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Canon's smallest cinema camera packs a punch with a 32MP full-frame sensor, 7K Raw internal video recording, open gate, dual-pixel autofocus, plus long record times.

Canon EOS C50: two-minute review

Throughout its four years on the market Sony's FX3 has sat largely unchallenged in the compact cinema camera space, but that's changed with the arrival of the new Canon EOS C50.

For the money, you'll struggle to find a more complete cinema camera than the EOS C50. It boasts 7K open gate internal Raw video recording (and simultaneous proxy recording), dual base ISO for clean clips day or night, Super 35 and Super 16 crop modes, Canon Log color profiles with more than 15EV dynamic range, slow-motion recording, reliable autofocus… the list goes on, and I haven't even touched on the camera's photo capabilities or its video-first design.

For photographers, the 32MP full-frame sensor can shoot in RAW+JPEG with subject-tracking autofocus at burst speeds up to 40fps, with the option for pre-burst capture – not bad for a cinema camera. Handily, the EOS C50 features a dual menu system, making it quicker to navigate the menus than if photography and video were combined under a single menu.

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The Canon EOS C50 with new RF 85mm F1.4L VCM lens attached, plus Canon's own top handle. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

The EOS C50 sits closest to the Canon EOS R5C, a version of the EOS R5 with active cooling for unlimited 8K record times where the latter overheated, but which still had a photo-centric design; in fact it's perhaps a little too close for that camera's comfort, because I see the new model easily being the more compelling choice of the two.

After all, it's very much designed for video, packing four 1/4-inch mounting points for accessories, three record buttons, and coming bundled with a top handle which features XLR inputs for pro-level 4-channel 24-bit audio recording.

It's also Canon's smallest and lightest cinema camera, weighing just 23.6oz / 670g. That means it sits below the bulkier EOS C70, in terms of price too, yet in many ways exceeds the capabilities of that camera, as it does those of the Sony FX3, all in a smaller and lighter package.

With a generous grip, the EOS C50 is still easy to hold without the top handle (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

It also helps that Canon is busy releasing new hybrid lenses, meaning ones design for both photography and video users. In fact, it launched the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM on the same day as the EOS C50 (they're pictured together above) – it's the seventh in a range of VCM lenses with aperture ring, suppressed focus breathing and a quick and silent autofocus motor.

Canon is increasingly stepping into the low-budget video production space currently dominated by Sony, creating a complete system for run-and-gun filmmakers, and the EOS C50 is for me the most compelling camera in the range.

I'll be looking to get hold of the EOS C50 for a longer testing period to really see what it's made of. But, having used the FX3 for numerous video shoots down the years, I can already see the C50's potential – and it could well become the premium pick in our best video cameras guide.

What you get in the box: the EOS C50 and Canon's own top handle, plus an LP6P battery. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Canon EOS C50: price and release date

• Costs £3,299.99 (US and Australia pricing TBC)
• It comes with the (pictured) top handle
• Goes on sale in November

The Canon EOS C50's list price is effectively the same as the EOS R5C's – which means it undercuts the rival Sony FX3 and sits below the larger EOS C70.

The hop handle accessory (see below) is included – that type of accessory would typically cost around $500 / £400 / AU$750 separately. It also comes with an LP6P battery, which is interchangeable with the LP6 type used by the EOS R5 series of cameras.

We don't have an exact launch date yet, but Canon says it will go on sale at some point during of November this year.

A compact cinema camera for run-and-gun filmmaking – an ideal b-cam. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Canon EOS C50: specs

Video

7K up to 60fps, Raw internal

Photo

32MP full-frame

Lens mount

Canon RF

Autofocus

Dual Pixel CMOS AF II

Dimensions

142 x 88 x 95mm

Weight

23.6oz / 670g

Battery

LP6P

Canon EOS C50: Design

• The smallest and lightest EOS cinema camera
• Comes with a top handle, no viewfinder
• 14 assignable custom buttons
• 3-inch vari-angle touchscreen

In terms of size and weight, the EOS C50 is similar to the EOS R5C; it's just 10g lighter at 670g. Unlike the EOS R5C, however, the EOS C50 is a proper cinema camera – that means it loses out on a viewfinder, but gains a mod-friendly design.

