Subj : I spent two weeks with the OnePlus Nord 5, and I can't decide whe To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue Sep 09 2025 13:00:09 I spent two weeks with the OnePlus Nord 5, and I can't decide whether it's an upgrade or a downgrade Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:49:46 +0000 Description: The OnePlus Nord 5 brings upgrades in two key areas: display and processing. However, across the board, there are many smaller downgrades. FULL STORY ======================================================================OnePlus Nord 5: Two-minute review Despite having a few sparkly upgrades over its predecessors, I cant help but feel as though the OnePlus Nord 5 is a bit of a downgrade from last years model overall. This new entry to OnePlus mid-spec (and mid-price) line of Nord Android phones is largely what youd expect if youve been following the company for the last few years. In its top-end handsets, like the OnePlus 13, OnePlus offers novel designs, fancy camera arrays, and scary price tags, but the Nords are more modest in feature set and cost, and like all good mid-rangers, they generally focus on two key areas to excel in. Even more so than in the OnePlus Nord 4 , its clear that the focus of the Nord 5 is on its performance and its display, which are, funnily enough, the same two departments that most other mid-range Android makers focus on too. And, credit to OnePlus, the Nord 5 does have such great specs in these areas that it may convince people to buy the phone for its performance and its display credentials alone. Take, for example, the screen: it now exceeds 6.8 inches diagonally, making the Nord 5 one of the few mid-range Android phones to do so, and that extra real estate will give gamers more space for their fingers I dont even need to mention the higher refresh rate to get people raring to play. The use of a Snapdragon 800-series chipset albeit a toned-down one also gives gamers a lot more processing power than weve seen on a Nord handset before (and that's saying something!). Few mobiles at this price perform better under benchmark tests than this OnePlus. Im now on my sixth paragraph, and Ive only talked about performance and display, and the reason is simple: while these two departments see notable increases, most other aspects of the phone show either no improvement or, in a surprising number of areas, spec downgrades from last years phone. Some of these are minor changes. For example, the shift to a solid glass body instead of a two-tone metal one makes the handset look a lot more generic, but feel more premium, so some would argue about this being a downgrade at all. Many more changes are inexplicable and result in a worse user experience, though. For example, the battery is slightly smaller and the charging is also slower, likely to include reverse wired charging, but its still an odd change. Plus, theres less RAM available in the two models, the screen brightness has seen a decrease, theres no UFS 4.0 for quick storage (admittedly a fairly niche feature), and the phone is also bigger and chunkier than before. Id be willing to bet that theres a good reason, or at least a compromise, for every downgrade listed above. But that doesnt change the fact that certain departments are worse off, and while the starting price of the Nord 4 is lower than that of the Nord 5, youre actually paying more for the new model if you want to match the 12GB RAM capacity of last year's entry-level configuration (the Nord 5 starts at 8GB of RAM). Its disappointing to see this many downgrades, but at the end of the day, the OnePlus Nord 5 is still a strong mid-range Android phone. Its just one that offers a dubious upgrade over the Nord 4, and in fact may not be worth buying at all if you can find its predecessor available at a discount (which really isnt too hard, judging by my three minutes of research). Plus, its clipped wings make it fall behind the flock a little way in the competitive mid-range Android market, when its similar-priced rivals have even more powerful chipsets and more processing power. OnePlus Nord 5 review: price and availability (Image credit: Future) Announced in July 2025; US launch unlikely 399 / AU$799 (roughly $600) for 8GB RAM, 256GB storage 499 / AU$899 (roughly $700) gets you 12GB RAM, 512GB storage The OnePlus Nord 5 was announced in early July 2025 exclusively to TechRadar , I may add and went on sale shortly afterwards. It wasnt alone, with the OnePlus Buds 4, OnePlus Pad Lite, OnePlus Nord CE5, and OnePlus Watch sharing the spotlight. You can pick up the phone for 399 / AU$799 (roughly $600, though dont expect it to go on sale in the US as OnePlus offers a completely different line-up of Nord phones there). The default model has 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, but you can also pick up a 12GB/512GB model for 499 / AU$899 (roughly $700). On paper, this is a favorable