 takes the most social media-pleasing photo with popping color tones and at first glance, captures good details. IQOO, as you can see takes morenatural-lookingphotos and preserves better details when you zoom into them.

But there are times when the roles reverse and IQOO goes for saturated colors as you can see from the pictures of the grass and the flower. The details also take a hit on the Neo when you take zoomed-in photos while indoors.

Night Time

The Nord 4 and Neo 9 Pro do a commendable job at handling the nighttime situation, which is also in part thanks to the included OIS. But I think this is where the flagship IMX 920 sensor truly flexes its muscles. You can see from the photos that itcaptures more details, and does better handling of lights and shadows while preserving details.

Selfiesand Portraits

The 16 MP selfie shooter in the front of both of these phones does a decent enough job. But I think IQOO takes a slight edge here. Both of them blow out the highlights at the back, but IQOO captured more details in my face and the back scenery.

This trend continued at night selfies as not only the IQOO was quick enough to capture the photo but also gathered more details in the environment. Nord on the other time took more time to take the photo, yet the result still came out blurred.

When it comes to portrait photos, I can blindly rely on OnePlus. The brand, and their post-processing nails portrait photos ever since the Nord 2. This is one aspect of the ColorOS integration that I appreciate a lot. The edges are clear and the effect looks more natural than what you get with Neo.

Videos

On the Video front, IQOO Neo 9 Pro can capture up to8K in 30 FPS, and OnePlus Nord 4 can do 4K at 60 FPS. Despite having OIS, but phones struggle to keep videos stable at 4K resolution, but I OnePlus did have more of that wobbly effect. IQOO’s footage was a bit more stable in this case, but not by a lot.

I would say that when it comes to cameras, its a close call. While IQOO has received numerous updates, OnePlus is till in line for some. So maybe later on the photos will see an improvement but for now I will side with IQOO Neo 9 Pro

Winner: IQOO Neo 9 Pro

All this gaming and photography will take a toll on your phone’s battery so let’s talk about that. You’ll get a5500 mAhbattery on the OnePlus Nord 4 and a5160 mAhbattery on the IQOO Neo 9 Pro. Given that the Nord 4 sports a mid-range processor, plus the larger capacity means that the Nord should be able to last you a day with continuous usage.

I used it throughout the day, for gaming, took it out for camera samples, used it for navigating to scenic spots, and then used it as a WiFi hotspot when my data plan depleted. The phone still had 11% juice left in it going for about 7 hours.

IQOO, on the other hand, lasted for about 6 hours with medium usage, so it isn’t a long-lasting option. Good thing is when your battery goes in the red, you can refuel it in minutes thanks to the bundled chargers. Both the Nord 4 and the Neo 9 Pro can top up to 100% in about 20 minutes. This was so addictive that I expected the phone to be full by the time I was done with my morning routine.

Winner: OnePlus Nord 4

For any gamers or performance enthusiasts reading this comparison, the answer is clear – the IQOO Neo 9 Pro is the way to go. Not only do you get a beefy device, but the cameras, the display, and the speakers make it a device that is hard to keep out of your hands.

Butif your needs are a little light-hearted, and you want a handy, well-rounded device that focuses on the essentials without digging a hole in your wallet, then the OnePlus Nord 4 should be your choice.

As a tech journalist, I dive into the ever-evolving tech landscape with a particular interest for smartphones, apps, and gaming. With a passion for sharing insights, my articles blend expertise with a friendly touch—think of me as your friendly neighborhood tech support.