The OnePlus Nord series has always been that sweet spot—flagship-like feel without the “ouch” price. And now we’ve got the Nord CE5, which doesn’t fully reinvent the wheel but definitely sharpens it. Think of it as a boost to the essentials: more battery, solid performance, polished style—all priced to play nice in the mid-range world.
I spent a week rolling with the CE5, and it didn’t blow my mind—but it certainly didn’t disappoint. Let’s peek under the hood.
Design & Build
First glance, it’s pretty OnePlus‑esque: clean, sleek, and “boring” in a good way. The Nexus Blue color I had honestly felt almost like an iPhone 16, at least visually. Not terrible! Light and airy, despite that big 7,100 mAh battery that somehow doesn’t feel like a brick.
Everything’s plastic—frame, back, buttons—but sturdily so, and net no fingerprint drama. The side-mounted power and volume buttons feel nice and clicky, no mushy nonsense. No alert slider here—OnePlus still reserves that for its “Pro” siblings.
Oh, and that IR blaster? Subtle tucked between the dual rear cams. Fancy feature if you still remote-control your AC. The haptics—mid-range territory. Typing feels decent but not delightfully snappy.
Speakers? There’s just one bottom-firing unit. It gets loud enough for videos, but audio quality lacks the oomph of stereo. Come on, no stereo on a phone this size? SMH.
Display
Screen time is where it shines. The 6.77‑inch AMOLED panel hits 120 Hz, so scrolling is buttery smooth. Bingeing shows? Crisp blacks, vibrant colors. I rewatched Squid Game S3 and didn’t notice any lag or dullness. Daylight visibility was solid, zero squinting required.
There’s a “Video Colour Boost” setting that promises cinematic vibes—but TBH, I couldn’t see a major difference. Still, the screen’s strong enough. And Aqua Touch? I kind of tested it with wet hands—yes, it worked. Handy.
Performance & Software
Power under the hood: MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex (a souped-up 8350) with up to 12 GB RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. No UFS 4.0 here, but performance is snappy. My benchmarks? Roughly 1.4 M-ish on AnTuTu, and around 1,369 single-core / 4,301 multi-core on Geekbench.
But benchmarks aren’t everything. When I edited 4K clips or ping-ponged between apps, the Nord CE5 handled everything smoothly—no obvious stutter.
Gaming? It runs COD: Mobile and BGMI at 90 fps with moderate graphics. Frame dips happen in marathon sessions, but the phone stays cool and doesn’t melt. Good phone-game vibes here.
Android 15 + OxygenOS 15 = buttery experience. OnePlus says it’ll keep this thing updated for 4 years and safe with 6 years of security. That’s better long-term support than most phones under ₹25 K.
There were some ads and bloatware in setup (Amazon and Candy Crush—why?), but uninstall is easy enough. Nothing major.
They’ve added AI features too: smart gallery search, live transcription—nice little perks, even if not game-changers.
Cameras
Hardware-wise, little has changed from last gen. The main cam is a 50 MP Sony LYT600 with OIS—solid daylight shots, sharp and colorful. No dedicated telephoto, but in-sensor 2× zoom and software do an OK job zooming in.
Portraits switch between 26mm–35mm focal length, and a cheeky 51mm zoom at full. Not mind-blowing, but gets the job done.
Ultrawide? 8 MP sensor. In daylight, decent. In low light, it gets soft and blurry. Not a champ.
Selfies: 16 MP front cam, good detail, skin tones are natural. Portrait selfies also look clean. It shoots up to 1080p@60fps front‑cam video.
Main video is impressive: 4K@60, OIS on deck, and Ultra‑Steady mode helps smooth out shaky footage. Ultrawide video maxes at 1080p@30, no OIS—expected for the price.
Battery Life
This is the Nord CE5’s biggest flex. 7,100 mAh battery is huge for this size. Even on heavy days—nonstop gaming, streams, GPS—it lasted a full day easily. On chill days, it stretched into day two.
That 80 W SuperVOOC charger is included and gets you from zero to full in just over an hour. No wireless charging—but with this cell size and speed, you probably won’t miss it.
Verdict
The Nord CE5 doesn’t chase headline specs. Instead, it focuses on what matters: reliable performance, clean software, long battery life, and a solid main camera.
Its compromises? Single speaker, lackluster ultrawide in the dark, occasional pre‑installed bloatware. But it nails essentials.
If you want a dependable phone under ₹25 K that doesn’t flag in everyday use, the Nord CE5 delivers big time. It’s not the flashiest, but it’s the kind of workhorse that gets the job done—quietly and efficiently.