comparison to the OnePlus Nord 4, but the Nord 5 does offer less RAM as standard. Last years phone had a 12GB/256GB model for 429 (around $550, AU$820 at the time) and a 16GB/512GB option for 529 (around $680 / AU$1,000). Technically, then, the Nord 5 is cheaper, but youre getting less for that money you'll actually pay more to get 12GB of RAM. However much value you think this 399 / AU$799 starting price gets you, the OnePlus Nord 5 sits in the murky area between budget phone and mid-ranger, a no-mans land thats incredibly competitive for Android phone buyers. OnePlus Nord 5 review: specs Here's the spec sheet in full for the OnePlus Nord 5: OnePlus Nord 5 specs Dimensions: 163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm Weight: 211g Screen: 6.83-inch 20:9 FHD (1272 x 2800) 144Hz Swift AMOLED Chipset: Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 RAM: 8GB / 12GB Storage: 256GB / 512GB OS: Android 15, OxygenOS 15 Primary camera: 50MP, f/1.8 Ultra-wide camera: 8MP f/2.2 116-degree Front camera: 50MP, f/2.0 Audio: Stereo speakers Battery: 5,200mAh Charging: 80W wired Colors: Marble Sands, Phantom Grey, Dry Ice. OnePlus Nord 5 review: design (Image credit: Future) Newly boring design Glass adds premium feel New mappable Plus Key is handy The Nords have never exactly been lookers, and the OnePlus Nord 5 continues that tradition as one of the most boring-looking phones Ive seen recently. I hope you plan to hide it in a case! The phone is a big chocolate-bar style box, coming in gray, white, or ice blue, depending on which variant you pick up. At 163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm, its a little on the big side, and at 211g, its slightly heavier than your average phone too. Due to the phones size, the power button and volume rocker on its right edge are both quite hard to reach with your thumb, even with big hands like mine. Opposite them at the top of the handsets left edge is the Plus Key, which you can customize in function; press and hold to open the camera, turn on Do Not Disturb, turn on the torch, and so on, with a fair range of options. Its really useful, replacing OnePlus previous alert slider with a solid upgrade . Rounding out our tour of the phone, theres a USB-C port on the bottom edge as well as the SIM tray, which can allow for dual SIMs. No 3.5mm headphone jack here. OnePlus has ditched the metal back of the Nord 5s predecessor in favor of the premium-feeling but fragile glass, and I found the phone to readily pick up my fingerprints though these were only visible from certain angles. The glass of the screen is Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, which is designed to be hardy and survive bumps. Talking about durability, the handset has an IP65 rating to ensure its fully protected against solid dust particles, as well as jets of water, but not submersion in liquid. Design score: 3.5 / 5 OnePlus Nord 5 review: display (Image credit: Future) 6.83-inch, 1272 x 2800 resolution New high refresh rate at 144Hz but lower max brightness Aqua Touch feature returns Its in the display department where the OnePlus Nord 5 gets some of its biggest upgrades, and they all work together to make it a great device for entertainment. Take, for instance, its sheer size. At 6.83 inches diagonally, its now one of the biggest panels on any Android phone right now, giving you lots of space to enjoy your game or TV show. The resolution, at 1272 x 2800, has remained the same from the Nord 4. Another improvement is in the screen refresh rate, which now hits 144Hz. Admittedly, its rare that many people will make the most of this spec, as its only useful for a particularly narrow number of mobile games, but its an improvement nonetheless. Its countered by a lower max brightness, though. Elsewhere, youre looking at what OnePlus calls Swift AMOLED, and while that first word seems mostly a marketing addition, youre still getting a high-spec panel with a billion colors supported, 1800 nits max brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for protection. While its less of a selling point in OnePlus marketing materials this year, the Nord 5 brings back one of its predecessors best features in Aqua Touch. This ensures that you can tap on the screen and get accurate results even when the display (or your finger) is wet. Display score: 4 / 5 OnePlus Nord 5 review: software (Image credit: Future) Android 15 with OxygenOS 15, and four annual updates Unique features couple with attractive UI Lots of bloatware but few bugs The OnePlus Nord 5 comes running Android 15, but with the companys OxygenOS 15 layered over the top. OnePlus has pledged 4 years of Android updates as well as an additional 2 years of security updates, so the Nord will last until 2029 for software boots and 2031 for overall protection. As with all Android forks, this is largely a design change, but I feel OxygenOS harks quite closely to stock Android