Verdict: Makes a decent impression for the price
The OnePlus Nord CE5 has a very high-quality appearance overall. Although the chassis is only made of plastic, it has a very solid finish. The screen is bright, and the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 processor is fast-enough for the price range.
The Nord CE5's camera takes perfectly usable pictures, and shooting is flexible thanks to the additional wide-angle lens.
It is a shame that the phone's battery capacity is limited in the EU, but this is currently the case with many devices. Nevertheless, the battery life is very good in everyday use.
Fast charging and a decent speaker round off the good overall impression.
OnePlus also promises four Android updates and six years of security patches.
Overall, the OnePlus Nord CE5 is a very good offer in the mid-range smartphone segment. And if you like the marble effect on the back, you are also getting a very special phone.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
At the time of testing, the OnePlus Nord CE5 with 128 GB of memory is available starting from €275 from online retailers such as Amazon.de.
The larger storage version costs around €300 at retailers like Galaxus.de.
The smartphone is a lot more expensive in the US, retailing at $605 on Amazon US for the 8 GB + 128 GB version.
In India, the OnePlus Nord CE5 8 GB + 128 GB variant can be had for ₹24,999 on Amazon India.
Table of Contents
- Verdict: Makes a decent impression for the price
- Specifications
- Build and Equipment: High-quality construction and a marble design on request
- Communication and Operation: Fast networking with 5 GHz WLAN
- Software and Sustainability: Good update promise
- Cameras: 50 MP primary shooter with good details
- Display: Bright 120 Hz AMOLED with PWM
- Performance, Emissions and Battery life: Fast SoC and a capped battery capacity
- Notebookcheck's overall impressions of the OnePlus Nord CE5
- Potential alternatives in comparison
Specifications
Build and Equipment: High-quality construction and a marble design on request
With the Nord CE5, OnePlus is launching a mid-range phone around the €300 mark.
The phone's build has a restrained design but is an eye-catcher with a white back in a slightly iridescent marble look. Those who prefer an even simpler look can opt for the dark gray version that comes without such visual effects. The frame is made of plastic, the smartphone is very sturdy, cannot be twisted, and does not creak.
The camera module stands out clearly on the casing, with a total thickness of around 1 cm at this point. At 199 g, the OnePlus Nord CE5 is slightly heavier than comparable phones. But with a diagonal length of 6.77 inches, it also offers one of the largest screens in its class.
The Nord CE5 comes with 8 GB of RAM as standard, but there are international models with 12 GB of RAM. There is also a choice of 128 GB or 256 GB data storage. The official price difference between the two storage variants is €50.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5.72 - 58.9, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| CMF Phone 2 Pro (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication and Operation: Fast networking with 5 GHz WLAN
The OnePlus Nord CE5 comes with Wi-Fi 6 as the fastest Wi-Fi standard. Unfortunately, the phone cannot access the less-used 6 GHz 6E band, but it still offers fast transmission speeds with 2x2 MIMO and the 160 MHz channel in the 5 GHz band. We measured speeds up to 1.3 Gbps in our testing, and the transfer rates are also reasonably stable.
5G mobile radio is also on board. There are also quite a few bands in the 4G and 5G range, so you can use the phone in many countries when traveling.
Hidden behind the screen is the fingerprint sensor, which is positioned at a comfortable height and is easy to reach even with smaller hands. It unlocks the phone after a short wait and with high precision.
Biometric unlocking via the face is also possible. However, this recognition only takes place via the front camera without additional sensors.
| Networking | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Motorola Moto G86 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A36 5G | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Average 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Average of class Smartphone | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Software and Sustainability: Good update promise
Android 15 comes pre-installed — with OxygenOS 15 — the manufacturer's own user interface on top. The security patches are from September 2025 at the time of testing and therefore are still quite up to date.
OnePlus promises four Android updates and six years of security patches for the Nord CE5, which is quite good for this price range.
The smartphone does not contain any recycled materials, nor is CO2 emission data currently available. The phone is packaged without plastic, and the box is printed with soy ink.
Spare parts and repair instructions for older devices are available from the manufacturer.
Cameras: 50 MP primary shooter with good details
With its 50 MP camera on the back and an additional 8 MP wide-angle lens, the OnePlus Nord CE5 has a camera system that is typical of its class. Images from the main camera look quite detailed. We also like the brightness and level of detail in low light.
Videos are also possible in 4K resolution at 60 fps. We also like the wealth of detail, and the autofocus usually reacts appropriately and relatively quickly. The exposure also adjusts quickly enough.
Pictures from the wide-angle camera are of acceptable quality, but hardly anything is recognizable in detail.
Selfies with the front camera look sharp.
Image comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main camera (Plant)Main camera (Environment)Main camera (Low light)Wide angle
Display: Bright 120 Hz AMOLED with PWM
The OnePlus Nord CE5 has an AMOLED display, which achieved up to 1,315 cd/m² in our test. This puts it on a par with most comparable devices. A refresh rate of up to 120 Hz is possible.
