Information has recently surfaced about OnePlus' upcoming mid-range, the Nord 5, giving us a look at what could be a major performance upgrade.
Details about the smartphone come from two separate leaks by industry insiders Digital Chat Station on Weibo and Shishir in X (the platform formerly known as Twitter). They claim that the Nord 5 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 SoC (system on a chip), 16GB of RAM, and a 5,500mAh battery. On the front there will be a sizable 6.74-inch OLED display that will display an image with a 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. If this sounds familiar, it's because the OnePlus 12R has a similar display. The main difference between the two is that the Nord 5 will not have the LTPO panel, so it will not be as bright.
Shishir in his post claims that it will have the same set of rear cameras as the 12R, which is both good and bad. Assuming the leak is true, this would also mean that the Nord 5 will come equipped with the 12R's poor macro and ultra-wide-angle cameras. However, they will be led by the more robust 1/1.56-inch Sony IMX 890 sensor, which allows for high-quality photographs.
Analysis: A phone made for me
I'm a big fan of the Nord series. The line consistently offers a great mobile experience at an affordable price and that's exactly what I see in the leak. It checks off a lot of the things I look for in a smartphone.
I'm particularly excited about the chipset. In November 2023, Qualcomm announced the entry-level Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 SoC for mid-range smartphones. The hardware is said to offer “60 percent better [performance] that… the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.” Additionally, it has access to a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU to further boost its capabilities. The Nord 5 will receive the improved version. We don't know when the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 will be launched. The latest news about the chipset was published in January. Since then, there has been great silence on the radio.
Returning to the screen, there is one fact that I did not mention. It will have “very thin bezels” that will allow future owners to enjoy everything the screen has to offer. Combine this flourishing design with the 120Hz refresh rate with the powerful hardware and you have a next-level mobile gaming experience. As a giant nerd/mobile gamer, I would love to have a Nord model that can better handle those tougher workloads. I myself have a Nord N20. As much as I like it, the N20 really struggles with gaming.
A desire
I have one feature I would love to see on the Nord 5: a headphone jack.
I prefer to use wired headphones rather than wireless ones. Mainly out of personal preference, but also because they have superior audio quality, at least in my experience. However, if the Nord 5 is anything like the Nord 3, it will probably ditch the audio jack. Fortunately, there are plenty of great wireless headphones out there, so it's not all bad. Take this leak with a grain of salt. Things can always change at the last minute. Hopefully it will come out in the United States; fingers crossed. American fans like me have little choice when it comes to the Nord line.
Neither leak had an image of the Nord 5, although considering its many similarities, it will probably look like the OnePlus 12R complete with the round camera array.
While we're at it, check out TechRadar's list of the best OnePlus phones for 2024 for recommendations.
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