Battle of the Midrange Beasts: OnePlus Nord 5 vs Poco F7 vs Realme GT 7T

So the OnePlus Nord 5 just launched in India, and obviously, the hype is real. But instead of just testing it solo, we thought—why not throw it into a proper three-way face-off?

We lined it up next to the Poco F7 and Realme GT 7T—two other mid-range bangers that promise flagship-like power without killing your wallet.

But here’s the twist: all three phones run totally different chips. Nord 5’s got the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, the Poco F7 flexes with the newer 8s Gen 4, and the GT 7T comes in with the Dimensity 8400-MAX. All of them talk big on performance—so we had to see who actually delivers.

We ran full-on benchmark tests and real-world tasks on all three. Spoiler alert: the results weren’t what we expected.

To keep things fair, we set them all to max performance, locked the refresh rate at 120Hz, and switched on flight mode (but kept Wi-Fi on). All the phones were on the latest software, and after every test, we tracked heat and battery drop.

Antutu Run 1

We kicked things off with Antutu — the go-to benchmark that checks how strong your CPU and GPU really are.

And right off the bat, the Poco F7 zoomed through the test first, Realme GT 7T came in next, and the OnePlus Nord 5… well, it took its sweet time finishing last.

Now for the numbers. Room temp was a cool 24.2°C, but once the test wrapped up, Realme shot up to 37.8°C, Poco to 35.5°C, and OnePlus touched 35.7°C. Battery-wise, Realme dropped to 94%, Poco was still chill at 97%, and OnePlus was at 95%. Kinda wild that Realme lost the most juice despite not being the fastest.

When it came to raw scores, Poco absolutely flexed. Realme put up a decent fight, but OnePlus? Couldn’t even hit 1.5 million. Definitely underwhelming.

Breaking it down further — in CPU performance, Poco led with 4.5 lakh, Realme followed with 4.18 lakh, and the OnePlus just managed to touch 4 lakh.

GPU results told the same story. Poco crushed it at 8.6 lakh, Realme landed at 6.7 lakh, and OnePlus wrapped up with a low 5.25 lakh.

In terms of rise internal temperature, Poco ran hottest, Realme followed, and surprisingly, OnePlus stayed the coolest — literally.

Antutu Run 2

Round two of Antutu? Same story. Poco F7 blitzed through the test again, Realme GT 7T kept up decently, and the OnePlus Nord 5… yeah, it was still the last one crawling to the finish line.

This time, the room temp was a bit warmer at 24.6°C. After the test, Realme was running hot at 40.4°C, Poco came in at 37.5°C, and OnePlus wasn’t far behind at 38°C. On the battery side, Poco dropped to 92%, OnePlus to 90%, and Realme dipped the most to 87%.

Looking at how much heat each phone picked up — Poco’s internals spiked the most with a +9.1°C rise, while Realme and OnePlus saw smaller jumps of +5.8°C and +5.4°C, respectively.

And yep, the scores? No surprises there. Poco crushed it in CPU with 4.4 lakh, Realme stayed close with 4.07 lakh, and OnePlus stayed in the back at 3.89 lakh. GPU scores? Same vibe — Poco rocked 8.5 lakh, Realme held on to 6.7 lakh, and OnePlus just managed 5 lakh.

Geekbench Round 1

Next up, we hit Geekbench—this one checks how strong your CPU really is. The single-core test shows how well your phone handles everyday stuff like scrolling Instagram or opening apps. Multi-core, on the other hand, is all about multitasking—gaming, downloading, streaming, all at once. The higher the score, the smoother the ride.

The room temp was a chill 24.7°C during this round. Realme GT 7T ran the hottest at 37.7°C, while Poco F7 and OnePlus Nord 5 stayed cooler at 35.2°C. Post-test battery levels were also telling—Realme was at 85%, Poco at 90%, and OnePlus at 88%.

Now for the scores. In single-core, Poco flexed hard with 2038 points. OnePlus wasn’t too far behind at 1946, but Realme trailed in last. Then came the twist—multi-core scores flipped the script. Realme snatched the top spot with 6485, Poco followed close at 6440, and OnePlus... well, still in third.

