The OnePlus Nord series has always lived in that sweet spot between affordability and performance, and now, with the OnePlus Nord 5, the brand is doubling down on what made this lineup so popular in the first place. If you’re someone who wants a premium smartphone experience without torching your wallet, this phone is worth a very close look.
After spending a week with the Nord 5 as my daily driver, I’ve got a lot to say. Spoiler alert: it punches way above its weight.
Design: Familiar but Refined
At first glance, the Nord 5 sticks with the tried-and-true design formula OnePlus has refined over the years: clean lines, a matte finish that doesn’t attract smudges, and just enough polish to feel modern. It’s slim, lightweight, and fits comfortably in one hand—a rare treat these days.
This year, they’ve added a new brushed metal frame and slightly curved glass on the back, giving it a more flagship-like feel. The classic alert slider is still here (thank you, OnePlus), and the phone comes in a couple of tasteful colors—no weird gradients, just sleek and minimal.
Display: Flat, Fast, and Fun
The Nord 5 packs a 6.74-inch AMOLED display with a buttery smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and it’s flat—which I personally prefer. The resolution sits at 1.5K, which is more than sharp enough for everyday use, and the panel delivers rich colors, deep blacks, and excellent outdoor visibility.
Whether you’re scrolling through social media, bingeing YouTube, or gaming, this display doesn’t feel like a compromise. It’s easily one of the best panels in its price class.
Performance: Flagship Lite
Under the hood, the Nord 5 is powered by the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset—a surprisingly powerful processor that offers performance levels not far behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. With 8GB or 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, multitasking is snappy, and app loading times are near-instant.
In daily use, I didn’t experience any slowdowns. It handled games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile on high settings with no issue. Thermals are well-managed too, thanks to an improved vapor chamber cooling system.
Cameras: Surprisingly Capable
Let’s get real—camera performance is often the first thing that gets cut in midrange phones. But the Nord 5 holds its ground.
- Main Camera: 50MP Sony IMX890 (OIS)
- Ultra-wide: 8MP
- Front Camera: 16MP
The main sensor is the star of the show. It captures detailed, vibrant shots in daylight and holds up surprisingly well in low light. Portrait mode is sharp, and the colors lean natural without overprocessing.
The ultra-wide is… fine. It gets the job done, but lacks detail in the corners. Selfies are crisp and social-media ready, though.
Video performance is decent, maxing out at 4K 60fps on the rear cam, with solid stabilization and clean audio.
Battery Life & Charging: No Complaints
With a 5,000mAh battery, the Nord 5 easily lasts a full day—even with heavy use. I regularly ended the day with 25–30% left, even after a few hours of screen time.
And the best part? It supports 80W fast charging. I went from 5% to 100% in under 35 minutes. No wireless charging here—but at this price, I’m not complaining.
Software: Clean OxygenOS
Out of the box, the Nord 5 runs OxygenOS 14, based on Android 14. It’s fast, fluid, and mostly bloat-free. You get all the perks—always-on display, custom gestures, and solid privacy tools—without the heavy skinning some other brands pile on.