There are four 1/4-inch mounting points to rig the camera up or attach accessories, including Canon's top handle, which is bundled with the camera.

The top handle is useful for run-and-gun filmmaking, and especially for shooting comfortably from low angles – and for such scenarios it certainly helps that the LCD touchscreen is fully articulating and can flip out from the body.

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Personally, I'd prefer the touchscreen to be a little larger. The modest 3-inch display will prompt many users to attach an external monitor for clear viewing instead, such as a 5-inch Atomos Ninja, and it feels a little counter-intuitive to bulk out such a compact design with accessories too much.

A 4-inch display, like you get with some Blackmagic cameras – and the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K has a 5-inch LCD – would avoid the need for an external monitor.

The EOS C50's body is adorned with 14 custom buttons, which combined can be assigned any one of 100 functions for quick access to regularly used settings.

You'll also notice a photo / video switch on the camera's top, and I'm a big fan of the dual menu system linked to this switch – you select photo for the photo-centered UI, or video for the video menu, which streamlines the process of making changes to settings.

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You'll also notice from the top view of the camera that the active cooling design of the EOS C50 is a little bulky – the vented section where the LCD sits protrudes from the camera's rear. It's hardly attractive, but it does enable extended video record times without the risk of overheating.

There's also pro-level connectivity for video, including timecode terminal and full-size HDMI, plus features such as XC support and IP protocol for livestreaming capabilities.

The EOS C50 is powered by an LP6P battery that's interchangeable with the LP6 units used by all EOS R5 cameras. At the time of writing, Canon hasn't provided me with expected shoot times from a fully charged battery.

Canon EOS C50: Performance

• 32MP stills at up to 40fps (using electronic shutter)
• Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with subject-detection autofocus
• 4K (oversampled from 7K) up to 120fps, 2K up to 180fps

I'll touch on the EOS C50's photo features before digging into video-making skills; after all, this is a capable camera for photography, even if it is designed for video first.

The first thing to note is the new 32MP full-frame sensor, which is the regular CMOS kind, not the speedier stacked type we've seen in recent pro models, such as Canon's own EOS R5 Mark II.

Another thing about the sensor – it isn't stabilized, which impacts the photography and video experience. You'll need to be conservative with shutter speeds for sharp photos, while you'll want a gimbal for smooth handheld video footage.

It's possible to shoot 32MP stills in RAW, JPEG and HEIF format at up to 40fps with the electronic shutter, with the option for pre-burst shooting, meaning the camera can get going from a half-press of the shutter before fully pressing it down to take pictures.

Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus is on board, complete with subject-tracking autofocus for both photo and video. I rate Canon's autofocus as up there with the very best, and the same is true for the EOS C50.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

As for video, there are too many features to list here, but the highlights are 7K Raw (internal) video recording, with up to 15EV dynamic range using Canon's Log-2 color profile. It's possible to shoot up to 60fps in 7K, or 4K up to 120fps and 2K up to 180fps.

There are a couple of crop modes too: Super 35 (APS-C) up to 5K 60fps, or Super 16 at 2.5K up to 150fps, both in RAW.

The EOS C50 is the first Canon camera with open gate video – which means you're shooting with the full height and width of the 3:2 aspect sensor, rather than being limited to the traditional 16:9 video crop.

When shooting in RAW format, the cleanest image quality can be achieved with the dual base ISO settings: 800 or 6400, covering daylight and lowlight scenarios, through which you'll get that maximum dynamic range and best grading potential.

Overall, it's a really impressive feature set for a cinema camera at this price point.

