OnePlus Nord 5 review: The best midrange phone?

So, if you're looking to buy a smartphone under 70,000 in Nepal right now, there are just so many options to choose from – it’s one of the most competitive segments ever.    

But after spending a week with this phone, the OnePlus Nord 5, I have to say—this might just be the most well-thought-out, balanced mid-range phone right now! I feel like OnePlus has made the right compromises in the right areas! Let's dive in this review to find everything about my experience with this device.

OnePlus Nord 5 Specifications

• Display: 6.83" Swift AMOLED, 1.5K resolution, 144Hz, 1800 nits peak brightness
• Processor: Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (4nm)
• RAM: 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X with expansion up to 8GB/12GB
• Storage: 256GB/512GB UFS 3.1
• Main Camera: 50MP Sony LYT-700 with OIS
• Ultra-wide Camera: 8MP, 116° FOV
• Front Camera: 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN5 with autofocus
• Battery: 6,800mAh with 80W SUPERVOOC charging
• OS: OxygenOS 15.0 based on Android 15
• Connectivity: 5G-Advanced, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC
• Water Resistance: IP65
• Colors: Marble Sands, Dry Ice, Phantom Grey
• Weight: 211g

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OnePlus Nord 5 Review

Design

Let me first talk about what’s great here! And first of all, I really like this year’s design! I think they took the inspiration from Samsung’s Galaxy A56. Coz just look at the camera module of these two phones – they are almost identical!

OnePlus has also gone with a matte finish this time, which is quite the opposite of the Metal design we got on the Nord 4; nonetheless, it feels good in the hands. And despite having a massive 6800mAh battery, it doesn't feel that heavy, and the weight distribution is nicely done, too.

The only compromise is that we don’t get proper IP68 or IP69 dust and water resistance here. Instead, we only get a modest IP65 rating here.

Display

On the front, the display experience of the Nord 5 is also outstanding, and it feels like I am actually using a flagship phone! First, it has a 144Hz refresh rate; hence, interacting with the UI is slightly smoother than a typical mid range phone.

Plus, as you can see, the bezels are almost non-existent. And this OLED panel is super colour accurate, it's pretty bright, reaching 1400 nits in High-Brightness Mode, and you get HDR-10 support on both Netflix and Amazon Prime. Another thing I liked about this display is that it has a 3000 Hz touch sampling rate, which means that while playing games, it feels extremely responsive.

Speakers and Haptics

And I found its stereo speakers to be decently loud and clear, too. So, whether I’m listening to music or watching movies, this display definitely didn't disappoint me.

By the way, OnePlus has also implemented O-Haptics here, similar to what we get on OnePlus and OPPO’s high-end phones. So, the vibration feedback on the Nord 5 has a nice tactile feel.

Performance

Likewise, the performance side of things is also well taken care of. It’s powered by last year’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, which, is significantly more powerful than most competitors like the Galaxy A56 and Nothing Phone 3(a) Pro.

Yes, phones like the OnePlus 13R for a slightly more price tag. But honestly, the 8s Gen 3 is still more than capable for most users and handles everything smoothly. Including Gaming!

Here, I could play PUBG effortlessly at 90fps without any noticeable lag. Lighter games like Mobile Legends and COD push a stable 120fps. Even Genshin Impact, one of the most GPU-heavy titles, ran impressively well, with the 5% low at a respectable 54fps.

OnePlus has also packed in a massive 7,300 mm² vapour chamber cooling system. And I didn’t face any overheating issues, even during longer gaming sessions or while using 5G data. If I had to nitpick, the only slight letdown is the use of UFS 3.1 storage. If I remember, last year’s Nord 4 had faster UFS 4.0 storage, so I don’t quite get this compromise.

Software and UI

Now, talking about the software experience, I know many reviewers complain a lot about OnePlus's software experience! But after Samsung’s One UI and Nothing OS, OxygenOS is my favourite UI. It’s clean, mostly ad-free, and the animations feel superfluid. And OnePlus is promising 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patch, which is more than decent for this price.

And check this out—there’s even a button here, just like on the iPhone and the OnePlus 13s I reviewed recently. This button is a carbon copy of the iPhone, where you can customize to launch different apps or functions.

Battery Life

Battery life on the Nord 5 is also A+! It easily lasts 2 days if I am not pushing it too hard.

Charging is fast, too—thanks to the 80W VOOC charger we get inside the box [Full charge: 0 to 100% 55 minutes]. But as expected, there's no wireless charging, and it only has a USB 2.0 Type-C port.

Camera

Ok, let me now talk about the real compromise I found on the Nord 5, and you guessed it right – it's the cameras! Here, OnePlus hasn’t gone for an extraordinary camera setup. We get a 50MP main camera – it's the Sony LTY-700 sensor, then we have an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 50MP selfie camera.

So overall, you won’t be getting a mind-blowing experience! It’s still better than something like the Poco F7, but it definitely falls behind phones like the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Realme 14 Pro+.

That said, the Nord 5's camera is not bad, either. In good lighting conditions, I was able to get pretty decent shots! I actually went on a photo walk the other morning, and as you can see from the samples, some of the photos are pretty nice with good dynamic range and surprisingly good detail.

In some shots, I did feel like the contrast was a bit too much, and occasionally, the exposure or highlights got messed up. Plus, colours, especially reds, are sometimes overprocessed. But if you shoot in good lighting, you can definitely get results that you can share on your social media.

Portraits, in particular, come out really well. The skin tone looks natural, and the details are sharp, even in the 2X mode. I'll drop the Google Drive link below so you can check out all the original quality samples.

Now, talking about the ultra-wide camera, I really expected OnePlus to step up and provide a higher-res lens, but with the 8MP sensor, let’s say it performs like something you'd expect from a phone under 20,000. Compared to the primary camera, its dynamic range is weak, and the details are very soft, especially during low light.

On the flip side, selfies have improved this time. The new 50MP sensor is quite wide and captures some really nice shots. No complaints here.

 

As for videography, I don’t have major complaints either. You can shoot up to 4K 60fps from both the main and selfie cameras, and the stabilisation, colour science, and dynamic range are all decent. However, just like with photos, the ultra-wide video isn’t that great.

OnePlus Nord 5 Review Pros and Cons

Pros

• Excellent display with flagship-level smoothness
• Strong performance with great cooling
• Good battery life with fast charging
• Clean and fluid OxygenOS
• Premium design and solid haptics

Cons:

• Camera system is average, especially ultra-wide
• No wireless charging or USB 3.0
• IP65 rating only (not full water resistance)
• UFS 3.1 instead of faster UFS 4.0

OnePlus Nord 5 Review Conclusion

Ok, I guess I have covered almost everything about the Nord 5! And like I said at the beginning of this video, I believe OnePlus has made the right compromises in the right areas! We get a smart, meaningful compromise, and it really shows here.

Just take a look at the scorecard: the Nord 5 earns a solid A in display, performance, software, and battery and a respectable B in the camera department.

Yes, you might find better camera performance for the money elsewhere. But what you won’t get is this level of refinement across the board. So yeah, the OnePlus Nord 5 might just be the best midrange phone. Right Now. In 2025.

• Meanwhile, check out our review of the OnePlus Nord 5