The OnePlus Nord 5 has been leaked – and as a Nord fan, it ticks most of my wish list
Information about OnePlus’ upcoming mid-range, the Nord 5, has recently surfaced, giving us a glimpse into what could be a significant performance upgrade.
Details about the smartphone come from two separate leaks by industry insiders Digital chat station on Weibo And Shishir on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter). They claim that the Nord 5 will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 SoC (system on a chip), 16GB of RAM and a 5500mAh battery. On the front, there’s a sizable 6.74-inch OLED screen that displays a 1.5K resolution image with a 120Hz refresh rate. If this sounds familiar, that’s because the OnePlus 12R has a similar screen. The main difference between the two is that the Nord 5 doesn’t have an LTPO panel, so it won’t be as bright.
Shishir states in his post that it will have the same rear camera array as the 12R, which is both good and bad. Assuming the leak is true, it would also mean that the Nord 5 will be equipped with the 12R’s underpowered ultra-wide-angle and macro cameras. However, they will be led by the more robust 1/1.56-inch Sony IMX 890 sensor, which allows for high-quality photography.
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 especially excited about the chipset. In November 2023, Qualcomm announced the base Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 SoC for mid-range smartphones. The hardware is said to deliver “60 percent better performance than… the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1”. Additionally, it has access to a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU to boost its capabilities even further. The Nord 5 gets the improved version. We don’t know when the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 will be released. The latest news about the chipset came out back in January. Since then it has been largely radio silence.
Back to the rendering: There’s one little thing I neglected to mention. It will have “razor-thin bezels” that will allow future owners to enjoy everything the screen has to offer. Combine this design with the 120Hz refresh rate and powerful hardware, and you’re looking at a next-level mobile gaming experience. As a massive nerd/mobile gamer, I would love to own a Nord model that can handle these heavier workloads better. I have a Nord N20 myself. As much as I like it, the N20 has a lot of trouble with gaming.
A wish
I have one feature I’d like to see on the Nord 5: a headphone jack.
I prefer using wired headphones over wireless headphones. 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 likely ditch the audio jack. Luckily, there are plenty of great wireless earbuds 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 be released 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 given its many similarities, it will likely resemble the OnePlus 12R, complete with the circular camera array.
While we’ve got you, check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best OnePlus phones for 2024 if you want recommendations.