Canon EOS C50: also consider

Sony FX3

A long-time industry favorite, the Sony FX3 is a 4K cinema camera with class-leading low-light video quality. Like the EOS C50, it can be rigged up with accessories and is supplied with a top handle for a comfortable hold and pro-level audio inputs. The FX3 has a 12MP full-frame sensor which limits it to 4K video resolution, but it excels at this level. The EOS C50 betters the FX3 for detail with 7K open gate video and internal RAW recording.

Canon EOS R5C

The EOS R5C was the follow-up to the 45MP hybrid EOS R5, produced specifically to address one issue: overheating while recording 8K video. It did this through a bulky active cooling design on the rear, and a similar approach is taken by the EOS C50. At the same price point, the EOS C50 is a proper cinema camera that can be rigged up, while the EOS R5C has its feet in both photo / video camps by including a viewfinder. If you're shooting video only, the EOS C50 is the better package.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)How I tested the Canon EOS C50

• I only had two hours with the EOS C50
• I paired it with multiple Canon lenses, including the 85mm F1.4L VCM
• I shot video portraits and landscapes outdoors on a cloudy day

This hands-on review is purely my first impressions of the EOS C50, which I only got to use for a couple of hours. I got a feel for how the camera handles during this time, and a glimpse of how it performs in short bursts for video recording and photography.

I paired the EOS C50 with a couple of Canon VCM hybrid lenses, and used it handheld with and without the top handle, but not a cage.

I've shot a few clips at various resolutions, but not in enough scenarios to draw any definitive conclusions regarding image quality.

I'm able to bring plenty of experience to this short hands-on, having used the Sony FX3 for multiple shoots, and having also shot with the Canon EOS C70. Being so familiar with portable cinema cameras means I can quickly form opinions about the EOS C50. That said, these are tools that users need to rely on, and so you'll want to wait for our full long-term review that.

• First reviewed: September 2025
• Read more about how we test

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OnePlus Nord 5: Two-minute review

Despite having a few sparkly upgrades over its predecessors, I can’t help but feel as though the OnePlus Nord 5 is a bit of a downgrade from last year’s model overall.

This new entry to OnePlus’ mid-spec (and mid-price) line of Nord Android phones is largely what you’d expect if you’ve been following the company for the last few years. In its top-end handsets, like the OnePlus 13, OnePlus offers novel designs, fancy camera arrays, and scary price tags, but the Nords are more modest in feature set and cost, and like all good mid-rangers, they generally focus on two key areas to excel in.

Even more so than in the OnePlus Nord 4, it’s clear that the focus of the Nord 5 is on its performance and its display, which are, funnily enough, the same two departments that most other mid-range Android makers focus on too.

And, credit to OnePlus, the Nord 5 does have such great specs in these areas that it may convince people to buy the phone for its performance and its display credentials alone.

Take, for example, the screen: it now exceeds 6.8 inches diagonally, making the Nord 5 one of the few mid-range Android phones to do so, and that extra real estate will give gamers more space for their fingers – I don’t even need to mention the higher refresh rate to get people raring to play.

The use of a Snapdragon 800-series chipset – albeit a toned-down one – also gives gamers a lot more processing power than we’ve seen on a Nord handset before (and that's saying something!). Few mobiles at this price perform better under benchmark tests than this OnePlus.

I’m now on my sixth paragraph, and I’ve only talked about performance and display, and the reason is simple: while these two departments see notable increases, most other aspects of the phone show either no improvement or, in a surprising number of areas, spec downgrades from last year’s phone.

Some of these are minor changes. For example, the shift to a solid glass body instead of a two-tone metal one makes the handset look a lot more generic, but feel more premium, so some would argue about this being a downgrade at all.

