OnePlus Nord CE 5 review

Budget phones have become quite powerful lately, but not every phone gets the right balance of style and features. The new OnePlus Nord CE 5 is meant to bring just that to the table.  

While the new OnePlus Nord CE 5 doesn’t pack flagship-level specifications, it’s poised to nail something far more important – value where it counts. But does it do that? Well, we tested the device for the past few days, and here’s our detailed OnePlus Nord CE 5 review.

OnePlus Nord CE 5 review: Design

The OnePlus Nord CE 5 brings major design changes to the table. Instead of a tall and flashy look, it goes for a more subtle approach. With a matte finish that feels far more premium than its price tag suggests, the Nord CE 5 doesn’t feel entry-level at all. 

While the Nexus Blue colour might divide opinions, it’s clearly a unique shade in the brand’s colour palette. At 7.9mm thickness and weighing about 186 grams, it’s slim without feeling fragile. 

Unfortunately, the Nord CE 5 lacks the Plus Key and neither does it have the old-school Alert Slider. But the device features just the usual buttons and ports, like the power button and volume rocker on the right and a USB-C port at the bottom.  

Notably, the Nord CE 5 is equipped with a single speaker setup, which although a downgrade from the predecessor’s stereo speakers, is loud and sounds punchy in real world usage. 

OnePlus Nord CE 5 review: Display

Here’s where things get surprisingly good. The Nord CE 5 sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED display. It does not have uniform bezels or anything, but they are at least narrow, making the whole experience intuitive.  

The screen has Full HD+ resolution with 120Hz refresh rate. But what does that mean for you? It means smooth scrolling on social, crisp visuals while bingeing your late-night Netflix picks, and vibrant colours that don’t feel overcooked.  

While the display has an Adaptive refresh rate, it isn’t anything fancy like an LTPO. On the CE 5, the refresh rate goes down to 60Hz when it’s ideal and gets back to 120Hz when you begin using it.

Out in the bright sun, we had no problems looking at the screen as the HBM brightness has been improved to 1,300 nits, as opposed to the 900 nits on the previous phone.

OnePlus Nord CE 5 review: Cameras

The Nord CE 5 goes for a simple dual-camera setup. Nothing fancy here, but the main 50MP Sony LYT-600 camera is quite good in daylight. In low light conditions, though, it tends to struggle a bit. It does produce bit brighter skin tones, which is what some people might love.  

The 8MP ultra-wide camera is not that crisp, but does get the job done. There’s a 16MP selfie sensor on the front that requires a bit of hand gymnastics to take the right photo. It does smoothen the skin tones but just stops short of making things look artificial.  

The video performance is decent, with 4K 60fps support on the rear camera and 1080p 60FPs on the front camera. There’s OIS for the rear camera and it works well. 

OnePlus Nord CE 5 review: Performance, battery, software

This time around, the performance is backed by a MediaTek chipset. The Dimensity 8350 Apex isn’t exactly a budget chipset; rather it’s a midrange option, and that’s exactly why performance isn’t an issue on the Nord CE 5.  

Needless to say, you can’t expect flagship-level gaming on this one. We tried Genshin Impact and our experience was average at best. We noticed several frame drops in high settings, however, these weren’t noticeable in medium settings.  

Apart from gaming, using the device as a daily driver is a breeze. It’s smooth, fast, and reliable for both work tasks and casual ones, like Instagram scrolling and using the browser and camera.  

OnePlus has done a good job with the thermals as the device doesn’t really heat up much. It does get warm, especially near the camera, but nothing to fret about.  

The battery life deserves a special mention. This thing packs the biggest battery in any OnePlus phone yet. It’s a beefy 7,100mAh cell, and despite that big of a battery, this device, as mentioned weighs just 199 grams. OnePlus is likely using a silicon-carbon battery here, which holds more charge. 

The tech aside, the battery life is simply impressive. We used the camera for about an hour, scrolled through different Instagram Reels, and used WhatsApp extensively, and still got about two full days worth of usage.  

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The top-ups are also quick. It supports 80W SuperVOOC charging and it can easily charge the device full in about an hour and a little more.  

As for the software, we are glad to tell you that there isn’t any adware or extra bloatware on the phone. Also, it runs on the latest Android 15-based OxygenOS 15, which is smooth and feature-rich. OnePlus is also giving four years of major Android updates and six years of security patches with the phone, which means it’s ready for years to come.

Unboxed Take: Who should buy the OnePlus Nord CE 5?

At a starting price that comfortably sits under the Rs 25,000 mark, this phone balances everything in style. It has a likeable design, good performance, decent cameras, and the best battery life in any OnePlus phone yet. 

For all these reasons, we rate the OnePlus Nord CE 5 4/5. For more such in-depth reviews, and all things tech, stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma.

In the same price range, you can also check out its alternatives, like the Nothing Phone (3a) and the Vivo Y400 Pro. The former boasts a unique design, whereas the latter has camera prowess.