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OnePlus Nord 5 Camera Review – Best Nord Yet?

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Last year, when we reviewed the OnePlus Nord 4, it left us wanting more. This year, the Nord 5 arrives with bold promises – it’s the first Nord to feature a Snapdragon 8-series chipset and the first mainstream OnePlus device with a 144Hz OLED display. But what we’re really here for is the camera – especially since it borrows tech from the flagship OnePlus 13. This is priced at ₹31,999 but will be available starting from ₹29,999 with bank discounts. According to OnePlus, this is their most complete Nord yet. So, do the cameras live up to that claim? Let’s find out.

Design & Build

OnePlus continues to push the envelope with its design and build. Ever since the OnePlus 13, they’ve embraced a flat design that feels premium in the hand. The Nord 5 comes in three colour variants with a sleek glass back – thankfully, it’s less slippery than the OnePlus 13. At just 8.1mm thick, it’s comfortable to hold and carry. It also gets an IP65 rating for water resistance this time. A welcome addition is the new Action Button on the left, which can be customised to perform various tasks – including launching the camera and capturing photos. It adds a tactile dimension to the shooting experience, taking a cue from the iPhone. The camera layout is minimal – an exclamation mark-style design with a raised module. You also get signature metallic camera rings, just like the flagship models.

Camera Setup & Specs

Here’s a quick look at the camera hardware:

  • Dual rear cameras
  • 50MP main camera with Sony LYT-700 sensor (14.2MP output)
  • 8MP ultrawide (9MP output)
  • 50MP front camera with Samsung JN5 sensor (14.2MP output)
  • Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor
  • 144Hz OLED display with 1400 nits peak brightness
  • 6800mAh battery—the biggest in its segment (for now)

Daylight Main

50 MP main camera with Sony LYT 700 sensor, 14.2 MP images. The camera gives you 3 focal ranges to shoot at 24mm, 28mm and 35mm and the output is at 14.2 MP and overall the pics it shoots are pretty good. The images are vibrant, saturated and pleasing to the eye. In fact, for my liking they are over-saturated since I prefer the more original and natural look. But as I’ve said before – users tend to like these things and I don’t expect people to complain. The sharpness also on zooming in is decent, pleasantly surprising actually. Yes there is some processing that you can see – but in most cases the image sharpness was decent. The shadows, highlights and HDR performance is also surprisingly good. But under backlit scenarios the sharpness and focusing takes a beating. And as compared to the Nord 4 in daylight – this is a massive improvement.

Daylight Wide

8 MP ultrawide camera, 9MP images. The wide camera is a 8 MP camera and like we’ve seen before they output the images at 9 MP. With a 8 MP camera I dont expect the sensor to do much and at best the images from this one are ok. The images show high contrast with highlights and shadows coming under. It still shows good colour tonality as compared to the main camera, which means it is maintaining consistency. The sharpness surely takes a beating and can be better on zooming in, but you can’t expect much with this. There is also distortion seen in the images as well.Overall the performance is decent.

Daylight Telephoto

Just like last time, there is no dedicated telephoto camera and lens in this phone. The main camera is used to shoot tele photos and they are processed in the background. There is optical zoom until 2x and then it switches to digital zoom – all the way up to 20x. In terms of performance I was pleasantly surprised. The images are actually sharp and usable up to 5x and even on zooming in you can see the clarity (at least most of it). There is also very minimal colour shifting as well and it is able to maintain the consistency. But once you move 10x and above then you can see some colour fringing, which is more apparent at the max focal range. But honestly a regular consumer wouldn’t notice any of these things and I am impressed with this performance.

Lowlight Images

In the low light category the images overall are better than I expected. With the main camera the images look well saturated, sharp and pleasing to the eye. The colour reproduction is also good. Yes the images surely seem processed and once you zoom in you can see that. But even under those conditions – they are able to maintain good sharpness.In the wide – much like the daylight the camera does struggle slightly – the shadows and highlights performance takes a beating and the sharpness is also ok. You also see a lot of lens flaring as well in the wide camera, which wasn’t evident in the main camera. There is also a display of colour shifting in the images with some of them displaying a reddish tinge. So I wouldn’t really use the wide camera in low light unless it is absolutely necessary. But like the day – the telephoto again shines with a decent performance in lowlight as well. The images are well saturated and look good. Yes you can easily spot the over processing in most cases, but to the naked eye, they are good. The sharpness is also decent until 5x, and at max zoom range the images aren’t usable honestly.

Portraits

The Nord 5 allows you to shoot portraits at 1x and 2x lenses, and three focal lengths – 24, 35 and 48mm. With such a good camera performance thus far – I was looking forward to the portraits. And I don’t know how to put this – but the images are good, but not impressive enough for me. In daylight the images display good consistency and look natural and pleasing to the eye. We put the phone in a difficult scenario with mostly the light coming in from the back. And the image sharpness in this case was a hit and a miss. The depth performance was good and so was the edge detection – but when you look at the images you don’t feel like they are sharp. There is some haziness looming around them.In low light the sharpness looks lack luster in some cases with some sort of haziness in the images. However the edge detection is pretty good. The depth performance is also impressive with the bokeh looking round and cats eye. There is a slight tinge of yellow and red in some cases, but not something to complain about. At times when it focuses then the images are sharp, otherwise they aren’t. Overall I think there is room for improvement in this.

