The OnePlus Nord Series brings some features seen on the company’s high-ended smartphone in the mid-range segment on the model of the previous year. This year, the OnePlus Nord CE5 has come up with a more powerful processor and a much larger battery than last year’s Nord CE4 model. The handset is also equipped with some OnePlus AI software facilities. It competes with phones like IQO Z10, Motorola Edge 60 Fusion, Infinix GT 30 Pro, and Vivo T4.
The price of the new OnePlus Nord CE 5 is Rs. 24,999, for base models with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. There is a 256GB storage variant priced at Rs. 26,999. However, if you want a version with more RAM, then the 12GB+256GB model is priced at Rs. 28,999. These prices are equal with other midrange smartphones with similar specifications, but how is the OnePlus Nord CE 5 fare against the competition? Read our OnePlus Nord CE5 review to find out this.
OnePlus Nord CE 5 Design: Looks good, easily in hold
- Dimensions – 163.58 x 76 x 8.2 mm
- Weight – 199g
- Color – Black Infinity, Marble Mist, Nexus Blue (painted in this review)
The OnePlus Nord CE5 review unit that the company has sent us is blue, and it looks good at various angles. The rear panels and edges are made of plastic. Like its predecessor, the handset has a dual rear camera island located in the top left corner of the rear panel, but the LED flash is now located on the right of the camera module.
OnePlus Nord CE5 has a rear-mounted infrared (IR) transmitter
OnePlus has equipped this handset with a single speaker, which is on the lower edge of the phone next to the USB Type-C port and SIM tray. The OnePlus Nord CE 5 has a selfie camera located in the top center of the 6.77 inch screen, which has a very thin bezel.
Volume rockers and power button are located on the right side of the handset. There is no alert slider or plus key on the left edge. While the OnePlus Nord 5 is an infrared transmitter on the top edge, it is located between two rear cameras on the Nord CE5, so the rear panel will have to face the device you want to control. Ship a matching TPU cover, a charger and a SIM ejector tool.
OnePlus Nord CE5 Software: Smooth, Some AI Features
- Software – Oxygen 15
- Edition – Android 15
- Latest Security Patch – 1 June, 2025
Like its more competent cybling, the OnePlus Nord CE5 runs on Android 15, and the company’s oxygenos 15 skin is on top. According to OnePlus, the phone will get the operating system upgrade for four years and security updates for six years. It is great for a handset in this price section. The Nord CE5 also provides support for some AI features available on both Nord 5 and OnePlus 13S.
Oxygenos 15 on OnePlus Nord CE 5
The version of Oxygenos 15 on OnePlus Nord CE 5 is smooth and responsible, and it did not have problems with more than six apps in the background. Switching between apps is smooth, and only once I saw that using GPS navigation on Google Maps, was a little stutter when using the phone out on a hot day.
I saw an indication to install Amazon, cred and candy crush saga during the setup process. If you have forgotten to surprise those boxes, you can uninstall these apps after setting the phone. I did not notice any other unwanted app or blotware on the phone. It provides the same software experience in the form of more expensive OnePlus Nord 5.
Nord CE 5 provides support for new OnePlus AI features
You can also use new OnePlus AI features on Nord CE 5. Unlike OnePlus 13S and the new Nord 5, there is no plus key to invite the AI-operated Quick Save feature. Instead, you have to swipe using three fingers to trigger the same action. The phone also offers a viocellic feature that summarizes you recorded calls, and a screen-scanning translation feature that is mostly reliable (I have included a sample screenshot).
OnePlus Nord CE5 Performance: Remarkable Performance Upgradation
- Processor – MediaTek Demensity 8350 Apex
- Memory – up to 12GB LPDDR5X
- Storage – 256GB UFS 3.1
The Demistance 8350 Apex SOC on OnePlus Nord CE5 is a ribed version of the same chip launched by MediaTek last November, and it jumps significantly in the performance on Snapdragon 7 gen 3 on Nord CE4. If the Geekbench scores are any indication, the Nord CE 59 percent and 25 percent better single-core and multi-corr-core.
Left to right: antuu v10, pcmark work 3.0, geekbench 6 (tap to expand)
While you will not look at these performance reforms. If you use both phones for day to day tasks, fast chip on Nord CE 5 Needed Offer better long -term performance as apps in future demand more resources. The phone can handle almost everything that you throw on it, from editing 4K videos to running different types of popular apps, and it seems reliable as its more expensive brother -in -law, OnePlus Nord 5.
I tested the call of duty: mobile, BGMI (with the set graphics set for HD, Ultra), and united on the asphalt legends OnePlus Nord CE5, and the gameplay was smooth and interval-free even after about 40 minutes of uninterrupted gaming. Like Nord 5, you can use bypass charging without stopping your game when the battery is low.
Left to right: pcmark work 3.0 battery, GFXBench 5.1, 3DMark (Tap to expand)
Here is described how OnePlus Nord CE 5 worked on benchmark tests like Geekbench, 3DMark, AnTuu, PCMark and GFXBench. You can also see how the phone is fare against Vivo T4, nothing phone 3A, and Motorola Edge 60 Fusion.
