Top chipset, 144Hz screen and cool under pressure, OnePlus Nord 5 is made for great gaming under Rs 30,000

India Today

12 hours ago

When we think of a smartphone that can deliver oodles of performance, we often think that it would cost a lot. If not Rs 70,000, then at least something like Rs 50,000. But from time to time, and we have seen that often from OnePlus, there are phones that blow past these assumptions. Not only do they bring and deliver top performance to users, they do so at rather modest prices. The OnePlus Nord 5 is one such phone.advertisementIn fact, so powerful and well-tuned it is that we have no hesitation in saying that the Nord 5 is arguably the best gaming phone to buy under Rs 30,000. And, as we have seen, when a phone is great at gaming it is also usually good at other aspects. The Nord 5 too is one such phone. Or as we noted in our review: 'If you're looking for an all-rounder smartphone under Rs 40,000, the OnePlus Nord 5 truly delivers, and does so with all its might.'It all starts with performanceAmong other things, gaming depends on two aspects: the chipset and how cool it can run under load, and the display quality along with its refresh rate. On both counts, the Nord 5 delivers in spades.
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, which is more than what you expect in this price segment, the Nord 5 eats BGMI and Genshin Impact for breakfast. These demanding games run on the phone flawlessly without dropping any frame rates, even during gaming sessions stretching into hours.The top performance is result of the chipset, which is also paired with at least 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, with increased bandwidth that has 33 per cent more speed and 24 per cent more power efficiency. This is coupled with a new GPU chip in the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. The graphics chip offers hardware-accelerated ray tracing for better visuals in games, something that until now was mostly found only in top-end phones. Then there is hardware-supported Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0, which helps the Nord 5 achieve higher frame rates in games.Of course, the device also offers an incredible gaming experience because of its screen. The phone's 6.83-inch screen is large and engaging. It is brilliantly bright, delivering crisp and sharp colours. The best bit though is the screen's refresh rate that can reach as high as 144Hz, which is higher than what most phones in this price range offer. Similarly high is the touch-response, which is sampled at blazing 3000Hz.All this tech wizardry equals a butter smooth screen and game visuals that flow effortlessly. Not all games take full advantage of it, but the ones that do definitely offer buttery smooth gameplay. Even at a consistent 120Hz in most scenarios, for example in BGMI, everything from gameplay to UI animations felt fast and responsive when we reviewed the phone.advertisementNow one potential issue with phones that offer plenty of performance could be heat. But the Nord 5, and we found this while reviewing the phone, runs cool. OnePlus says that its testing shows the Nord 5 can handle 5-hours of gaming in even demanding titles like BGMI, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Free Fire without any hiccups. During the review of the Nord 5 we didn't play any game for 5 hours — you should not, kids — but we did play for an hour or two without any breaks. The Nord 5 aced it.How does the Nord 5 manage to be such a cool customer under sustained gaming? Largely thanks to its elaborate cooling mechanism. Now, we have not done a teardown to check it, but OnePlus offers some details. The Nord 5 comes with a new Cryo-velocity VC cooling system with a huge 7,300 mm square vapour chamber that covers all critical components and keeps them cool. The result in actual use, according to OnePlus, could be a difference of as much as 4 to 5 degree celsius in the phone's internal temperature compared to other phones in the market.advertisementAn all-rounder with plenty moreIt has been our experience that a phone which is good at gaming is usually good at everything else as well. We find that the Nord 5 is also a speedy phone in day-to-day use. And it is extremely efficient, using its 6800mAh battery frugally.So frugally that the large battery in the Nord 5 let us stream for hours without the constant worry of looking for a charger. As we used it, the phone easily lasted a full day – and often more — even with heavy use. When it was time to top up, the 80W fast charger took the phone from 0 to 100 percent in about 90 minutes.Then there is the camera system, which is practical and capable. The 50-megapixel main sensor performs well in daylight, and offers us sharp images with natural colours. Portrait mode also did a good job with edge detection. The front-facing 50-megapixel camera also gave us consistent results in good lighting, making it great for selfies and video calls. Check our full review for the image samples.Finally, there is the software and the design. On both these aspects, people have different opinions. Some prefer things orange, while some like them apples. As far as Nord 5 is concerned, we like what we see and get to use in it. At a thickness of just 8.1mm it has a sleek design with a matte-glossy finish and a flat display that adds to the modern aesthetics. On the software side, the Nord 5 runs on OxygenOS, which remains clean, responsive, and free of unnecessary bloatware. The interface is fluid, easy to navigate, and offers a consistently smooth experience throughout.All in all, this is THE phone to buy under Rs 30,000. While the MRP of the phone is Rs 31,999 for its base variant, there are always some bank offers available, which brings the price to on or around Rs 30,000. In fact, in the coming festive season there could be a steal deal or something similar to the Nord 5. But even at its original price, Nord 5 is a complete package. And more so if you want a phone on which you can game for hours.- Ends