Geekbench Round 2

Round 2 of Geekbench kicked off, and surprise surprise—Poco F7 was first to wrap things up again. The room was a bit toastier this time at 25.5°C. Post-run temps? Realme hit 36.5°C, Poco was cooler at 34.4°C, and OnePlus stayed chill at just 34.2°C. Battery stats? Realme dropped to 83%, OnePlus held at 87%, and Poco stayed strong at 89%.

Now here’s the fun bit—all three phones did better than their first run. Single-core scores had Poco out front with 2070, OnePlus next with 1988, and Realme lagging behind at 1691. But in multi-core? Realme clapped back with 6608, Poco stayed close with 6494, and OnePlus saw a tiny bump but still came in last.

Now, we let the device cool down for 10 minutes.

CPU Throttle Test

Next up: the CPU Throttle Test—basically a workout from hell for the processor. It’s built to see how each phone holds up during super heavy tasks, like marathon gaming or long video edits.

And yeah, the results weren’t subtle. Poco F7 flexed the hardest, topping the charts with the highest max score and barely breaking a sweat. Total beast mode.

OnePlus? It started strong with the second-highest peak, but couldn’t keep its cool. It throttled hard over time, which kind of ruins the whole “performance champ” vibe.

Realme GT 7T didn’t have the firepower upfront, with the lowest max score—but it played the long game. Its performance stayed steady throughout, landing it second place in overall stability.

3DMark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test

Now for the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test—a brutal 20-minute GPU grind that mimics what your phone goes through during intense gaming marathons.

Thermals? Spicy. Room temp held steady at 24.9°C, but the phones? Not so chill. Realme hit 42.6°C, OnePlus climbed to 42.1°C, and Poco? It got toasty at 45.1°C.

Battery stats after the round: Poco and OnePlus were nearly tied at 68% and 67%, while Realme dropped to 62%.

Performance-wise, OnePlus came through with the best stability—making it a reliable pick for long gaming sessions. That said, its top score wasn’t anything to brag about.

Poco was the powerhouse here. It wasn’t as stable as OnePlus but managed to pull off the highest peak score and lowest loop score, which basically means it stayed strong throughout. Realme held up okay, but compared to the others, it just couldn’t keep up—solid, but clearly third place this round.

VN Video Exporting Test

With benchmarks out of the way, we jumped into something more real. VN Video Editor was our weapon of choice—because, honestly, synthetic numbers only go so far. To really push these phones, we stitched a 4K 60fps video clip four times and exported it at max settings. Basically, the kind of workload that makes phones sweat.

And Realme? It absolutely blitzed through the task. It was done and dusted while Poco and OnePlus were still crawling past 60%.

During the test, room temp was 25.8°C. Realme stayed surprisingly cool at 35°C, Poco ticked up to 35.8°C, and OnePlus once again proved to be the chillest at 34.2°C.

Battery-wise, OnePlus ended at 66%, Poco at 67%, and Realme dipped the most to 60%. Makes sense—it went full throttle to finish first.

What really stood out? By the time Realme was done, the other two were still grinding away. Just goes to show, benchmark scores can flex all they want, but it’s real-world hustle that really matters.

Verdict

And that wraps up our full round of testing — and yep, no surprises here, the Poco F7 absolutely crushed it.

From Antutu to Geekbench single-core to the 3DMark loop test, the F7 was leading the pack. Even in the CPU throttle test, it had the highest sustained performance with the least throttling. GPU performance? Super steady in 3DMark too. Basically, on paper and in numbers, this thing’s a benchmark beast.

That said, the GT 7T wasn’t too far behind. It actually pulled ahead in the video export test and topped Geekbench’s multi-core score. So yeah, it’s got some serious real-world chops.

The Nord 5, though? Bit of a letdown. Given it’s just a gen behind the F7’s chipset, the performance gap was honestly kind of shocking.

Thermal game? The F7 stayed solid — not the coolest, but super consistent. The OnePlus ran cooler overall, while the GT 7T got a little toasty, but nothing major.

Battery stats played out just as expected: F7’s 7550mAh left it at 67%, GT 7T’s 7000mAh dropped to 60%, and Nord 5’s 6800mAh held up surprisingly well at 66%.

So, final scoreboard? Poco F7 takes the crown, Realme GT 7T comes in hot and stood second,

And unfortunately, the OnePlus Nord 5 finishes third.