OnePlus has always had a very clear goal: to offer high-quality products at an accessible price. While the brand’s main series—currently led by the OnePlus 13 (here’s the review)—has become somewhat less affordable despite its undeniable quality, this mission is increasingly embodied by the Nord series, which is, without a doubt, my personal favorite. I really liked the Nord 4, but I’ve absolutely loved this OnePlus Nord 5.
It’s a product that makes the Nord line feel both more mature and distinctly “OnePlus”: this is where many killer features make their debut—features that even the OnePlus 13 doesn’t have—and that likely give us a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming OnePlus 14 due this fall. I’ve been using it for about a month now, and here’s how my experience went.
OnePlus Nord 5: our tops & flops
I’ll admit it: I was a bit skeptical when I first saw the photos of the OnePlus Nord 5 because I had really liked the design of the Nord 4. But that skepticism didn’t last long. All it took was holding it in my hand during the preview event that OnePlus organized in Copenhagen—together with the Nord CE 5 and other brand products—and then using it as my personal phone from that day on to completely change my mind. Lightweight and still compact enough, it truly has everything you need: it’s incredibly fast, it comes with a dedicated AI suite that’s genuinely useful in daily life—from the camera to the new Mind Space, which is a brilliant idea for forgetful people like me—and it has a matte design that makes it quite ergonomic even without a case. In fact, it’s one of the few phones I actually use without one.
The camera has also seen significant improvements, though perhaps the ambition here was a little too high. OnePlus claims the Nord 5 is the mid-range phone that takes flagship-level photos, and to be fair, for everyday use, social media, and even more elaborate shots, the photos are truly excellent—especially those from the front camera. But it still doesn’t quite reach the level of true flagships, and maybe that’s actually a good thing: the Nord 5’s images really stand out within the upper mid-range segment.
What’s missing? Perhaps OxygenOS, which remains superbly integrated both within the OnePlus ecosystem and with Mac and Windows, could use a bit of graphical refinement. And above all, there’s still no support for eSIM, which I was really hoping to see at least in this generation.
What we like
- The new Plus Key button is truly brilliant and customizable;
- Incredibly smooth and powerful;
- The AI features are useful and genuinely helpful.
What we don’t like
- The UI could use a refresh;
- Are there perhaps too many OnePlus apps?
- eSIM support is still missing.
Prices in Scandinavia
OnePlus Nord 5: back to origins, but with more style
In photos, the design of the OnePlus Nord 5 doesn’t really come through—it doesn’t convey just how pleasant and refined it feels in person. Compared to the Nord 4, this model marks a return to the roots, with a camera layout that recalls the original OnePlus Nord, though now with a more rectangular “brick-like” design that feels far more ergonomic and satisfying to the touch. It features clean lines, rounded edges, and a slim body measuring just 8.1 mm. It’s also relatively lightweight when compared to other mid-range devices, and even to the OnePlus 13.
OnePlus has chosen to offer three distinctive colorways, each with its own personality: Marble Sands, inspired by the golden shimmer of sunlit beaches; Dry Ice, a fresh, minimalist icy blue; and Phantom Grey (the version I tested), an elegant and timeless matte black.
The flat 6.83-inch display dominates the front, protected by Gorilla Glass 7i, which ensures durability and toughness.
In hand, it feels solid and well-balanced, while IP65 certification keeps it protected from splashes and dust, making it worry-free for everyday use. Since this is the smartphone of many firsts, the Nord 5 is also the very first OnePlus device to feature a 144Hz OLED display, with a 1.5K resolution (2800×1272) and up to 1400 nits of brightness for excellent visibility even in direct sunlight.
The adaptive refresh rate and 3000Hz touch sampling deliver an ultra-smooth experience, whether you’re gaming or just browsing.
The Aqua Touch 2.0 technology ensures accurate touch response even when your fingers are wet or sweaty, while the 3840Hz PWM dimming protects your eyes during nighttime use.
A smartphone for workers
As always, it’s what’s under the hood that really sets the Nord 5 apart. For the first time, the Nord series adopts the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor—the same powerhouse you’ll find in much more expensive flagship models.
Paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, the result is a lightning-fast and fluid user experience. From everyday browsing to intensive gaming, everything runs without a hitch, thanks in part to the Adreno 735 GPU, which allows you to play demanding titles like Call of Duty Mobile at a stable 144 FPS—an outstanding result that not even some high-end flagships can guarantee. And if you happen to have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for cloud gaming, this phone is an absolute treat.
