1. Market and Introduction:
The ₹30,000 – ₹35,000 Indian smartphone segment is very competitive, and several powerful contenders, such as Poco F7, Iqoo Neo 10, and the now OnePlus Nord 5. The previous version of the OnePlus Nord 4 was a hyped device and enjoyed success. OnePlus has a built-in customer base even despite the competitiors because of its brand reliability and software experience.
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Brand & Model | OnePlus Nord 5 |
| Launch Price | ₹31,999 |
| In the Box | 80W SuperVOOC charger, Red Type-A to Type-C cable, silicone case, SIM ejector tool, documentation |
| Display | 6.83-inch AMOLED, 1.5K resolution (2772 x 1240 pixels), 144Hz refresh rate, 10-bit color, HDR10+ |
| Brightness | 1800 nits (peak), 1400 nits HBM (High Brightness Mode) |
| Protection | Gorilla Glass 7i (front), Polycarbonate frame, Glass back |
| Water Resistance | IP65 rated |
| Design | Marble finish, vertical dual camera module, no alert slider (custom “Plus” key instead) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 3 (4nm, Octa-core) |
| GPU | Adreno (exact model depends on SKU; optimized for 144 FPS in select titles) |
| RAM | 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB UFS 3.1 (downgrade from Nord 4’s UFS 4.0) |
| Rear Camera (Primary) | 50MP Sony LYT-700 sensor, f/1.8, OIS, PDAF, 4K 60fps video, HDR |
| Ultra-Wide Camera | 8MP, 120° field of view, fixed focus |
| Front Camera | 50MP Samsung jN5 sensor, autofocus, 4K video support |
| Camera Features | Improved HDR, AI scene detection, portrait, night mode, 4K selfie video |
| Battery Capacity | 6800mAh Li-Po (non-removable) |
| Charging Speed | 80W SuperVOOC wired fast charging (USB-A to Type-C) |
| Battery Efficiency | Excellent idle drain (0% overnight), Screen-On Time (SOT): ~6.5 to 9.5 hours |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers with improved treble, Dolby Atmos (software-enhanced) |
| Haptics | Refined haptic motor with crisp feedback |
| Biometrics | Optical in-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock |
| OS & UI | Oxygen OS 15 (based on Android 15) |
| AI Features | AI Plus Mind, Smart Gallery Editor, AI keyboard, Oppo Connect integration |
| Updates Promised | 4 years of major Android updates, 6 years of security patches |
| Connectivity | 5G SA/NSA, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS, USB Type-C 2.0 |
| SIM Configuration | Dual SIM (Nano + Nano), no microSD card slot |
| Dimensions & Weight | Not officially confirmed, expected to be ~8.6 mm thick, ~210g |
| Gaming Performance | Stable 144 FPS supported in select games (e.g., Call of Duty Mobile), minor thermal throttling |
| Missing Features | No wireless charging, No SD card expansion |
2. Boxing and First Impressions:
- The OnePlus Nord 5 has regular packaging with the necessary accessories: the documentation, the silicone case, the 80W charger, the SIM ejector, and the red Type-A to Type-C cable.
- The design of the OnePlus Nord 5 leaves your eyes impressed right away because of the marble finish, which is not only attractive but also big in size.
3. Design and Build Quality:
- The design of the Nord 5 became more refined and professional, with the Nord 4 vertical camera module and glass back panel replacing the polarizing form of its predecessor.
- But in comparison to the metal frame in the Nord 4, the Nord 5 features polycarbonate, which is not a high-quality material.
- Oneplus Nord 5 does not have the usual alert slider but shows a customizable plus button of silent and ring settings, so some users may miss it.
- OnePlus Nord 5’s speakers has been a little better, and the haptics are also decent with managed trebles and assured feedback.
- OnePlus Nord 5 have optics fingerprint scanner, the phone still possesses the IP65 rating of water protection but still does not advance to the competition and instead of following the trends implemented by the likes of Poco F7 with the IP69, which has superior water-resistant characteristics.
- OnePlus Nord 5 have Gorilla Glass 7i is more durable.
4. OnePlus Nord 5: Display
- The display of the OnePlus Nord 5 is a 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with a 1.5K resolution and improved upon its predecessor, the Nord 4, by acquiring an improved refresh rate of 144 Hz (limited only to select apps, however).