in layout while being quite different and distinct in aesthetic. It has bold and punchy colors but more restraint than some other Android-alikes. OxygenOS remains one of the most popular of these Android forks, despite the love growing more muted in recent years, and features like Zen Space (which locks your phone for a set time while you work) and the preinstalled translation app help explain why. Re-reading my Nord 4 review, I recalled how buggy I found the software last time around. I needed this reminder, because it wasnt the case with the Nord 5: it worked flawlessly, never throwing an issue at me, and constantly being snappy and quick to navigate. You can expect two things from a mid-range Android phone from a Chinese maker: bloatware and random AI features being thrown at you. And the Nord 5 certainly has the former, with loads of unwanted games, social media apps, and OnePlus own additions all cluttering up the home page. However, OnePlus has seemingly learnt the lesson that the average consumer just isnt as interested in dubiously-useful AI features as tech fans, because I didnt find myself being bombarded with odd little features and gimmicks bearing those two foreboding vowels. Other than the replacement of Google Assistant with the infamously goofy Gemini, something which has affected all Android phones over the last few years, the Nord 5s AI features are largely confined to the camera. Software score: 4 / 5 OnePlus Nord 5 review: cameras (Image credit: Future) 50MP main and 8MP ultra-wide cameras, 50MP up front Results are nothing to write home about A few -post features are all handy Curiously, OnePlus has been touting the camera department as one of the key areas of the OnePlus Nord 5. Im not sure why, though, because its largely unchanged from the array on the previous-gen model, and so its just as unimpressive. The handset packs a 50MP f/1.8 main and 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, both of which are fractionally wider-angle than last time around, but that seems to be the only change. These cameras are totally fine; the reason many Android companies have clung to the same 50MP sensors for years now is that theyre totally fit for purpose without costing too much money. Pictures are bright enough to make sense and have a fair amount of detail. But youre not getting amazing dynamic range, or genius smart optimization, nor all the versatility that a zoom lens (or even a passable ultra-wide lens 8MP, really?) offers. The phone also has a tendency to blow out brighter areas of a shot and lose a lot of detail in the darker ones. (Image credit: Future) The ultra-wide camera takes pictures that are noticeably more vibrant, as you'll see below, but they lack detail where it matters. The lens also facilitates a macro mode, but I found this quite hard to focus, especially with it turning on automatically at inconvenient times, and its use of the ultra-wide's sensor means that you get the resulting oversaturated image too. That said, I find the vast majority of macro modes far worse, so props to OnePlus for that. As I mentioned before, the camera department is where the most AI features exist. Theres the eraser tool that most Androids have nowadays to remove unwanted background items, as well as a tool to reframe pictures (which basically means it just crops them). There's also a detail boost, which can help if youve zoomed in too far and have lost quality, an unblurrer for objects in motion, and a reflection eraser, which does what it says on the tin. These are all helpful to make little tweaks to a photo if theres an error. The Nord 5s AI tools are the lions share of its features, with few actual shooting modes. Expect the basics: photo, video, Portrait, Pro, and a few extra low-light and video modes for certain situations. You can shoot video at up to 4K/60fps and down to 720p/240fps or 1080p/120fps for slow-motion. The one noteworthy camera upgrade here is in the front-facing camera, which has jumped all the way up to a 50MP resolution. This gives you plenty more pixels to play around with, should you want to crop or reframe a selfie, although by default, selfies are shot in a pixel-binned 12.5MP, and you need to select Hi-Res mode in the camera app to get full 50MP. Camera score: 3 / 5 OnePlus Nord 5 camera samples Image 1 of 10 (Image credit: Future) A picture of a gallery on a sunny day taken at 1x zoom. In real life the surrounding trees were a lot more varied in their 'green'-ness. Image 2 of 10 (Image credit: Future) A picture of a some flowers on a sunny day taken at 1x zoom. Note how the two parts have different focus. Image 3 of 10 (Image credit: Future) A photo of some headphones taken indoors. I took the pictures for my Denon AH-C500W review using the Nord, and while the images in that review are all tweaked using editing software, this one isn't. Image 4 of 10 (Image credit: Future) A cup of coffee taken