OnePlus Nord CE4 was launched in India last week, the company said “Selling like hot cakes”. It has achieved the best first-day sales in the Rs 20-25,000 segment on Amazon India so far this year. However, things could have been better.
Polls last week showed that there are plenty of alternatives in this segment, and that they are more popular than the CE4. Even if prices dropped (which was the reason 7% of voters abandoned Nord), that would still leave only 25% of the votes cast in favor.
The number of people leaning towards alternative models has almost doubled. Looking through the reviews, Pocos and Nothing Phone (2a) are the models in people’s minds.
Availability is an issue – the Nord CE4 is currently only available in India – but it’s hard to imagine a more competitive price when it launches in Europe. Nord phones are almost non-existent in North America, save for the occasional Nord N.
Coming back to prices, OnePlus is offering an early bird deal on April 4th, with other discounts available in the following days. However, many people are not swayed by the free Nord Buds 2r or the bank discount of Rs 1,500.
We’re waiting for the OnePlus Nord 4, and if it’s based on the Ace 3V as we suspect, the company might have something more interesting to offer. As for the Nord CE4, OnePlus would prefer to maintain strong early sales in the coming days.