While they might not be as popular among hardcore performance geeks, budget Android phones have more or less steadily improved over the years, and depending on how much youre paying for one, they usually come with decent-enough features that are miles above what we’ve gotten years before. In particular, the new OnePlus Nord CE5 comes with just the right balance of pricing and hardware, although it remains a step down when compared to the OnePlus Nord 5.
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In terms of looks, the OnePlus Nord CE5 comes with a very similar design to the “regular” Nord 5, with flat sides all over, and a camera island that’s likewise reminiscent of several other smartphones such as the Xperia and Galaxy A series devices. In front there’s a 6.77-inch AMOLED display with a 1080×2392 pixel resolution, along with a 120Hz refresh rate—by comparison, the Nord 5 features a 144Hz display, although given the price difference between the two devices the is somewhat understandable. The Nord 5 also lacks the customizable key found on its more premium sibling, which has since replaced the alert slider on other OnePlus smartphones.
Inside, OnePlus has opted to use a Dimensity 8350 Apex chipset, instead of a Snapdragon processor as we saw on the Nord 5. It’s also accompanied by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, with a 5200 mAh silicon carbon battery powering the entire device. It charges pretty quickly though with 80W charging support, so long as you have a compatible charging brick. On the software side of things, it ships with Android 15 onboard, layered with OnePlus’ OxygenOS and third-party software as well. OnePlus has also stuffed a ton of AI-based apps and software features, including Google Gemini.
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As for its cameras, the Nord CE5 comes with a 50MP main camera, which works in tandem with an 8MP ultrawide camera, with video recording maxing out at 4K resolution at 60 fps. There’s also a 16MP camera in front for selfies and video calls, although front video recording tops out at 1080p resolution. Compared to rival devices, it is pretty affordable starting at just £299, although competing phones such as the POCO F7 do offer a more capable chipset for just a bit more.
