OnePlus Nord 5 evaluate: selfie-centric midranger

The OnePlus Nord 5 does precisely what the corporate’s Nord telephones have at all times accomplished: ship robust specs at a comparatively low worth. It’s one of many extra highly effective telephones at this worth level and may simply outstrip Samsung and Google’s dearer options.

This is a function-over-form telephone, one the place the important thing promoting factors are a robust processor and lengthy battery life, that are the boring mainstays that are inclined to matter probably the most in midrange fashions like this. The drawback for the Nord 5 is that different midrange telephones within the markets the place it’s obtainable — together with Europe and India, however not the US — supply even quicker chipsets and greater batteries, leaving the brand new OnePlus telephone slightly stranded and reliant on an above-average selfie digital camera to assist it stand out.

Performance sits on the coronary heart of the Nord 5 gross sales pitch. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 chipset was designed for dearer telephones than this, albeit when it launched slightly over a 12 months in the past. Combined with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage within the base £399 / €449 (round $530) mannequin, and 12GB RAM and 512GB storage for £100 / €100 (round $125) extra, it gives potent specs for the value.

That lends itself nicely to gaming, which explains why OnePlus has opted for a show that’s huge, shiny, and quick: a 6.81-inch OLED panel with a 144Hz refresh fee. I’m nonetheless skeptical about such excessive refresh charges in telephones — few video games are ever going to interrupt previous 120fps anyway. OnePlus says it’s repositioned the antennae to carry out higher when the telephone’s held in panorama mode for gaming, although producers have been touting that kind of work for years.

Battery is the opposite half of the efficiency equation, and the 5,200mAh capability right here is nice, too. I spent my first week with the telephone touring (which is how I found one annoyance: there’s no eSIM help), which is at all times demanding on energy, and by no means felt a lot battery nervousness. It’ll final a day comfortably, and about midway right into a second, however I feel you’d wrestle to make a full two days with out a top-up. The 80W wired charging delivers a full cost in 45 minutes, together with bypass charging that powers the telephone instantly, with out overcharging the battery, in case you wished to maintain it plugged in throughout lengthy gaming periods. The main concession to cost is that there’s no wi-fi charging.

The drawback is that for all that energy, this isn’t probably the most succesful telephone at this worth level. The Poco F7 is barely cheaper than the Nord 5 and comes with a greater chipset, larger battery, and quicker charging. The OnePlus telephone wins on refresh fee, however that’s hardly sufficient to make up for being comfortably much less highly effective elsewhere, which means the F7 remains to be more likely to hit greater body charges throughout demanding video games. Anyone in search of gaming efficiency in the beginning will possible be drawn to the F7, so what can the Nord 5 supply elsewhere to make up the distinction?

The most original aspect of the {hardware} is the Plus Key, a brand new button that replaces OnePlus’ conventional Alert Slider. This is a customizable key that, by default, does the identical factor the Alert Slider did — it allows you to cycle between ring, vibrate, and silent modes. But it may also be set to open the digital camera, activate the flashlight, take a screenshot, and extra. It’s not totally customizable, although, so you’ll be able to’t set it to open any app or set off customized capabilities.

The Plus Key may also be used to take a screenshot and add it to Mind Space, an AI device that analyzes pictures to summarize them, create reminders, or generate calendar occasions. It’s remarkably much like Nothing’s Essential Space, which does nearly the identical factor — additionally utilizing a devoted {hardware} key — however in contrast to Nothing’s model, you’ll be able to’t add voice notes to present the AI extra info, get summaries of longer audio recordings, and even open Mind Space itself utilizing the Plus Key, so OnePlus’ tackle the software program is extra fundamental.

There’s little else to complain about on the software program aspect. The Nord 5 ships operating OxygenOS 15, primarily based on Android 15, and can get a good (however definitely not category-leading) 4 years of main OS updates and 6 years of safety help. One further bonus is straightforward wi-fi file-sharing between the telephone and a Windows PC, Mac, iPad, or iPhone, although you’ll want to put in the O Plus Connect software program on the opposite gadget — and sadly, there’s no help for the total Mac distant management discovered on the OnePlus Pad 3.

OnePlus has made an uncommon alternative by prioritizing the telephone’s selfie digital camera, which encompasses a 50-megapixel sensor that’s bigger than the common selfie cam. I’m not a pure selfie-taker, however the outcomes are good and full of element. They’re not markedly higher than rivals in regular lighting, however that’s as a result of most telephone cameras now deal with daylight comfortably. The portrait mode is the one small weak level, struggling to separate the strands of my hair more often than not. But this digital camera comes into its personal at evening: the massive sensor and quick f/2.0 aperture serving to the Nord 5 to seize spectacular element at the hours of darkness, when most different selfie cameras disintegrate. If you want a telephone to seize you and your crew on nights out and at dimly lit dinners, this could be the one.

The principal 50-megapixel rear digital camera is nice however not nice. It struggles with fast-moving topics like pets and youngsters, and also you’ll want a gentle hand to get nice photographs at evening, however that’s all typical for telephones at this worth. Colors are usually slightly oversaturated and synthetic from this lens; the 8-megapixel ultrawide is extra subdued however loses way more element in shadowy spots.

The Nord 5 faces stiff competitors on either side. You may spend much less for extra energy with the Poco F7 or spend £100 / €100 (round $125) extra for Google’s Pixel 9A for comfortably higher cameras, harder water resistance, and extra years of software program help.

The Nord 5 isn’t a foul telephone. But it’s unclear what its distinctive promoting level is. OnePlus has leaned into energy and efficiency, nevertheless it has been outplayed by Poco. The Pixel 9A, whereas dearer, beats it on digital camera and design. Even its devoted AI button is finished higher elsewhere, for much less, within the Nothing Phone 3A. The Nord 5’s greatest hope for locating an viewers is its selfie digital camera, which is best than every other telephone round it, at the very least in low gentle. But as promoting factors go, that seems like a minor one.

Photography by Dominic Preston / The Verge