Shrinkflation in smartphones? We're observing a troubling trend

Hundreds of new smartphones hit the market every year, and many buyers look forward to these new devices. Maybe because it's time for an upgrade, or maybe because you’d like to see how the features and specs of these phones are improving.

A step back?

However, there are some phones that don't necessarily show progress compared to the previous year. On the contrary, there are even noticeable steps in the wrong direction in some cases. One example is the OnePlus Nord 5, which we have recently reviewed. It's undoubtedly a great phone that earned its good overall rating in our review.

But when you look at last year's OnePlus Nord 4, the downgrades are hard to miss. In 2024, OnePlus advertised a metal unibody chassis in a premium mid-range smartphone for under €500. With the Nord 5, that feature is gone as the phone is now made of plastic. While the chassis is still stable and nice to look at, it's just not as high-quality and far less spectacular.

Cutting corners in terms of storage

The OnePlus Nord 5 also takes a step back when it comes to storage. It only utilizes UFS 3.1 flash, whereas the predecessor had faster UFS 4.0 on board. The RAM is also smaller, as the handset now comes with 8GB or 12GB instead of 12GB or 16GB. This probably won't make a huge difference in daily use, but it's still a downgrade.

Also missing is the physical notification slider, which has always been an iconic feature of OnePlus phones. Instead, there's a new programmable Plus Key.

More details and alternatives

Aside from the more powerful SoC, the Nord 5 doesn’t really have any noteworthy upgrades or new features. For alternatives and more details on the OnePlus Nord 5, please check out our in-depth review.