- Brightness is peaked slightly lower (1800 nits as opposed to 2150 nits on the Nord 4), but the brightness in direct sunlight (HBM) is also improved to 1400 nits, providing better visibility in sunlight. The HDR material is more readable since it has better tuning.
- OnePlus Nord 5’s display is good but not the brightest as compared to competitors such as the Iqoo Neo 10 (2000 nits HBM) and Poco F7 (1700 nits HBM). In general, the display is average in this segment and better than the Nord 4.
5.Oneplus Nord 5: Battery& Charging
- In keeping with the trend of 2025, which is large batteries, OnePlus has placed a large battery (6800 mAh) in the Nord 5, albeit smaller than the competitor Poco F7 (7550 mAh) and Iqoo Neo 10 (7000 mAh).
- OnePlus Nord 5’s charging is knocked down to 80W (from 100W in Nord 4), so it becomes relatively slower but also an average speed in the market as well.
- OnePlus Nord 5’s idle battery performance on the phone is high, and the phone drains overnight. But real-life applications permit a screen-on time of between 6 hours 47 minutes and almost 10 hours, which is not as impressive as its competitors, notably the Iqoo Neo 10, which can regularly surpass 10 hours. As expected in future software updates, battery optimization would be better.
6. OnePlus Nord 5: Camera
- Its primary rear camera has been bumped up to 50MP using Sony LYT 700 (the same as OnePlus 13R), with a stronger sensor compared to its LYT 600, which was used in Nord 4.
- OnePlus Nord 5 brings dramatic advances to color processing, white balance, and performance of HDR, getting rid of the pinkish touch and unbalanced light sources as in Nord 4.
- Zoom and wide field of view are also enhanced. But the greater sensor translates to little low-light improvement of the detail.
- The ultra-wide sensor has degraded to 8MP, yet it has improved color reproduction.
- The front camera is a great improvement that comes with a better 50MP JN5 sensor with autofocus and 4K recordings, which is a big improvement over the Nord 4 in terms of selfies, skin tone color, and video resolution. 4K video in the rear camera is still in the process of being perfected with regard to skin tone representation.
7. OnePlus Nord 5: Performance
- The Nord 5 has a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 3 chipset, which theoretically is an upgrade of the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 of the Nord 4, but when we check real-world benchmarks, the performance is comparable, a case of a side-grade.
- The storage is compromised to UFS 3.1 (previously UFS 4.0), which can be quite noticeable when dealing with file transfers (e.g., transferring an 11 GB file was almost 2 times slower on Nord 5).
- OnePlus Nord 5 has an LPDDR5X RAM with good multitasking capabilities. It can easily manage everyday tasks and social media and 144 Hz gaming in any game such as Call of Duty: Mobile, where the frame rate is stable. In general, the game and everyday performance are good, but Poco and iQOO phones may be a bit more suitable for heavy gamers.
8. OnePlus Nord 5: Software
- The OnePlus Nord 5 uses OXYGEN OS 15, which is stable and has a fluid and feature-packed performance. OnePlus also offers to support the phone with 4 years of major updates to the OS and 6 years of security updates, which increases the lifespan of the phone. This set of features contains multitasking options such as Open Canvas, AI Plus Mind, which serves to warehouse AI facilities, and an enhanced dialer that supports recording of calls. The keyboard and the ability to edit the gallery are AI enhanced. With Oppo Connect, it is entirely the same file sharing and transferability to the Oppo and the OnePlus smartphones, including with the iPhone being able to be used as well.
- We spotted a small glitch in terms of WhatsApp video calls crashing the camera, but the software experience was very good overall.
9. Overall Impression and Recommendation:
- From the customer reviews of Nord 4, OnePlus has heard and thought over what they wanted to be better in design, display, and camera, as well as software, with Nord 5. The handset will fit the mass market, having combined professionalism and performance. The brand value and program experience are the major advantages against competitors. The biggest problem is with battery efficiency, whereby even though a bigger battery is taken, the phone itself performs worse than others. A software-based correction of this should be immediately necessary to assure continued influence in this competitive niche. The Nord 5 can be recommended as a stable quality user experience, better camera performance, a decent gaming experience, and a good compromise option at ₹31,999.
