2024 was a strong year for OnePlus – both the main series and the Nord line brought some real winners. However, there were some embarrassing hiccups and, worse, the company’s future strategy could lead it down the wrong path.
Winner: OnePlus 12
With two exceptions, the OnePlus 12 performs brilliantly on all tasks. It has a beautiful screen, excellent battery life and fast charging, solid performance, and a camera that impresses with selfies and video stabilization. The IP65 rating is on the low side for a flagship and daylight video quality could use some use.
Those things aside, despite being cheaper, the OnePlus 12 stood up well against the Galaxy S24 Ultra (though OnePlus flagships aren’t exactly cheap these days).
oneplus 12
The phone has already received the OxygenOS 15 update with several AI features (AI Retouch, AI Notes) and several UI improvements. However, OnePlus updates are something we want to talk about in a separate section.
Winner(?): OnePlus 12R
The company’s “flagship killer” days are long behind us, but it still offers premium models, like the OnePlus 12R, with more affordable specifications. It reduces capabilities and price compared to the 12 and still arrives at an attractive formula.
It also has a great display and class-leading battery life with fast (if only wired) charging. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was better than any mid-range chip throughout 2024 and OnePlus gave it enough cooling for long sessions.
The main camera did a great job, but the 8MP fixed-focus ultra-wide camera wasn’t as good (although it performed better than expected in the dark). An even bigger issue is the lack of a telephoto camera. Daylight video quality could also be better. Check out our OnePlus 12 vs 12R post for more details on how the R-phone stacks up against its more expensive sibling.
oneplus 12r
You might be wondering why there is a question mark in the title. Some of you may already know this, but it may not be the issue you’re thinking of. The 12R was the first R-series phone sold in the US and it faced an unexpected hurdle – it didn’t work on Verizon. It cleared up within a few days and was embarrassing, but not that big of an issue in the end.
One big mistake was that OnePlus advertised the 256GB 12R as having UFS 4.0 storage, when it actually used the slower UFS 3.1. Ultimately, OnePlus offered a full refund to all buyers of the 256GB 12R.
Loser: OS Support
Last year, OnePlus had announced that the OnePlus 11 would get 4 OS updates and 5 years of security patches. We were hoping that this would be increased with the launch of 12, but there was no such success. In fact, OnePlus doubled down on why only 5 years of support is good enough.
In short, OnePlus COO Kinder Liu argued that even if the software is kept up to date, the hardware will no longer be good enough for use. “When our competitors say their software policy will last seven years, remember that their phone batteries probably won’t last seven years,” Liu said.
We wonder if OnePlus will reconsider that position, now that it promises 4 years of battery health (ie the battery will retain at least 80% of its capacity after four years of regular use). By the way, this is in collaboration with CATL.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
OnePlus Nord 4 brings back memories of aluminum unibody days How to make a premium phone. Don’t get us wrong, we appreciate that today’s wireless charging and thousands of wireless connectivity options work better with a glass back. We just like to see some variety.
oneplus nord 4
And the Nord 4 has a great look (especially the Mercurial Silver is a stunner), amazing battery life (the 5,500mAh battery helps a lot with this), fast charging and… well, okay, it’s wired charging only, but This is 100W charging. Anyway, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 proved to be an excellent performer, although we didn’t feel like we got the best from the 120Hz display. The camera could have been better.
Still, its unique looks and good price make the OnePlus Nord 4 one of the highlights of 2024.
Loser: OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite
And while its sleeker sibling is a winner, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite falls into the category of losers. Did OnePlus really use the Snapdragon 695 for the three generations of CE Lite? Yes, yes it happened. And keep in mind, that chip was already old when it was showcased on the 2022 CE2 Lite.
To be fair on the phone itself, its display is much improved compared to the Nord CE3 Lite, the battery life and IP rating were also better. Even the camera got small but appreciable improvements (especially video stabilization). However, the lack of an ultra-wide camera and chipset-related limitations (like 1080p @ 30fps video capture) were a big disappointment.
OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite
OnePlus fixes many of our complaints about the Nord CE4 Lite – a powerful Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, fast UFS 3.1 storage, a camera with 4K video capture and an ultra-wide lens, and even a bigger 5,500mAh battery . It doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, but it does keep a microSD slot.
Unfortunately, the Nord CE4 is only available in India, so it doesn’t have its own segment. And if that were the case, it would also be in the loser’s bracket – OnePlus would have been better off making the CE4 a global model and not bothering with the CE4 Lite at all.
Loser: OnePlus Open
It’s less about the phone — this 2023 model is actually quite good — but about the lack of follow-up. Open launches in late 2023 and has no sequel in sight. Sometimes, we hear rumors about OpenGL 2, but it is clear that it will release in 2025.
What happened? We don’t know. Inside information suggests that the Oppo foldable that would have been the basis for the Open 2 was discontinued (the Open was based on the Oppo Find N3), but that doesn’t exactly answer the question. Are these technical issues or more economic – not enough sales or not enough profit? Again, we don’t know.
oneplus open
However, the foldable market is heating up and OnePlus probably won’t want to lose that market segment. And what about flip foldables? Nothing official yet, but rumor has it that the so-called OnePlus V Flip is expected to arrive in Q2 2025.
oneplus 12
| 256GB 12GB RAM | ₹ 48,599 |
$695.00 |
| 512GB 16GB RAM | ₹ 56,999 |
$640.29 |
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oneplus 12r
| 128gb 8gb ram | ₹ 32,899 |
$409.14 |
| 256GB 16GB RAM | ₹ 37,799 |
$469.99 |
| Show all prices | ||
oneplus nord 4
| 256GB 12GB RAM | ₹ 32,999 |
€417.85 |
| 512GB 16GB RAM | €474.00 |
£432.90 |
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OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite
| 256GB 8GB RAM | £229.00 |
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| Show all prices | ||
