Tech Blog #228 | OnePlus Nord CE5 : Should You Go for Nord 5??

OnePlus released both the OnePlus #Nord 5 and Nord CE 5 at once. Later on, CE 5 Lite will be followed. There are so many similarities between Nord 5 and Nord CE 5. When it comes to making the choice for purchasing a #smartphone, you should understand your priorities and then you could go for the suitable device without spending more money...

OnePlus Nord CE5 is a bit smaller, having a 6.67 AMOLED display. The Nord 5 is bigger with 6.82 inches, but it doesn't make sense to pay more for 0.15 inches more. Plus, it also has an under-display optical fingerprint sensor. And it has sharp edges just like Nord 5. To distinguish the devices, OnePlus has moved the flash from the camera island in the Nord CE5.

The #OnePlus Nord CE5 is also powered by a capable processor, MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex. Don't know whether "Apex" made any difference. But one thing is clear. It's built on a 4nm node while Nord 5's Snapdragon 8s Gen3 is built on a 3nm node. That makes the Snapdragon processor more power-efficient. Can't say a normal user would feel the difference.

When it comes to cameras, the numbers are almost the same as the Nord 5, but the Nord CE5 uses last year's Nord 4's Sony LYT600 sensor, while the Nord 5 is upgraded to Sony LYT700. Don't know if that makes any difference. 8MP ultrawide is the same. But selfies won't be as Nord 5 as it uses a 50MP sensor while Nord CE5 sticks at an old 16MP sensor.

The battery is also the same as the Nord 5 with a 5200mAh battery. But there's an exception for India. Since OnePlus smartphones are produced in India, they are provided with a 7100mAh Si/C battery. That's a big surprise. Both models support 80W fast charging. On the software front, OnePlus Nord CE5 runs Android 15 on top of OxygenOS 15, just like the Nord 5.

So as you can see, there are no big noticeable differences between these devices. The main difference is the selfie camera. But it makes a big difference in output. So if you are not a selfie guy, you better go for the OnePlus Nord CE5. If money doesn't matter, go for the OnePlus Nord 5 or a better device..