at 1x zoom. Image 5 of 10 (Image credit: Future) Now let's move into some modes. First up, this is a lake taken at 1x zoom to compare to the next image... Image 6 of 10 (Image credit: Future) ... which was taken on the ultra-wide camera. Note that it's brighter and more vibrant but lots of detail is lost, especially in the background trees. Image 7 of 10 (Image credit: Future) This is a standard selfie, taken to contrast to the next image... Image 8 of 10 (Image credit: Future) ... which is taken on Portrait mode, which has a light-touch effect but adds some bokeh background blur. Image 9 of 10 (Image credit: Future) Finally, to macro. This is a piece of jammy toast taken on the main camera once again... Image 10 of 10 (Image credit: Future) ... and here it is in macro mode: much brighter but lacking depth of field. Note that I didn't move the phone at all, and the changed framing is because it's using a different camera and lens. OnePlus Nord 5: performance and audio Big upgrade to Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset Two models: 8GB/256GB or 12GB/512GB Bluetooth 5.4 or USB-C port for audio, no jack OnePlus touts the Nord 5s performance as its key selling point, and you can see why by just looking at the specs: they all reach above what youd expect from a phone at this price point. The chipset is a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 from Qualcomm, which is effectively a slightly-downgraded version of last years top-end Android chipset. Its admittedly not the very fastest chipset being used in budget phones, with a successor announced several months prior to the Nords release (and many affordable Androids opting instead for non-Snapdragon 800-series chips, which are again more powerful), but its still a real perk of the phone. The phone is blazingly fast, returning one of the best multi-core scores Ive ever seen from a Geekbench test. Over three tests, it averaged 5,147, and Id say anything above 4,500 is a fantastic score. More impressively, the scores I got stayed consistent even when the phone was heating up, which is certainly not always true in this price range, and it points to the Nord handling long gaming sessions well. This high score shows from gaming to photo editing, and even when youre whizzing around the phones menus. A few mid-rangers have a more powerful chipset, but I don't see why you'd need more (or even this amount, really...) As you read in the price section, there are two versions of the phone: one with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and another that increases those capacities to 12GB/512GB. I tested the latter, which explains why the Nord felt so fast to use; I cant speak to how the 8GB model runs, but its quite a price hike to get the higher-memory variant, so I dont blame you for settling. Audio-wise, OnePlus doesnt rewrite any rules: theres no 3.5mm headphone jack, and the stereo speakers sound totally fit for purpose, but they wont replace your Dolby Atmos speakers any time soon. You can also listen to music by pairing headphones to the Nord, which supports Bluetooth 5.4. Performance score: 4.5 / 5 OnePlus Nord 5 review: battery life Smaller 5,200mAh battery Fast 80W charging Reverse wired charging lets you power up other gadgets (Image credit: Future) For the last few years, mid-range phone batteries have been ballooning in size, and with that in mind, the OnePlus Nords 5,200mAh power pack feels relatively restrained. Its still big , just not huge like Id expected, and its actually smaller than the Nord 4s. Downgrade aside, the phone will last for a day of ordinary use with no sweat, and you can get comfortably into day two of use before needing to charge the device up. Alternatively, if you want to use your phone pretty intensely, I can still see it lasting a full day of use. Battery life doesn't match the Nord 4, though, with the power pack's decrease exacerbated by the bigger screen, which needs more juice. As a side note, the version of the phone on sale in certain regions like Australia and India has a 6,800mAh battery, which, as you mathematicians may be able to work out, is much bigger and will last for much longer. No such luck for everyone else, though. Another battery downgrade comes in the charging department, which is down 20W to 80W in the Nord 5. Thats still very fast, and the lost speed is made up for by the presence of reverse wired charging. This lets you use a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge up other devices using the Nord. Battery score: 3.5 / 5 OnePlus Nord 5 review: value (Image credit: Future) Thanks to its new low price, the OnePlus Nord 5 does represent value for money, though itll depend exactly on what youre looking for. Thanks to its high-spec display and processor, the Nord feels like a premium phone for certain tasks like gaming and watching movies, and so you can easily convince yourself youre using a top-end mobile if these are your main uses for a phone. Myriad downgrades over the previous-gen model do make the Nord 5 feel like slightly poorer value, though, so if I were considering this newer model, Id definitely also check what kind of discounts the year-older Nord 4 was enjoying. Value score: 3.5 / 5 Should you buy the OnePlus Nord 5? OnePlus Nord 5 score card Attributes Notes Rating Value You're roughly getting what you paid for in this decent-value device. 