The color reproduction in "Natural" mode is accurate. We measured PWM flickering at low brightness, which is adapted to the screen's frame rate. Sensitive people should try out the screen before buying.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 97 %
Center on Battery: 1315 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 1.22 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.79}
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 2 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø5}
Gamma: 2.258
CCT: 6503 K
| OnePlus Nord CE 5 AMOLED, 2392x1080, 6.8" | Motorola Moto G86 P-OLED, 2712x1220, 6.7" | CMF Phone 2 Pro AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.8" | Samsung Galaxy A36 5G Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.7" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 11% | -9% | -14% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 1315 | 1456 11% | 1280 -3% | 1127 -14% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 1300 | 1362 5% | 1277 -2% | 1137 -13% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 97 | 89 -8% | 97 0% | 98 1% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | ||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.22 | 1.08 11% | 1.3 -7% | 1.8 -48% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 2.7 | 2.21 18% | 3.9 -44% | 2.8 -4% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2 | 1.4 30% | 2 -0% | 2.1 -5% |
| Gamma | 2.258 97% | 2.234 98% | 2.14 103% | 2.11 104% |
| CCT | 6503 100% | 6405 101% | 6776 96% | 6466 101% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 120 Hz Amplitude: 17 % |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 120 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 120 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8169 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 3 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 12 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 11.7 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.3 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 24 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (31.7 ms). | ||
Performance, Emissions and Battery life: Fast SoC and a capped battery capacity
The Nord CE5's MediaTek Dimensity 8350 SoC performs very well in the mid-range phone and delivers significantly more power than comparable devices. It also offers more in terms of graphics performance, making the OnePlus Nord CE 5 well suited for gaming.
We measured a temperature rise of up to 50.5 °C on the casing under prolonged load. Nevertheless, the SoC barely throttles in the 3DMark stress test.
The speaker is located on the bottom edge of the smartphone. It can get quite loud, which makes it a bit treble-heavy, but you can still listen to pop music at full volume.
If you prefer to connect speakers or headphones, you can do so via USB or Bluetooth 5.4. A good selection of audio codecs is available for the latter.
Unfortunately, the capacity cap for batteries in the EU also affects the OnePlus Nord CE5 and the manufacturer only delivers the smartphone with 5,200 mAh, while other countries get a 7,100 mAh cell.
This means that the battery is similar in size to other smartphones in this class and delivers good runtimes of almost 17 hours in our practical WLAN test at 150 nits brightness.
The phone can be charged at up to 80 W speeds. A charger is not included in the box, but the smartphone works with all the chargers we tested without any problems. Charging takes a maximum of 40 minutes.
| Jetstream 2 - 2.0 Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (23.8 - 387, n=148, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A36 5G | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 8350 (111.4 - 138.7, n=3) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5 | |
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5 | Motorola Moto G86 | CMF Phone 2 Pro | Samsung Galaxy A36 5G | Average 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -10% | 2% | -44% | 3% | 63% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB (MB/s) | 1235 | 980.4 -21% | 986.43 -20% | 968.34 -22% | 1586 ? 28% | 2207 ? 79% |
| Sequential Write 256KB (MB/s) | 795 | 687.1 -14% | 524.58 -34% | 166.77 -79% | 763 ? -4% | 1814 ? 128% |
| Random Read 4KB (MB/s) | 222 | 219.3 -1% | 294.62 33% | 233.98 5% | 243 ? 9% | 294 ? 32% |
| Random Write 4KB (MB/s) | 302 | 295.2 -2% | 385.68 28% | 62.58 -79% | 241 ? -20% | 338 ? 12% |
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 50.5 °C / 123 F, compared to the average of 35.2 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 247 °C for the class Smartphone.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 48.3 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 34 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.7 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 32.9 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Stress Tests
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Samsung Galaxy A36 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G86 | |
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Motorola Moto G86 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A36 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 5 | |
| Steel Nomad Light Stress Test Stability | |
| Motorola Moto G86 | |
OnePlus Nord CE 5 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.6% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 41% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 52% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 35%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 59% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 34% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 26.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.1% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (1.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 15% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 77% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 35%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 36% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 56% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
| OnePlus Nord CE 5 5200 mAh | Motorola Moto G86 5200 mAh | CMF Phone 2 Pro 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A36 5G 5000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery runtime | 2% | 8% | -12% | |
| WiFi v1.3 (h) | 16.9 | 17.3 2% | 18.3 8% | 14.8 -12% |
| Reader / Idle (h) | 34.4 | 33.4 | ||
| H.264 (h) | 20.1 | 24.3 | ||
| Load (h) | 4.9 | 4.5 |
Notebookcheck's overall impressions of the OnePlus Nord CE5
The OnePlus Nord CE5 is a fast smartphone for its class that comes with a high-quality finish and a good update promise.
OnePlus Nord CE 5
- 10/18/2025 v8
Florian Schmitt
Total Sustainability Score: Potential alternatives in comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Drive | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 80.8%  | OnePlus Nord CE 5 MediaTek Dimensity 8350 ⎘ ARM Mali-G615 MP6 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 128 GB | Amazon: $605.00 List Price: 349€ | 199 g | 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.77" 2392x1080 388 PPI AMOLED |
2. 75.9%  | Motorola Moto G86 MediaTek Dimensity 7300 ⎘ ARM Mali-G615 MP2 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: $325.00 List Price: 299€ | 185 g | 256 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.67" 2712x1220 446 PPI P-OLED |
3. 76.9%  | CMF Phone 2 Pro MediaTek Dimensity 7300 ⎘ ARM Mali-G615 MP2 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: 1. $6.95 Mr.Shield Screen Protector c... 2. $7.99 Suttkue for CMF Phone 2 Pro ... 3. $11.99 Ibywind For Nothing CMF Phon... List Price: 279€ | 185 g | 256 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.77" 2400x1080 389 PPI AMOLED |
4. 78%  | Samsung Galaxy A36 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 710 ⎘ 6 GB Memory, 256 GB | Amazon: 1. $6.99 Supershieldz (2 Pack) Design... 2. $6.99 RXNMH 2+2 Pack for Samsung G... 3. $5.94 Mr.Shield Screen Protector c... List Price: 379€ | 195 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.70" 2340x1080 385 PPI Super AMOLED |
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was freely purchased by the author at his/her own expense. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
This is how Notebookcheck is testing
Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
No comments for this article