Many more changes are inexplicable and result in a worse user experience, though. For example, the battery is slightly smaller and the charging is also slower, likely to include reverse wired charging, but it’s still an odd change. Plus, there’s less RAM available in the two models, the screen brightness has seen a decrease, there’s no UFS 4.0 for quick storage (admittedly a fairly niche feature), and the phone is also bigger and chunkier than before.

I’d be willing to bet that there’s a good reason, or at least a compromise, for every downgrade listed above. But that doesn’t change the fact that certain departments are worse off, and while the starting price of the Nord 4 is lower than that of the Nord 5, you’re actually paying more for the new model if you want to match the 12GB RAM capacity of last year's entry-level configuration (the Nord 5 starts at 8GB of RAM).

It’s disappointing to see this many downgrades, but at the end of the day, the OnePlus Nord 5 is still a strong mid-range Android phone. It’s just one that offers a dubious ‘upgrade’ over the Nord 4, and in fact may not be worth buying at all if you can find its predecessor available at a discount (which really isn’t too hard, judging by my three minutes of research…).

Plus, its clipped wings make it fall behind the flock a little way in the competitive mid-range Android market, when its similar-priced rivals have even more powerful chipsets and more processing power.

OnePlus Nord 5 review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Announced in July 2025; US launch unlikely
• £399 / AU$799 (roughly $600) for 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
• £499 / AU$899 (roughly $700) gets you 12GB RAM, 512GB storage

The OnePlus Nord 5 was announced in early July 2025 – exclusively to TechRadar, I may add – and went on sale shortly afterwards. It wasn’t alone, with the OnePlus Buds 4, OnePlus Pad Lite, OnePlus Nord CE5, and OnePlus Watch sharing the spotlight.

You can pick up the phone for £399 / AU$799 (roughly $600, though don’t expect it to go on sale in the US as OnePlus offers a completely different line-up of Nord phones there). The default model has 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, but you can also pick up a 12GB/512GB model for £499 / AU$899 (roughly $700).

On paper, this is a favorable comparison to the OnePlus Nord 4, but the Nord 5 does offer less RAM as standard. Last year’s phone had a 12GB/256GB model for £429 (around $550, AU$820 at the time) and a 16GB/512GB option for £529 (around $680 / AU$1,000). Technically, then, the Nord 5 is cheaper, but you’re getting less for that money – you'll actually pay more to get 12GB of RAM.

However much value you think this £399 / AU$799 starting price gets you, the OnePlus Nord 5 sits in the murky area between budget phone and mid-ranger, a no-man’s land that’s incredibly competitive for Android phone buyers.

OnePlus Nord 5 review: specs

Here's the spec sheet in full for the OnePlus Nord 5:

OnePlus Nord 5 specs

Dimensions:

163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm

Weight:

211g

Screen:

6.83-inch 20:9 FHD (1272 x 2800) 144Hz Swift AMOLED

Chipset:

Snapdragon 8s Gen 3

RAM:

8GB / 12GB

Storage:

256GB / 512GB

OS:

Android 15, OxygenOS 15

Primary camera:

50MP, f/1.8

Ultra-wide camera:

8MP f/2.2 116-degree

Front camera:

50MP, f/2.0

Audio:

Stereo speakers

Battery:

5,200mAh

Charging:

80W wired

Colors:

Marble Sands, Phantom Grey, Dry Ice.

OnePlus Nord 5 review: design

(Image credit: Future)

• Newly boring design
• Glass adds premium feel
• New mappable Plus Key is handy

The Nords have never exactly been lookers, and the OnePlus Nord 5 continues that tradition as one of the most boring-looking phones I’ve seen recently. I hope you plan to hide it in a case!

The phone is a big ‘chocolate-bar’ style box, coming in gray, white, or ice blue, depending on which variant you pick up. At 163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm, it’s a little on the big side, and at 211g, it’s slightly heavier than your average phone too.