3.5 / 5 Design A boring design, but the Plus Key is a useful addition. 3.5 / 5 Display Big, bold and colorful, the huge panel is a boon for entertainment fans. 4 / 5 Software OxygenOS remains great to use, with at least four years of upgrades promised to fans. 4 / 5 Camera The cameras are nothing to write home about but they get the job done. 3 / 5 Performance OnePlus keeps giving the Nord more power, even if there's less RAM. Super powerful! 4.5 / 5 Battery Slight battery and charging downgrades probably won't affect many users. 3.5 / 5 Buy it if... You want a gaming powerhouse Even with less RAM in its default option, the OnePlus Nord 5 is a powerful phone that gives budget gamers all they could ask for. You want a big phone The Nord 5 offers a huge screen for streaming, gaming or just reading your emails. The handset itself is equally a big beast. You want a UI you'll enjoy, not just use The OxygenOS fans can't all be wrong as the user interface is great to use and offers lots of unique features. Don't buy it if... You can find the Nord 4 discounted It's only a year older and has better specs in lots of areas; honestly, if it's discounted, pick up the older model. You want to take loads of pictures The OnePlus Nord 5 is readily beat at this price point when it comes to camera capabilities. The snappers are fine, just not impressive. OnePlus Nord 5 review: Also consider There's one obvious OnePlus Nord 5 competitor that I apparently can't shut up about, but there are also a few other competitive mobiles on the market. OnePlus Nord 4 The 2024 Nord is actually better than the new model in lots of ways, even if it's a touch older and does have some weaker areas. Read our full OnePlus Nord 4 review Xiaomi Poco F7 The Poco F7 from Xiaomi has lots of similar specs to the OnePlus, but the rest are better. It's more powerful, has a bigger battery, charges quicker, and costs less. It does have a poorer user interface, mind. Read our full Xiaomi Poco F7 review Nothing Phone 3a Pro Nothing was made by an ex-OnePlus alum, but this mid-ranger actually sells in the US, so it's a good stateside alternative. It's slightly weaker, processing- and battery-wise, but its cameras are better by far. Read our full Nothing Phone 3a Pro review OnePlus Nord 5 OnePlus Nord 4 Xiaomi Poco F7 Nothing Phone 3a Pro Starting price (at launch): 399 / AU$799 (roughly $600) 429 (roughly $550, AU$820) 389 / $399 (roughly AU$750) $459 / 449 / AU$849 Dimensions: 163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm 162.6 x 75 x 8mm 163.1 x 77.9 x 8.2mm 163.52 x 77.5 x 8.39mm Weight: 111g 199.5g 215.7g 211g OS (at launch): Android 15, OxygenOS 15 Android 14, OxygenOS 14.1 Android 15, HyperOS 2 Android 15, NohtingOS 3.1 Screen Size: 6.83-inch 6.74-inch 6.83-inch 6.77-inch Resolution: 1272 x 2800 1240 x 2772 2772 x 1280 1080 x 2392 CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 RAM: 8GB / 12GB 12GB / 16GB 12GB 12GB Storage (from): 256GB / 512GB 256GB / 512GB 256GB / 512GB 256GB Battery: 5,200mAh 5,500mAh 6,500mAh 5,000mAh Rear Cameras: 50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide 50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide 50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide 50MP main,. 50MP zoom, 8MP ultra-wide Front camera: 50MP 16MP 20MP 50MP How I tested the OnePlus Nord 5 (Image credit: Future) Review test period = 2.5 weeks Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats To write this review, I tested the OnePlus Nord 5 for two weeks, but it got an extra half-week of play while I was writing this review. I conducted a mix of experiential and 'lab'-style testing. Experiential means I used the phone like anyone else would: playing games, using social media, taking it on trips, and taking photos on the go. Lab tests were when I put it through benchmark tests and the like. As you can tell by my software gripes, this testing process is rigorous, and it also involves some benchmark tests and tools so that we can compare phones against themselves in an objective way. I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time have used plenty of mobiles from OnePlus, as well as other devices in the price segment. This includes the Nord 4 from last year, and many of its 2025 rivals. Read more about how we test First reviewed July 2025 ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/oneplus-phones/oneplus-nord-5-review --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .