The OnePlus Nord 4 (review) is the latest mid-ranger from the brand and is priced closely to Motorola’s Edge 50 Pro (review). Since both smartphones are based on different chipsets. After our battery comparison, we bring you the performance comparison to assess which is better for money.
Table of Contents
OnePlus Nord 4 and Motorola Edge 50 Pro specifications
For this comparison, we have tested the top variants of both smartphones. Before proceeding, let’s quickly review their hardware specifications.
OnePlus Nord 4 | Moto Edge 50 Pro | |
Mobile Platform | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 |
GPU | Adreno 732 | Adreno 720 |
Memory Configuration | 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage | 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage |
Geekbench
In the Geekbench single-core test, the OnePlus Nord 4 with faster RAM and storage, performed better and scored 1,744, whereas the Motorola Edge 50 Pro scored 1,142. In the multi-core test the OnePlus Nord 4 scored 4,365, and the Motorola Edge 50, scored 3,119.
The presence of 1 Cortex X4 core, 4 Cortex A720 cores, and 3 Cortex A520 clocked at higher frequency gives the OnePlus Nord 4 an edge. The Motorola Edge 50 Pro uses less powerful CPU cores, which are also clocked at a lower frequency.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
AnTuTu
Unlike Geekbench, which only tests CPU capabilities, AnTuTu benchmarks test more parameters like Memory (RAM + Storage) and User Experience (UX).
As expected the OnePlus Nord 4 remained ahead with an overall AnTuTu score of 11,69,622, excelling in all four parameters. While the counterpart Moto Edge 50 Pro scored 8,27,231. Though the OnePlus Nord 4 scored well, the crown for the highest AnTuTu score remains with the POCO F6 (15,09,605) and POCO X6 Pro (12,99,678) in the sub 30,000 price bracket.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
CPU Throttling
While the OnePlus Nord 4 did better in our Geekbench and AnTuTu tests, things took a toss in the Burnout CPU throttling test. The OnePlus Nord 4’s performance dropped to 48.8%, while the Motorola Edge 50 Pro’s performed at 69.6% under throttling.
As can be observed in the graph, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro’s CPU performed much better after the initial drop, and the NPU’s performance remained constant. The OnePlus Nord 4 performed well in the GPU department, with a negligible performance drop. This indicates that Nord 4 will serve better graphics performance, but due to CPU throttling, the overall performance will be affected.
Winner: Motorola Edge 50 Pro
Gaming Performance
To access the gaming and thermal performance, we played these demanding titles for thirty minutes each on both phones at the same settings to have a fair comparison.
Game | OnePlus Nord 4 | Avg. FPS (after 30 mins) | Motorola Edge 50 Pro | Avg. FPS (after 30 mins) |
COD-M | Very High Graphics + Max (60) Frames | 57.6 FPS | Very High Graphics + Max (60) Frames | 54.9 FPS |
Real Racing 3 | Standard | 54.69 FPS | Standard | 55.49 FPS |
BGMI | Ultra HDR Graphics + Ultra (60) Frames | 55.38 FPS | Ultra HDR Graphics + Ultra (60) Frames | 37.43 FPS |
Both smartphones performed equally well in Call of Duty and Real Racing 3. In BGMI the Nord 4 with Adreno 732 GPU showed better graphics performance with an average of 55 FPS, conversely, the Moto Edge 50 Pro with Adreno 720 GPU faired around 37-38 FPS on average.
After thirty minutes of gameplay, the temperature of the OnePlus Nord 4 rose by 10.2 degrees, 4.4 degrees, and 8.8 degrees in COD, Real Racing 3, and BGMI respectively. The Moto Edge 50 Pro recorded a temperature rise of, 6 degrees, 5.1 degrees, and 6.2 degrees respectively. The Motorola Edge 50 Pro does a better job when it comes to thermal management.
Winner: Tie
Verdict
The OnePlus Nord 4 excels in performance, which is visible in synthetic benchmarks and gaming tests since it has a better CPU and GPU. The Motorola Edge 50 Pro in turn delivered better thermal performance, which is observed both in CPU throttling and gaming temperature. If you are looking for pure performance with a metal construction the OnePlus Nord 4 will be a better option. If gaming is not your concern, instead you want a phone with better thermals, the Moto Edge 50 Pro will be a good fit.
Smartphones tested by: Aditya Pandey and Ujjwal Sharma