Backing up this performance is an advanced cooling system, featuring a 7,300 mm² vapor chamber, one of the largest in its category. This keeps temperatures low even under prolonged stress, allowing you to game or run heavy apps without dealing with heat or performance throttling.
Battery life is another major strength: with its 5,200 mAh capacity, the Nord 5 easily delivers up to two full days of use on a single charge. When you need to top up quickly, 80W SUPERVOOC charging brings the phone from zero to 100% in just 45 minutes—and you can enable smart charging to prevent overheating. SUPERVOOC remains one of my absolute favorite features: I travel a lot for work, and being able to recharge in a flash (even just 10 minutes is often enough if you’re not starting from empty) is a real lifesaver.
Rounding things off is the Battery Health Engine, an intelligent system that protects battery longevity, ensuring at least 80% capacity even after four years of regular use.
It’s precisely because of all these strengths that I feel the absence of eSIM support even more keenly: the Nord 5 is potentially an all-rounder device that makes owning a flagship unnecessary for most users—especially those who don’t prioritize having the absolute best camera. But for frequent travelers, especially outside of Europe, the lack of eSIM is a major drawback that can’t be overlooked.
The new Plus Key button
Another innovation that makes the Nord 5 a true trailblazer is the introduction of the new Plus Key, which replaces the previous iconic OnePlus alert slider that used to mute the phone. Now, it’s a highly customizable button with its own dedicated menu in the settings.
You can make it whatever you want: keep the classic mute function (though, to be honest, I always keep my phone on silent anyway, so on previous OnePlus devices I’d only use it once during setup), or assign it to activate the AI translator for real-time translation, Do Not Disturb mode, the camera, the flashlight, the voice recorder (super useful if you do interviews), take screenshots, or trigger the Save to Mind Space function (which I’ll talk about later).
Since it’s customizable, you can also change its function depending on the context. For example, when I’m at an event, I use it as a quick shortcut to the recorder, while in everyday life I set it up for quick access to Mind Space.
AI functions improved
Since we’ve mentioned it, AI takes center stage once again on the OnePlus Nord 5, bringing some genuinely interesting and new features. For example, Mind Space is like a personal hub that automatically collects all the screenshots you take and reorganizes them based on where you took them, while also saving information about the website or content associated with each image.
AI also steps in when it comes to the camera. When using the front camera, if you tilt the device, it will recognize that you need more space—maybe because you’re taking a group selfie or you want more background in the frame—and it will automatically switch to the wider front camera, another new feature we’ll talk about shortly.
AI has also enhanced photo customization tools, such as a more powerful eraser that lets you remove unwanted people or objects from your pictures, while AI Search brings smart, natural language search across your device. Lastly, AI Translation supports real-time translation in 29 languages, which is incredibly handy if you work in international environments or conduct interviews with people from different countries.
There’s also support for advanced multitasking thanks to Open Canvas, a feature borrowed from the foldable OnePlus Open, which lets you run multiple apps simultaneously in floating windows. File sharing between the phone and a PC or Mac is made seamless with O+Connect, the app that enables wireless file transfers—currently one of the very few solutions of its kind on the market.
A camera-phone?
OnePlus hasn’t overlooked the photography side of things—in fact, it marks a clear improvement over previous models, at least within the Nord series.
The Nord 5 features a 50MP Sony LYT-700 main camera with triple-axis optical stabilization, the very same sensor used in the flagship OnePlus 13.
The photos it produces are genuinely impressive: as shown in the examples shared alongside this article, it handles contrasts well and brings over some features seen on the 13, such as specific scene detection modes (for silhouettes, fireworks, and more).
For everyday use, social media, and even more advanced shooting thanks to Pro mode, the results are excellent—though it’s not a dedicated camera phone. Sticking to the limitations of the device, there’s no telephoto lens, so zoomed-in shots are not its strongest point.
That said, it still stands out within the mid-to-high-end category and gives a glimpse of OnePlus’s new direction in mobile photography, which the brand seems intent on developing in-house following the end of its collaboration with Hasselblad.
Even more surprising is the front camera: a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN5 sensor that delivers bright, highly detailed selfies, even in challenging lighting conditions.
There’s even mechanical autofocus, which is rare for a front-facing camera, especially on a mid-range device. And as mentioned earlier, it can intelligently switch between cameras depending on the context—whether you’re shooting a solo selfie or a group shot.
On the video front, the Nord 5 performs well too: both the rear and front cameras support 4K recording at 60 fps, allowing you to create high-quality content directly from your smartphone.
