The number series may have given OnePlus the initial traction it needed, but its Nord series made it more accessible. With the new Nord CE5 in town, the brand aims to exceed what it can deliver at an affordable price. To begin with, it offers the largest battery ever found in any OnePlus smartphone, promising an unprecedented level of battery life. It features a significantly more powerful chipset than its predecessor, along with several other enhancements.
OnePlus Nord CE5
Rs 24,999
What Is Good?
- Dependable cameras in ample lighting
- Striking colour
- Perfect performance for convenient usage
- Seamless app-opening animations and nifty AI-powered features
- Bright, vibrant display
What Is Bad?
- Spammy notification
- Battery life leaves room for improvement
- Mono speaker
- Low-light camera performance needs adjustments
While the Nord CE5’s specifications appear promising, the mid-range market in 2025 is already crowded with other options claiming to offer similar value. Can it still make a name for itself with better optimisation and implementation of features? Read my review to find out.
Performance and Software
The MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex processor powers the Nord CE5, which performed exceptionally well in my experience. Whether it be running multiple apps in succession, playing games, or watching videos, the smartphone handled every task as if it were a warm-up. On a side note, it provides a better performance-to-price ratio than the Nord 5.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| RAM | Up to 12GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | Up to 256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Storage Test | 150594 |
| CPU Throttling Test | 79 per cent of its max performance |
| Software Version | Oxygen OS 15, based on Android 15 |
| Connectivity Details | Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 6 |
| Number of Software Updates | Four years of software updates and six years of security patch updates |
Speaking of gaming, I played Wuthering Waves on high settings at 60fps for hours.
The Nord CE5 remained bearable to hold after two hours at room temperature without air conditioning. Generally, various smartphones start warming up somewhere within 30 minutes. However, I didn’t observe consistent 60fps gaming, as the frame rate fluctuated considerably.
Oxygen OS 15 is honestly a cherry on top, but with a caveat. It delivers a smooth app-opening animation and offers useful AI-powered features, such as Mindspace, introduced with the OnePlus 13s.
Besides, its appearance is incredible. However, it occasionally bothered me at random moments by displaying spammy notifications, which is unexpected for a OnePlus smartphone. Its update policy would have been considered class-leading, but Samsung surpassed it by providing two extra years of software support with its Galaxy M56.
Design and Build Quality
The Nord CE5, in its Nexus Blue colour, is a stunner. While its colour is boldly vibrant, glancing at it provides a sense of calmness, which is surprisingly rare these days. (Looking at you, Motorola!!)
Aside from this, the rear profile features a texture, keeping fingerprints and smudges at bay. This is a godsend for folks seeking to rock their smartphone without a case.
- Colour Options: Marble Mist, Nexus Blue (reviewed), and Black Infinity
- Weight: 199g
- Thickness: 8.17mm
- IP Rating: IP65
- Port and Button Placements
- Bottom: Primary microphone, SIM Card tray, USB port, and speaker grille
- Top: Secondary microphone and speaker
- Right side: Power button and volume button
Because of the camera island’s design on the Nord CE5, people often compare it to the iPhone 16. I am not complaining, but OnePlus should have chosen a distinct identity for this smartphone, rather than following a popular template.
While the phone features a 7,100mAh battery, the brand has distributed its weight well enough to hold it comfortably for hours without people noticing this feat.
Display and Audio Quality
The Dandadan season 2 began with an electrifying episode, but watching it on the Nord CE5 was even more exhilarating. The colours popped on its AMOLED display with phenomenal vibrancy, and each scene oozed with rich detail.
While its peak brightness is rated at 1430 nits, we found it to be much brighter than the claimed numbers in our testing. So, outdoor visibility will be spectacular.
- Size: 6.77-inch
- Type: AMOLED
- Resolution: 1080×2392 pixels
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- Display Protection:
- Peak Brightness
- Claimed: 1430 nits
- Tested: 1761 nits
The audio quality is lacklustre, with the mono speaker being the culprit. It produces tinny sounds with underwhelming bass. This is a massive downgrade from its predecessor, the Nord CE4, which offered stereo speakers.
Camera
The absence of a telephoto lens in the Nord CE5 suggests that OnePlus prioritised other aspects over the camera. Yet, it still received some love and care no less.
The primary camera produces photographs, packed with subtle, appealing colours. Its accuracy, when compared to the actual scene, remains quite close. They even possess details in the shadow.
Portrait photos taken with this lens have close-to-natural human skin tones. However, background separation requires some polishing, as it is hit or miss.
| Cameras | Specifications |
| Primary camera | 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600, f/1.8 (OIS) |
| Secondary camera | 8-megapixel OV08D10, ultra-wide, 112° FOV, f/2.2 |
| Selfie camera | 16-megapixel, f/2.4 |
| Video capabilities | Up to 4K at 60fps for the rear cameras and up to 1080p at 60fps for the front camera |
The ultra-wide comes pretty close to its primary sibling in retaining the colour of the scene; however, it falls short of capturing similarly detailed images due to its lower megapixel count.
The low-light performance is satisfactory. The ample lighting lets the camera continue producing photographs with vibrant colours. They also have great picture clarity.
However, the reduced lighting conditions intensify their noise reduction algorithm, enabling it to smooth intricate details like facial features. Moreover, they produce hazy images caused by sudden movement.
The front camera captures captivating selfies in daylight. However, it suffers from the same issue mentioned above in dim lighting.
Battery
The 7,100mAh battery is the highlight of the Nord CE5, yet it felt slightly disappointing in my usage.
It significantly trails behind the Vivo T4, which features a similarly sized battery, on our PCMark Battery test.
The Realme P3 Ultra, which shares the same chipset but has a smaller battery, lasts longer than the Nord CE5. I got more than a day’s worth of battery life with my average usage. However, comparatively more intensive ones drained their battery before the end of the day.
The 80W charger takes an hour and 23 minutes to recharge the battery fully.
Verdict
The OnePlus Nord CE5 is an upgrade done almost right. The software may bug you with its spammy notifications. The phone closely resembles an iPhone. The battery doesn’t perform as expected. A change in light intensity can significantly alter the image quality. Moreover, it comes with a mono speaker.
While these compromises sound severe, they are not strong enough to ruin someone’s overall experience. All key aspects, like performance, software and display, are handled in the Nord CE5 such that you won’t feel the absence of anything while using this smartphone. Ultimately, OnePlus has come significantly closer to providing a well-rounded experience with this smartphone.