| Standard | OnePlus Nord C5 | Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | Vivo T4 | Nothing Phone 3A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | MediaTek Demensity 8350 (4Nm) | MediaTek Demensity 7400 SoC (4Nm) | Snapdragon 7S General 3 (4Nm) | Snapdragon 7S General 3 (4Nm) |
| Antutu V10 | 14,12,373 | 6,49,652 | 7,80,665 | 8,04,179 |
| Pcmark work 3.0 | 13,435 | 16,841 | 11,328 | 13,554 |
| Geekbench 6 single | 1,317 | 1,087 | 1,120 | 1,158 |
| Geekbench 6 multiple | 3,989 | 3,049 | 3,043 | 3,255 |
| GFXB T-Rex | 60 | 92 | 109 | 60 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 60 | 46 | 51 | 55 |
| Gfxb car chase | 60 | 26 | 28 | 28 |
| 3dm Slingshot Extreme Opengl | maxed out | 5,742 | 5,307 | 5,485 |
| 3dm slingshot | maxed out | 7,155 | 6,767 | 6,954 |
| 3dm wild life | maxed out | 3,630 | 3,924 | 3,988 |
| 3dm wild life unlimited | 11,038 | 3,675 | 4,090 | 4,175 |
OnePlus has equipped the Nord CE5 to 6.77-inch (1,080 × 2,392 pixels) with a refresh rate from the OLED screen that switchs between 60Hz and 120Hz, and up to a 300Hz touch sampling rate. This Widavin L1 is certified, which means that you can see HD and HDR content on Netflix and Prime Video.
I chose Cinematic display color mode while installing the OnePlus Nord CE5, but you can also choose standard or vivid color mode for more muted and saturated options respectively. OnePlus Nord CE 5 can also be used under bright external conditions, and performance is very responsible, still when I used the phone with wet hands.
OnePlus has equipped Nord CE5 with a 6.77 -inch display
It is best to close the ProxDR setting in the photo app, however, it goes to apply additional effects in view of images stored on your phone. If you enable this feature, you will see a different result (original image) when you see the same photo on another device like your computer.
OnePlus Nord CE5 Camera: A decent primary camera
- Main Camera – 50 -Megapixel (F/ 1.8), OIS, 4K/ 30fps up to videos
- Ultravide Camera – 8 -Megapixel (F/2.2)
- Selfie Camera – 16 -Megapixel, EIS, (F/ 2.4), up to 1080P/ 60fps Video
The primary camera has the same Sony IMX600 as last year’s Nord CE4, which captures sharp images during the day. I did not notice any additional saturation or exposure issues in most of the scenarios. Images with a lot of blue are slightly more vibrant than the original themes, but I like how images changed normally. Photos taken at night are also quite decent, but you will need to make sure that your subject remains until the image is occupied.
Up to bottom: 1x (primary), 2x (in-sensor crop) on rear camera samples on zoom (tap to expand)
It also supports 2x zoom mode (in-sensor crop), allowing you to zoom on subjects that are slightly ahead. When capturing the portrait, 1x mode lets you switch between 26 mm and 35 mm focal length, while 2x zoom mode is locked at 51 mm. In low-light scenarios, this phone offers the built-in night mode performance that is equal with more advanced sensors on OnePlus Nord 5, for subjects that are not moving quickly.
You also get an ultravide camera with an Ov08D10 sensor, and it captures a sharp 8-megapixel images during the day, even if some shots with some war on the edges. The colors are mostly corresponding to those captured using primary cameras. At night, images captured with this camera lacks expansion, leaving the camera algorithm of the handset to deal with noise and poor color reproduction. It is much slower than the primary camera in capturing images, so it is best to switch on primary camera for night shots.
Up to bottom: Ultravide camera samples, a selfie and a portrait shot (tap to expand)
The OnePlus Nord CE5 distributes the selfie camera (Sony IMX480) high quality selfies, and it does not apply any “beauty” features by default. During the day, it captures images with lots of detail, while low-light scenarios has some smooth on selfie, as well as on portrait images (2x) taken with primary camera.
The man camera supports optical image stabilization (OIS) up to 1080p/30fps. If you do not want to use ultra stedy mode, you can record videos on 4K/ 60fps. Ultravide camera supports up to 1080p/ 30fps video recording, but no OIS. The selfie camera can capture up to 1080p/60fps videos, which is limited to 1080p/30fps in ultra stedy mode.
OnePlus Nord CE 5 Battery: Using two days, one hour to charge
- Battery capacity – 7,100mAh
- Wired Charging – 80W Supercoke (USB Type -C)
The smartphone is growing in battery size, and the Nord CE 5 has a particularly large 7,100mAh battery. It is one of the largest battery to debut in a smartphone in 2025. In combination with efficient demonsal 8350 chipset, the handset continuously gave a battery life of at least two days on the same charge during my testing period.
OnePlus Nord C5 lacks dual stereo speakers
It took just one hour (between 65 and 68 minutes) to fully charge the OnePlus Nord CE5 using the 80W Supercoke Charger involved. The handset lasted 27 hours and 10 minutes during our HD video battery loop test, and PCmark Work 3.0 during the battery test 17 hours and 44 minutes. As we regularly indicate in our reviews, these are synthetic tests conducted in controlled conditions, and the real-world battery life will vary depending on your use.
OnePlus Nord CE 5: Decision
The OnePlus Nord CE5 provides better performance and better battery life than its predecessor, while also provides mostly reliable sets of cameras. The phone has also been slated to receive four -year OS upgrade and five -year security updates. Additionally, it provides useful AI features, although it lacks the plus key available at OnePlus Nord 5.
Lack of ultravide camera and stereo speakers is a bit disappointing to see in this price section. The largest rivals of OnePlus Nord 5 in the same price segment include Motorola Edge 60 Fusion (Review), Nothing Phone 3A (Review), Infinix GT 30 Pro 5G, and Vivo T45G (review), and it is worth reading our reviews of these handsets before purchasing your next smartphone.
Disclosure: OnePlus sponsored reporter flights and hotels for a program in Vietnam.
