OnePlus had launched its Nord 5 series of devices earlier this month. The top-end model, the OnePlus Nord 5, packs some really intriguing specifications, including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, a 6.8-inch 144Hz AMOLED display, and a large cooling chamber, all while making minimal compromises on the cameras.
It’s been nearly a week since I’ve been using the OnePlus Nord 5. And here I am with the honest initial impressions of the device. While the on-paper specifications look amazing, let’s see if it holds up well in real life or not. And most importantly, let’s bring a rough answer to the question “Is it the most balanced mid-range device?”
Design and Build
Starting with the design and build, the first thing we notice is that the metal unibody design is gone. The legacy of Nord 4 is gone. I wish the company had preserved the metal design. But it is what it is. The OnePlus Nord 5 brings a glass rear panel with a plastic frame, which is flat in design. It weighs 211g and has a thickness of 8.1mm. For a device that packs a whopping 6,800mAh battery, the dimensions are handled well.
Due to its big 6.8-inch screen, the phone feels big in the hands. But thankfully, not uncomfortable. The weight balance is done nicely, and I haven’t faced any problems holding the device for long hours.
The volume controller buttons and the power button are housed on the right-hand side frame of the device. The left-hand side frame packs the new ‘Plus Key’ button. The top frame has an IR Blaster while the bottom has a charging port, speaker grill, SIM tray, and a microphone hole.
Display
As said earlier, it packs a massive 6.83-inch AMOLED display with 1.5K pixel resolution. It brings the support of a 144Hz high refresh rate. The peak brightness supported is 1800-nits., The HBM or High Brightness Mode rating is 1400-nits, and the normal high brightness rating is 800-nits.
The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. It has thin and symmetrical bezels around the screen, which is a plus in this range. Overall, the display is top-notch, and you can’t go wrong here.
Cameras
Gaming phones, in general, do not carry good camera hardware. But that’s not the case with the OnePlus Nord 5. It packs a dual-rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel LYT-900 main lens with Tri-Axis Optical Image Stabilization support and an aperture value of f/1.8. Secondarily, it has an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture.
Now, on the front, it packs a 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN5 camera sensor with auto-focus support. This is easily the best selfie camera hardware you can get for the price. And believe me, it takes some nice-looking selfies.
The rear camera also performs decently. It manages colour well, the while balance is on-point, and details are also well preserved. However, it’s not all blue. Stay tuned for my full camera review to know more about its real-life camera performance.
Performance, Battery, and Software
The OnePlus Nord 5 packs the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset with up to 12GB of DDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Being a gaming-oriented device, it packs tons of software features to elevate the gaming experience, such as hyper resolution and adaptive frame booster. It packs a large heat dissipation area of 32207mm2. I will talk more about its gaming performance in my upcoming gaming review of the device.
For the battery, it packs a massive 6,800mAh battery with he support of 80W fast wired charging. The battery backup of the device has been really good so far. The charging time, though, is slightly longer of around 1 hour and 10 minutes.
As for the software, it packs OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15 right out of the box. The UI is very polished and smooth. It is easily one of the best UI experiences you can have for the price, or even as a whole.
The firm promises up to 4 major Android updates and up to 6 years of security update support for the device. Interestingly, the brand also promises 4 years of battery health, meaning your battery won’t degrade by a huge margin at least until the promised timeline.
Final Verdict
While it is too early to conclude anything, the Nord 5 does look like a strong contender for the tag of “perfect mid-range smartphone”. Despite being focused on performance and gaming, it gets almost all the other areas right.
The selfie camera is amazing, the rear camera does a decent job, the 6800mAh battery lasts a day, and the software runs without any hiccups or issues. However, stay tuned for my full review to know about the actual real-life usage and performance of the device.
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