The OnePlus Nord CE4 launched in India last week and the company says that it is “selling like hotcakes”. It scored the best first day of sales in the ₹20-25K segment that Amazon India has seen so far this year. However, things could have been better.
Last week’s poll suggests that there are plenty of alternatives in the segment and that they are strongly preferable to the CE4. Even if the price was to come down (which is the reason 7% of voters are passing on the Nord), that still leaves only 25% positive vote.
The number of people leaning towards alternative models is nearly double. Looking through the comments, Pocos and the likes of the Nothing Phone (2a) are the models on people’s minds.
Availability is an issue – the Nord CE4 is currently available only in India – but it’s hard to imagine that a European launch would come with a more competitive price. And Nord phones are all but absent from North America, save for the occasional Nord N.
Going back to the price, OnePlus had early bird offers on April 4 and other discounts the following days. However, many weren’t swayed by the free pair of Nord Buds 2r or the ₹1,500 bank discount.
We’re waiting for a OnePlus Nord 4, which, if it is based on the Ace 3V as we suspect, could be a much more interesting offer from the company. As for the Nord CE4, OnePlus better hope that the strong early sales hold up in the coming days.