The OnePlus Nord 5 Could Be an Insane Upgrade Over Last Year

When people talk about OnePlus, they're usually talking about the brand's flagship devices. But, for those who don't want to spend as much money, OnePlus has its Nord series, which offers solid mid-range phones. Last year, we saw the OnePlus Nord 4, which was a great phone, and even more notable because of its metal back panel.

This year, we're going to see the OnePlus Nord 5, and a rumor from a tipster on X has just given us our first good look at some of its specs. All I have to say is that if its pricing remains mostly the same, it is going to be the best Nord device ever released. It might even be a better option than the OnePlus 13R. Let's talk about it.

The OnePlus Nord 5 Could Have an Almost-Flagship Chip and an Insane Battery

Once upon a time, phone manufacturers pushed every conceivable phone specification to its max. However, at a point, we hit diminishing returns, and things plateaued. But, in the last several months, a lot of Chinese OEMs have decided that it is time to start stepping things up again, and we've been getting a lot of devices that are absolutely crazy on paper. The OnePlus Nord 5 might be one of those, according to Gadgetsdata on X:

• MediaTek Dimensity 9400e
• 1.5K, 120Hz, OLED display
• 7,000mAh battery
• 100W wired fast charging
• 50MP primary camera + 8MP ultrawide
• 16MP selfie camera
• Glass back and plastic frame

Let's break down some of these specs so that you understand what it is that you're getting. The MediaTek Dimensity 9400e is based on the flagship Dimensity 9400, but is a lower-binned version of the chip, so it won't be on the same level, but should still be very capable. It is also expected to deliver a massive 7,000mAh battery and flagship-grade 100W fast charging. That sounds like music to my ears.

Sounds Too Good to Be True? It Might Be

While every single hardware leak of a smartphone should be taken with a pinch of salt, I'd recommend taking this one with a bigger pinch than usual.

While the specs do sound somewhat reasonable to me, other tech accounts are in the comments of the original tweet, refuting the rumored specs posted. There are claims that they will be very different from what was stated, and whether that means in a positive or negative direction isn't certain.

Either way, no one else has posted alternative specs, so there isn't too much harm in considering that these could potentially be accurate.

The OnePlus Nord 5 Could Blow the Nord 4 Out of the Water With That Spec Sheet

The OnePlus Nord 4 is a nice phone. I have a particular soft spot for it because it marked the return of a metal back panel in mainstream phones. Even though it doesn't seem like metal will stick around, it was nice to see it while it did. While metal is going out the door, the Nord 5 could bring enough to make up for that.

If the rumors pan out, here's how it could stack up against the OnePlus Nord 5:

The upgrades in the battery and chip departments alone are massive enough to make this device worth buying for those to whom Nord devices are suited.