OnePlus recently launched its popular Nord series phones -- the Nord 5 and the Nord CE 5 -- in India. This launch comes at a time when the company is trying to rebuild its mid-range image after facing issues like the green screen problem on older devices. While my colleague Sparsh reviewed the Nord 5, which starts at Rs 31,999, I got my hands on the Nord CE 5, priced at Rs 24,999 (excluding bank offers) in the country. I have been using the Nord CE 5 for a week now and here’s what’s great, what’s not and whether it’s worth your money. Three Reasons To Consider The OnePlus Nord CE 5 1. Performance Instead of using a Snapdragon processor which the company used in its predecessor Nord CE 4, OnePlus has also shifted to MediaTek this year. The Nord CE 5 runs on the new Dimensity 8350 APEX chip, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. And, I'm impressed with the performance if you see the price category. I have also attached benchmark results. - ANTUTU: 1361771 - Geekbench 6 scores: Single Core - 1306, Multi Core: 3950 Compared to the Nord CE 4, the overall experience has improved in terms of performance. The Nord CE 4, which came with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip, was good for everyday use but often fell short under pressure, especially in extended gaming or multitasking. The new MediaTek processor clearly gives the Nord CE 5 a boost, with smoother gameplay, better thermal control, and quicker app launches. I could also see the improvement in the gaming too. BGMI ran smoothly at 120 FPS on high settings. Call of Duty: Mobile also worked well at 90 FPS. However, the Genshin Impact was not perfect but still played fine in performance mode. The phone also managed heat well. And I didn't notice any lags while playing games during my testing period. Overall, it’s a good option for casual and mid-level gamers but if you like gaming I would suggest to look for other phones. On the software side, things are clean and familiar. The phone runs on OxygenOS 15.0 based on Android 15. The UI is clean and you have the option to not including third party apps when you setup your phone. It is smooth, bloatware free and comes with useful AI features. There’s AI Translate for live language translations, AI Voice Scribe for transcribing conversations, and AI Search inside the OnePlus Shelf to quickly find photos, files, or settings. There’s no dedicated AI button but the features are built-in and work well. Overall, I felt the UI is clean and smooth but visually I want OnePlus to work on the app icons or making the UI more exciting. 2. Battery Well, the OnePlus Nord CE 5 packs a huge 7100mAh battery, making it the largest ever seen in a OnePlus device. Despite this massive capacity, the phone remains slim and weighs under 200 grams, which is impressive. In regular use including social media, photography and some gaming, I managed a solid seven to nine hours of screen-on time. Charging isn’t the fastest compared to the rivals but with that big battery size, it shouldn't be the concern . Even a 15-minute charge gives you enough juice for several hours. 3. Display On the display front, OnePlus has done a good job. The Nord CE 5 sports a 6.77-inch AMOLED panel that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and 10-bit colours with brightness going up to 1430 nits. Whether you’re watching movies on Netflix and YouTube or scrolling outdoors in sunlight, the screen remains vibrant and sharp. Like the Nord CE 4, it also comes with Aqua Touch support, meaning it works even when your fingers are wet. It can be helpful when using it in light rain or with sweaty hands. Overall, Compared to the Nord CE 4, the display feels more premium. It’s not just slightly bigger, but also brighter and more colour accurate. Two Reasons To Skip 1. Camera Well, there are not major upgrades in terms of specifications when compared to last year's Nord CE 4. The smartphone comes with a 50-megapixel main camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. For selfies and video calls, there's a 16-megapixel front camera. - When it comes to the camera, the Nord CE 5 is competing directly with the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion and the Nothing Phone (3a). In my experience, the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion clearly has the edge in this department. - During my testing, the main camera managed to capture sharp and colourful photos with good dynamic range in daylight condition. However, totally missed the mark in night shots. - Ultrawide shots turned out pretty decent in bright lighting but I noticed the lack of detailing when the light drops, especially in the evening or indoors. - Portrait shots also didn’t really meet my expectations. They lacked accuracy especially in challenging conditions . I also noticed that in indoor or low-light settings, the phone tends to over-process the photos. - Lastly, the selfie camera is good enough for social media and video calls. - Overall, I feel the camera is one area where OnePlus still needs to improve as the competition under Rs 25,000 category is very stiff. Brand like Nothing and Motorola are offering good cameras in the same price segment. 2. Design In terms of design, the Nord CE 5 feels slimmer despite the larger battery. The weight distribution is better and the rear panel has a more polished finish. That said, the design is not as compared to the Nord CE 4. I personally liked the design of the Nord CE 4 more -- the marble texture on the back looked unique and stood out among other mid-range phones. The Nord CE 5, on the other hand, now carries a look more similar to the latest iPhone 16, which might not appeal to everyone. So while build quality is better, the Nord CE 4 felt more unique or premium to hold. Final Verdict The OnePlus Nord CE 5 is a solid all-rounder under Rs 25,000. It offers a massive battery, smooth performance, a bright AMOLED display and clean software with long-term support. The phone is great for daily use, content consumption and gaming. However, it is not without flaws. If camera quality and unique design matter the most to you, this may not be the perfect pick. The camera struggles in low light and the design feels less unique compared to the Nord CE 4 and competitions in this price category. Still, for anyone looking for a dependable daily driver in this price range, the OnePlus Nord CE 5 is easy to recommend.