Due to the phone’s size, the power button and volume rocker on its right edge are both quite hard to reach with your thumb, even with big hands like mine. Opposite them at the top of the handset’s left edge is the Plus Key, which you can customize in function; press and hold to open the camera, turn on Do Not Disturb, turn on the torch, and so on, with a fair range of options. It’s really useful, replacing OnePlus’ previous alert slider with a solid upgrade.

Rounding out our tour of the phone, there’s a USB-C port on the bottom edge as well as the SIM tray, which can allow for dual SIMs. No 3.5mm headphone jack here.

OnePlus has ditched the metal back of the Nord 5’s predecessor in favor of the premium-feeling but fragile glass, and I found the phone to readily pick up my fingerprints – though these were only visible from certain angles.

The glass of the screen is Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, which is designed to be hardy and survive bumps. Talking about durability, the handset has an IP65 rating to ensure it’s fully protected against solid dust particles, as well as jets of water, but not submersion in liquid.

• Design score: 3.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: display

(Image credit: Future)

• 6.83-inch, 1272 x 2800 resolution
• New high refresh rate at 144Hz but lower max brightness
• Aqua Touch feature returns

It’s in the display department where the OnePlus Nord 5 gets some of its biggest upgrades, and they all work together to make it a great device for entertainment.

Take, for instance, its sheer size. At 6.83 inches diagonally, it’s now one of the biggest panels on any Android phone right now, giving you lots of space to enjoy your game or TV show. The resolution, at 1272 x 2800, has remained the same from the Nord 4.

Another improvement is in the screen refresh rate, which now hits 144Hz. Admittedly, it’s rare that many people will make the most of this spec, as it’s only useful for a particularly narrow number of mobile games, but it’s an improvement nonetheless. It’s countered by a lower max brightness, though.

Elsewhere, you’re looking at what OnePlus calls Swift AMOLED, and while that first word seems mostly a marketing addition, you’re still getting a high-spec panel with a billion colors supported, 1800 nits max brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for protection.

While it’s less of a selling point in OnePlus’ marketing materials this year, the Nord 5 brings back one of its predecessor’s best features in Aqua Touch. This ensures that you can tap on the screen and get accurate results even when the display (or your finger) is wet.

• Display score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: software

(Image credit: Future)

• Android 15 with OxygenOS 15, and four annual updates
• Unique features couple with attractive UI
• Lots of bloatware but few bugs

The OnePlus Nord 5 comes running Android 15, but with the company’s OxygenOS 15 layered over the top. OnePlus has pledged 4 years of Android updates as well as an additional 2 years of security updates, so the Nord will last until 2029 for software boots and 2031 for overall protection.

As with all Android forks, this is largely a design change, but I feel OxygenOS harks quite closely to stock Android in layout while being quite different and distinct in aesthetic. It has bold and punchy colors but more restraint than some other Android-alikes.

OxygenOS remains one of the most popular of these Android forks, despite the love growing more muted in recent years, and features like Zen Space (which locks your phone for a set time while you work) and the preinstalled translation app help explain why.

Re-reading my Nord 4 review, I recalled how buggy I found the software last time around. I needed this reminder, because it wasn’t the case with the Nord 5: it worked flawlessly, never throwing an issue at me, and constantly being snappy and quick to navigate.

You can expect two things from a mid-range Android phone from a Chinese maker: bloatware and random AI features being thrown at you. And the Nord 5 certainly has the former, with loads of unwanted games, social media apps, and OnePlus’ own additions all cluttering up the home page.

However, OnePlus has seemingly learnt the lesson that the average consumer just isn’t as interested in dubiously-useful AI features as tech fans, because I didn’t find myself being bombarded with odd little features and gimmicks bearing those two foreboding vowels. Other than the replacement of Google Assistant with the infamously goofy Gemini, something which has affected all Android phones over the last few years, the Nord 5’s AI features are largely confined to the camera.

