OnePlus announces Nord 5 and Nord CE 5 with specs tuned to global markets

Within weeks of launching the OnePlus 13S, the India-exclusive rebrand of the 13T, OnePlus is expanding its portfolio of global devices. Today, OnePlus has announced the Nord 5 and Nord CE5 as two mid-range devices featuring rare specifications for their price, with a curious approach to the battery.

The OnePlus Nord 5 is the more powerful of the two and aims for a premium impression. It packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 — an underclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but with enough power to run demanding games on high graphics settings. The phone also comes with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage options.

Along with performance, AI gets significant attention, especially as OnePlus continues its pattern of replacing the three-way alert slider with a button inspired by the iPhone 16’s Action Button. OnePlus calls this the “Plus Key” and endorses it as an access to its second brain feature, called “Mind Space.” All information is processed and stored securely through what OnePlus calls the “Private Computing Cloud.”

Mind Space, as previously seen on the OnePlus 13s, can fetch information from screengrabs, summarize it, and store items to be recalled in the future. In addition, the Nord 5 features other AI capabilities to assist with writing messages, transcribing calls and voice notes, and enabling real-time translation during calls. These features are currently available only to English-speaking users.

In terms of other specifications, the Nord 5 is the first OnePlus phone to feature a 144Hz refresh rate AMOLED display. This device features a 6.38-inch screen with a 2,800 x 1,272 pixel resolution and a global peak brightness of 1,400 nits. There is HDR10+ support but no Dolby Vision.

For photos and videos, the Nord 5 relies on two sensors on the back: a 50MP primary and an 8MP ultrawide, both of which it shares with the OnePlus 13R. On the front, there’s a 50MP camera with autofocus, allowing for sharper selfies. All cameras can record 4K video at up to 60fps while also supporting Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). Only the primary camera stabilizes videos optically, but recordings with OIS are limited to 1080p at 30fps.

Regarding the battery, OnePlus employs a two-pronged strategy, a tactic also recently adopted by other brands, including Nothing. It equips the OnePlus Nord 5 with two different battery sizes, catering to different regions. While India and other Asian regions receive a significantly larger 6,800mAh battery, the UK and Europe receive a much smaller 5,200mAh pack. These cutbacks are likely due to the European Union’s regulations on the shipping of batteries. A similar cutback was also seen on the Nord CE4’s European unit last year.

Regardless of the battery size, the Nord 5 supports 80W fast charging. OnePlus also offers bypass charging, which essentially stops pumping charge into the battery while you play to prevent excessive heating.

The OnePlus Nord 5 comes in three shades: Marble Sands off-white), Dry Ice (bluish-gray), and Phantom Grey (dark gray). While the back panels are made of glass, OnePlus uses plastic for the mid-frame, which appears to be a step back from the Nord 4‘s all-metal design.

The Nord CE5 is a more accurate representation of an Android mid-ranger, with fewer fancy features, greater emphasis on utility, and a more competitive price. It features a Dimensity 8350 chipset paired with up to 12GB of RAM. It is equipped with either 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage, with further expansion available via a microSD card. Despite its middling setup, the Nord CE5 can run certain titles, including Call of Duty: Mobile, at 120fps natively on Low or Medium graphics settings.

The front features a 6.77-inch Full HD+ AMOLED with an in-display fingerprint scanner and a 120Hz refresh rate. Like the Nord 5, it also supports HDR10+ but without Dolby Vision.

The Nord CE5 lacks Mind Space but supports other AI features for transcription, composing text, editing images, and performing deeper searches for in-app features or content from video apps. The CE5 also runs on Android 15 with OxygenOS and is promised to receive four years of Android platform updates and six years of security patches, the same as the Nord 5.

It also packs dual rear cameras with the same 50MP and 8MP resolutions for the primary and the ultrawide shooters, although with smaller, less capable sensors. OnePlus furnishes the display with a 16MP hole-punch camera for selfies, but it lacks autofocus. The rear camera also supports 4K 60fps recording, while the front camera is limited to 1080p.

The Nord CE5 also features a massive battery, rated at 7,100mAh in India, but its capacity is reduced to 5,200mAh for Europe and the UK. Charging speeds remain at 80W for all models across regions.

As part of the cost-cutting measures, OnePlus has used plastics to forge the back and mid-frame. The Nord CE5 comes in Black Infinity, Marble Mist, and Nexus Blue.

The OnePlus Nord 5 starts at £399 (~$540) for the 8GB/256GB variant in the UK, while the 12GB/512GB variant will be sold for £499 (~$680).

The Nord CE5 comes at a more affordable starting price of £299 (~$405) for the 8GB/128GB variant.

Both the OnePlus Nord 5 and Nord CE5 will be available for sale in the UK immediately. Notably, the US has never seen Nord releases in the region — apart from the “Lite” variants of the CE-series phones, which are seldom rebranded as entry-level Nord N series. Since OnePlus hasn’t released the Nord CE5 Lite yet, we can’t comment on the possibility of availability in the US, which may be further delayed by the likelihood of a ban on the sale of other OnePlus phones in the US.

Along with the two Nord phones, OnePlus is also launching the OnePlus Pad Lite, Buds 4, and a smaller variant of the Watch 3, which will be available in the US.