OnePlus Nord 5 Tested: Powerhouse with Disappointing Cameras

The Nord series remains popular, for good reason. You get OnePlus technology at a very competitive price. What do you give up for that money?

Our editorial team is always pleased when we receive a OnePlus. The price-quality ratio is often top-notch: the devices are affordable and you get something nice in return. The OnePlus Nord 4 also received good marks last year and was praised by us for its graphic performance and large battery. What has the Chinese manufacturer done better or worse this year? One change certainly caused a stir: the disappearance of the typical alert slider.

Design and Quality

The OnePlus Nord 5 immediately feels solid when you pick it up. The matte glass back is completely fingerprint-resistant and at 211 grams, you have a sturdy device in your hands. It is roughly the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The rounded plastic edges provide enough grip and comfort.

The Nord 5 is IP65 certified. This means it is completely dustproof and protected against water jets. In practice, it can withstand rain, but a fall into the bath could be fatal. An IP68 rating, as many competitors use, would have been nicer.

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In terms of color, OnePlus sticks to three variants: dark gray, marble white, or light blue. We received the blue variant, which looks rather dull. Those expecting a distinctive and unique design might consider another device.

The generic camera island with two cameras stacked will not win any design awards. That island also causes the smartphone to wobble on the table. OnePlus can certainly do better, as seen with the OnePlus 13 or 13R, so this design comes across as odd.

Camera

The main camera has a 50-megapixel sensor and is accompanied by a wide-angle lens for an 8 MP sensor. There is no extra zoom lens present, and unfortunately, this is noticeable. The photos lose all sharpness and quality if you zoom in more than ten times. There is no AI sharpening present, making the zoom lens almost useless.

The main camera, with its 50 MP, is fine and lets in enough light through the sensor. You won’t be blown away by sharp details or excellent photo quality; the photos are just good enough. In darker lighting conditions, details are lost in black areas, and lighter areas are overexposed.

Photos with the wide-angle lens also surprisingly lack details, but the images maintain the same color rendering as those shot by the main camera.

Hardware

A notable change with this OnePlus is the disappearance of the characteristic alert slider. Instead, the “Plus Key” is now located at the top left. This button is programmable, but you can only choose between preset actions such as turning on the flashlight, “do not disturb” mode, or setting your phone to silent.

We initially set the button for the flashlight and then transformed it into an enhanced Alert Slider. With a press of the button, you can quickly and easily set the phone to sound, vibrate, or silent. This works just as well as the sliding button. The difference in operation, pressing a button instead of sliding, was something we got used to after a few days. Since this Plus Key can be customized, it’s a shame you can’t link it to any app, like Google Wallet.

Performance

At the top of this review, we mentioned the excellent performance of the OnePlus Nord 4. This year, the Chinese phone manufacturer can be equally proud. The phone features the Snapdragon 8s gen 3, and you can tell from the excellent performance. Our test model has 12 GB RAM and never feels slow or sluggish.

In both the single-core and multi-core tests, it leaves comparable models in this price range behind.

Display

The AMOLED screen has a peak brightness of 1430 nits and a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz. This results in vibrant colors, perfect black levels, and smooth visuals. You especially notice this when scrolling, during animations, or when opening apps. Everything works smoothly, even with wet or greasy fingers, thanks to Aqua Touch technology. It’s not new, but always welcome.

This peak brightness is particularly noticeable when using the device in bright sunlight. Text remains readable, and photo “s and video” s are bright enough to view. Although other smartphones, like the Motorola Edge 60, are much brighter. 144 Hz is increasingly used, yet it’s nice to see how smooth OnePlus animations are.

Software

In terms of software, there’s nothing to complain about: OnePlus runs on the smooth OxygenOS and promises four Android updates and six years of security updates, as required by new European legislation. This means the phone will be updated up to Android 19, and support will end after July 2031. The interface is clear, organized, and contains hardly any bloatware except for the standard OnePlus apps.

The extra AI features offered by OnePlus are optional and not forced upon you. Besides the ubiquitous Gemini assistant and Circle To Search function, we mainly see AI photo editing. It works very quickly and well, but you can do the same in Google Photos.

Battery

The OnePlus Nord 5 has a 5,200 mAh battery. The capacity is larger than its predecessor but smaller than competitors like Oddo Reno 13 Pro and Oddo Find X8 Pro. Strangely, it charges slower than the OnePlus Nord 4, but it scores better on endurance tests. Fast charging is supported up to 80 W, but wireless charging is not.

According to our tests, the battery is 80 percent full again after a little over half an hour. That’s much longer than the OnePlus 13R (nineteen minutes) but also much faster than the Google Pixel 9a, which takes 72(!) minutes. With an 80 W SuperVooc charger from the brand, it should be fully charged after twenty minutes, but that charger with its own standard (shared with Oppo) is not included.

Conclusion

The OnePlus Nord 5 is a good phone that doesn’t really stand out in many areas. In terms of design and cameras, we would rather choose a Google Pixel 9a. If you’re looking for a pure powerhouse, you’re in the right place. The Snapdragon 8s gen 3 does its job and easily surpasses the performance of competing smartphones in this price range.

Tested: OnePlus Nord 5, 12GB RAM, 499 euros incl. VAT