• Software score: 4 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 50MP main and 8MP ultra-wide cameras, 50MP up front
• Results are nothing to write home about
• A few -post features are all handy

Curiously, OnePlus has been touting the camera department as one of the key areas of the OnePlus Nord 5. I’m not sure why, though, because it’s largely unchanged from the array on the previous-gen model, and so it’s just as unimpressive.

The handset packs a 50MP f/1.8 main and 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, both of which are fractionally wider-angle than last time around, but that seems to be the only change.

These cameras are totally fine; the reason many Android companies have clung to the same 50MP sensors for years now is that they’re totally fit for purpose without costing too much money. Pictures are bright enough to make sense and have a fair amount of detail.

But you’re not getting amazing dynamic range, or genius smart optimization, nor all the versatility that a zoom lens (or even a passable ultra-wide lens – 8MP, really?) offers. The phone also has a tendency to blow out brighter areas of a shot and lose a lot of detail in the darker ones.

(Image credit: Future)

The ultra-wide camera takes pictures that are noticeably more vibrant, as you'll see below, but they lack detail where it matters. The lens also facilitates a macro mode, but I found this quite hard to focus, especially with it turning on automatically at inconvenient times, and its use of the ultra-wide's sensor means that you get the resulting oversaturated image too. That said, I find the vast majority of macro modes far worse, so props to OnePlus for that.

As I mentioned before, the camera department is where the most AI features exist. There’s the eraser tool that most Androids have nowadays to remove unwanted background items, as well as a tool to reframe pictures (which basically means it just crops them). There's also a detail boost, which can help if you’ve zoomed in too far and have lost quality, an unblurrer for objects in motion, and a reflection eraser, which does what it says on the tin. These are all helpful to make little tweaks to a photo if there’s an error.

The Nord 5’s AI tools are the lion’s share of its features, with few actual shooting modes. Expect the basics: photo, video, Portrait, Pro, and a few extra low-light and video modes for certain situations. You can shoot video at up to 4K/60fps and down to 720p/240fps or 1080p/120fps for slow-motion.

The one noteworthy camera upgrade here is in the front-facing camera, which has jumped all the way up to a 50MP resolution. This gives you plenty more pixels to play around with, should you want to crop or reframe a selfie, although by default, selfies are shot in a pixel-binned 12.5MP, and you need to select Hi-Res mode in the camera app to get full 50MP.

• Camera score: 3 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 camera samplesImage 1 of 10

(Image credit: Future)

A picture of a gallery on a sunny day taken at 1x zoom. In real life the surrounding trees were a lot more varied in their 'green'-ness.

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(Image credit: Future)

A picture of a some flowers on a sunny day taken at 1x zoom. Note how the two parts have different focus.

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(Image credit: Future)

A photo of some headphones taken indoors. I took the pictures for my Denon AH-C500W review using the Nord, and while the images in that review are all tweaked using editing software, this one isn't.

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(Image credit: Future)

A cup of coffee taken at 1x zoom.

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(Image credit: Future)

Now let's move into some modes. First up, this is a lake taken at 1x zoom to compare to the next image...

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(Image credit: Future)

... which was taken on the ultra-wide camera. Note that it's brighter and more vibrant but lots of detail is lost, especially in the background trees.

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(Image credit: Future)

This is a standard selfie, taken to contrast to the next image...

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(Image credit: Future)

... which is taken on Portrait mode, which has a light-touch effect but adds some bokeh background blur.

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(Image credit: Future)

Finally, to macro. This is a piece of jammy toast taken on the main camera once again...

Image 10 of 10

(Image credit: Future)

... and here it is in macro mode: much brighter but lacking depth of field. Note that I didn't move the phone at all, and the changed framing is because it's using a different camera and lens.

OnePlus Nord 5: performance and audio

• Big upgrade to Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset
• Two models: 8GB/256GB or 12GB/512GB
• Bluetooth 5.4 or USB-C port for audio, no jack

OnePlus touts the Nord 5’s performance as its key selling point, and you can see why by just looking at the specs: they all reach above what you’d expect from a phone at this price point.

