Even if you pay over £1000/$1000 for a smartphone in 2025, you’re not guaranteed to get the best selfie camera experience. Most of the R&D effort is dedicated to the rear camera setup, which is used more frequently. But what if you’re an avid selfie-taker?
In an exclusive interview with Trusted Reviews, OnePlus Europe’s Chief Marketing Officer, Celina Shi, revealed key details about the upcoming Nord 5’s camera setup, and it looks like it’ll scratch that itch – and then some.
First, let me take a selfie
While there are improvements to the Nord 5’s rear camera setup, it seems that much of the focus has gone on the front-facing camera.
OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus Nord 5 will sport a high-res 50MP selfie camera, up from 16MP from the Nord 4 – but it’s much more than a simple spec bump.
The company claims that the 1/2.75-inch ISOCELL JN5 sensor is the same as that used in some competing flagships’ rear camera setups. It’s certainly used in other OnePlus products, namely the premium OnePlus 13R and the telephoto lens in particular.
That’s said to be paired with hardware-based multifocusing, which should be of particular use in group selfies, or ‘groufies’ as they’re referred to, especially when everyone’s at a different depth.
It also benefits from a dedicated ISP (Image Signal Processor) and Dual VTG (Vertical Transfer Gate) technology to help reduce noise and boost light, especially in low-light conditions where most selfie cameras tend to struggle.
It’s also looking to lead the pack on the video front with support for 4K@60fps video capture, the first in its price range to do so, according to OnePlus.
A very familiar rear camera
The high-res 50MP selfie camera might steal the headlines, but it’s also worth shouting about the upgraded rear camera setup, and the primary lens in particular.
At 50MP, it doesn’t just match the selfie camera in terms of resolution. Instead, it’s the exact same primary camera as the flagship OnePlus 13 – albeit without the Hasselblad tuning.
That means, despite the mid-range focus of the Nord 5, you’ll be getting a 1/1.56-inch 50MP Sony LYT-700 with a wide f/1.88 aperture and OIS, complete with OnePlus’ Ultra HDR algorithm to provide accurate colour reproduction and plenty of detail in each and every shot, even in low-light conditions.
There’s also an accompanying 116-degree ultrawide snapper with an f/2.2 aperture. While that’s fairly standard, the use of autofocus technology in the ultrawide lens makes the Nord 5 stand out, especially in the mid-range market, where most alternatives feature low-resolution, fixed-focus ultrawide lenses.
It also benefits from improved AI smarts, with the upgraded Live Photo functionality on the Nord 5. It’ll now capture live photo frames in 2K resolution, up from 720p in some alternatives, allowing you to pull out single frames from Live Photos, upscale and recreate HDR features, and share them individually.
The company also teased more post-processing-focused AI features, although it is staying tight-lipped about those for now.
The OnePlus Nord 5 is set for launch on 8 July alongside the Nord CE5, 43mm OnePlus Watch 3, the OnePlus Pad Lite and the OnePlus Buds 4.