The chipset is a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 from Qualcomm, which is effectively a slightly-downgraded version of last year’s top-end Android chipset. It’s admittedly not the very fastest chipset being used in budget phones, with a successor announced several months prior to the Nord’s release (and many affordable Androids opting instead for non-Snapdragon 800-series chips, which are again more powerful), but it’s still a real perk of the phone.

The phone is blazingly fast, returning one of the best multi-core scores I’ve ever seen from a Geekbench test. Over three tests, it averaged 5,147, and I’d say anything above 4,500 is a fantastic score. More impressively, the scores I got stayed consistent even when the phone was heating up, which is certainly not always true in this price range, and it points to the Nord handling long gaming sessions well.

This high score shows from gaming to photo editing, and even when you’re whizzing around the phone’s menus. A few mid-rangers have a more powerful chipset, but I don't see why you'd need more (or even this amount, really...)

As you read in the price section, there are two versions of the phone: one with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and another that increases those capacities to 12GB/512GB. I tested the latter, which explains why the Nord felt so fast to use; I can’t speak to how the 8GB model runs, but it’s quite a price hike to get the higher-memory variant, so I don’t blame you for settling.

Audio-wise, OnePlus doesn’t rewrite any rules: there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, and the stereo speakers sound totally fit for purpose, but they won’t replace your Dolby Atmos speakers any time soon. You can also listen to music by pairing headphones to the Nord, which supports Bluetooth 5.4.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: battery life

• Smaller 5,200mAh battery
• Fast 80W charging
• Reverse wired charging lets you power up other gadgets

(Image credit: Future)

For the last few years, mid-range phone batteries have been ballooning in size, and with that in mind, the OnePlus Nord’s 5,200mAh power pack feels relatively restrained. It’s still big, just not huge like I’d expected, and it’s actually smaller than the Nord 4’s.

Downgrade aside, the phone will last for a day of ordinary use with no sweat, and you can get comfortably into day two of use before needing to charge the device up. Alternatively, if you want to use your phone pretty intensely, I can still see it lasting a full day of use.

Battery life doesn't match the Nord 4, though, with the power pack's decrease exacerbated by the bigger screen, which needs more juice.

As a side note, the version of the phone on sale in certain regions like Australia and India has a 6,800mAh battery, which, as you mathematicians may be able to work out, is much bigger and will last for much longer. No such luck for everyone else, though.

Another battery downgrade comes in the charging department, which is down 20W to 80W in the Nord 5. That’s still very fast, and the lost speed is made up for by the presence of reverse wired charging. This lets you use a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge up other devices using the Nord.

• Battery score: 3.5 / 5

OnePlus Nord 5 review: value

(Image credit: Future)

Thanks to its new low price, the OnePlus Nord 5 does represent value for money, though it’ll depend exactly on what you’re looking for.

Thanks to its high-spec display and processor, the Nord feels like a premium phone for certain tasks like gaming and watching movies, and so you can easily convince yourself you’re using a top-end mobile if these are your main uses for a phone.

Myriad downgrades over the previous-gen model do make the Nord 5 feel like slightly poorer value, though, so if I were considering this newer model, I’d definitely also check what kind of discounts the year-older Nord 4 was enjoying.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the OnePlus Nord 5?OnePlus Nord 5 score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

You're roughly getting what you paid for in this decent-value device.

3.5 / 5

Design

A boring design, but the Plus Key is a useful addition.

3.5 / 5

Display

Big, bold and colorful, the huge panel is a boon for entertainment fans.

4 / 5

Software

OxygenOS remains great to use, with at least four years of upgrades promised to fans.

4 / 5

Camera

The cameras are nothing to write home about but they get the job done.

3 / 5

Performance

OnePlus keeps giving the Nord more power, even if there's less RAM. Super powerful!

4.5 / 5

Battery

Slight battery and charging downgrades probably won't affect many users.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a gaming powerhouse
Even with less RAM in its default option, the OnePlus Nord 5 is a powerful phone that gives budget gamers all they could ask for.

You want a big phone
The Nord 5 offers a huge screen for streaming, gaming or just reading your emails. The handset itself is equally a big beast.

You want a UI you'll enjoy, not just use
The OxygenOS fans can't all be wrong as the user interface is great to use and offers lots of unique features.

Don't buy it if...

You can find the Nord 4 discounted
It's only a year older and has better specs in lots of areas; honestly, if it's discounted, pick up the older model.

You want to take loads of pictures
The OnePlus Nord 5 is readily beat at this price point when it comes to camera capabilities. The snappers are fine, just not impressive.

OnePlus Nord 5 review: Also consider

There's one obvious OnePlus Nord 5 competitor that I apparently can't shut up about, but there are also a few other competitive mobiles on the market.

OnePlus Nord 4
The 2024 Nord is actually better than the new model in lots of ways, even if it's a touch older and does have some weaker areas.

Read our full OnePlus Nord 4 review

Xiaomi Poco F7
The Poco F7 from Xiaomi has lots of similar specs to the OnePlus, but the rest are better. It's more powerful, has a bigger battery, charges quicker, and costs less. It does have a poorer user interface, mind.

Read our full Xiaomi Poco F7 review

Nothing Phone 3a Pro
Nothing was made by an ex-OnePlus alum, but this mid-ranger actually sells in the US, so it's a good stateside alternative. It's slightly weaker, processing- and battery-wise, but its cameras are better by far.

Read our full Nothing Phone 3a Pro review

OnePlus Nord 5

OnePlus Nord 4

Xiaomi Poco F7

Nothing Phone 3a Pro

Starting price (at launch):

£399 / AU$799 (roughly $600)

£429 (roughly $550, AU$820)

£389 / $399 (roughly AU$750)

$459 / £449 / AU$849

Dimensions:

163.4 x 77 x 8.1mm

162.6 x 75 x 8mm

163.1 x 77.9 x 8.2mm

163.52 x 77.5 x 8.39mm

Weight:

111g

199.5g

215.7g

211g

OS (at launch):

Android 15, OxygenOS 15

Android 14, OxygenOS 14.1

Android 15, HyperOS 2

Android 15, NohtingOS 3.1

Screen Size:

6.83-inch

6.74-inch

6.83-inch

6.77-inch

Resolution:

1272 x 2800

1240 x 2772

2772 x 1280

1080 x 2392

CPU:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3

RAM:

8GB / 12GB

12GB / 16GB

12GB

12GB

Storage (from):

256GB / 512GB

256GB / 512GB

256GB / 512GB

256GB

Battery:

5,200mAh

5,500mAh

6,500mAh

5,000mAh

Rear Cameras:

50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide

50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide

50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide

50MP main,. 50MP zoom, 8MP ultra-wide

Front camera:

50MP

16MP

20MP

50MP

How I tested the OnePlus Nord 5

(Image credit: Future)

• Review test period = 2.5 weeks
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

To write this review, I tested the OnePlus Nord 5 for two weeks, but it got an extra half-week of play while I was writing this review.

I conducted a mix of experiential and 'lab'-style testing. Experiential means I used the phone like anyone else would: playing games, using social media, taking it on trips, and taking photos on the go. Lab tests were when I put it through benchmark tests and the like.

As you can tell by my software gripes, this testing process is rigorous, and it also involves some benchmark tests and tools so that we can compare phones against themselves in an objective way.

I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time have used plenty of mobiles from OnePlus, as well as other devices in the price segment. This includes the Nord 4 from last year, and many of its 2025 rivals.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2025

The OnePlus Nord 5 brings upgrades in two key areas: display and processing. However, across the board, there are many smaller downgrades.