Front Camera

The front camera allows you to shoot with three lenses and focal lengths, 0.8x or 21mm, 1x or 25mm and 2x or 49mm. Powered by the 50MP Samsung JN5 sensor, images from all 3 lenses are 14.2MP.The output of the front camera is pretty good. It displays sharp details and also delivers good accuracy which is closer to the original scene. So I am impressed with this one.

Front Camera Video

This camera is a massive upgrade where it could only shoot 1080p. On the Nord 5, you can shoot 4K up to 60fps on the front camera.

Video Performance

On the rear camera, you can shoot up to 4k up to 60fps, but only at 1x and 2x. At 0.6x, the view drops down to 1080p 30fps. This is very similar to last year’s. Video quality wise, the output is natural looking, a little bit more saturated and vibrant that what you see with your eyes, and has good dynamic range with no visible signs of over-processing, which is a plus. The OIS gives you super stable footage. In low light, the Nord 5 has good detail in the shadow, and because of the image stabilization, it looks better overall but there is a little bit of flaring. But the image quality overall is a noticeable improvement as compared to the previous phone.

Battery & Display

This might be the first phone we’re seeing and reviewing with a battery pack exceeding 6500mAh. And it is just great. It also supports 80W fast charging and even after using it a lot there is still a lot left over for you to last. For an average user I think it will last more than a day and half easily. So great work OnePlus on this one.

Now this display is just amazing. I think in this price segment – ive never seen anything like it. This is the first ever 144Hz panel on a mobile phone, and it supports HDR. The usage experience is buttery smooth and the visuals are poppy and vibrant, something you’d expect from an OLED display. And it feels that Oneplus has taken this one right out of the flagship book because this actually looks and feels amazing.

Conclusion

So, is this the most complete Nord ever? Honestly—yes. I’m pleasantly surprised. Mid-range phones usually leave me with mixed feelings, but this one delivers on most fronts. Photos are vibrant and detailed, video performance is solid, and the front camera is a standout. Portraits could be better, but with that stunning display, excellent battery, and price tag of ₹30K, OnePlus might just have a winner on its hands. And to the team that worked on this camera setup – bravo. Please send them to work on the next flagship coz according to me – they’ve earned it.

OnePlus 13 vs Vivo X200 Camera Test

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The semi-premium camera phone segment is a highly competitive space, with manufacturers continuously pushing the boundaries of innovation. Over the years, these devices have become more feature-packed – and more expensive. Both the OnePlus 13 and Vivo X200 come with a triple-camera setup, making the camera system a key factor in their appeal. Today, I’ll find out which of these two delivers the better camera performance.

Camera Setup

OnePlus 13 Camera Setup:

  • 50 MP triple-camera system, co-developed with Hasselblad
  • Main Camera: Sony LYT-808 (same as Oppo X8 Pro), features ALC coating
  • Ultrawide Camera: Samsung JN5
  • Telephoto Camera: Sony LYT-600
  • Front Camera: 32 MP Sony IMX615, doubles as an island
  • Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite

Vivo X200 Camera Setup:

  • 50 MP triple-camera system with Vario-Tessar branding
  • Main Camera: Sony IMX921 sensor
  • Ultrawide Camera: Samsung JN1 sensor
  • Telephoto Camera: Sony IMX882 (3x optical zoom | 100x digital zoom | 15cm macro)
  • Front Camera: 32 MP ƒ/2 (Ultra Wide)
  • Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 9400

Since my initial review in the January 2025 issue, both phones have received multiple software updates. If you want to check out that review, you can visit our website.

Daylight Performance

Main Camera

Both phones feature a 50 MP sensor, but the OnePlus 13 outputs images at 14.6 MP, while the Vivo X200 outputs at 14.3 MP. The OnePlus uses the Sony LYT-808 sensor, whereas the Vivo houses the IMX921 sensor.

In terms of image quality, both phones produce noticeable differences. The OnePlus 13 tends to have a slight reddish tint, whereas the Vivo X200’s images appear slightly underexposed. However, the OnePlus excels in sharpness and zoom performance, producing crisp details even in shadows and highlights. Both cameras deliver well-saturated images with a good tonal range, but at times, OnePlus photos can look slightly flat and neutral.

When shooting against the light, the OnePlus 13 handles lens flares much better, which I confirmed through multiple tests. 

Ultra-Wide Camera

Both phones feature a 50 MP ultra-wide sensor, but with different Samsung sensors—JN5 on the OnePlus 13 and JN1 on the Vivo X200. The OnePlus outputs at 14.6 MP, while the Vivo delivers 14.28 MP.

Like the main cameras, both ultra-wide sensors produce natural and neutral colours. However, the Vivo’s images tend to have higher contrast, making them appear slightly processed or “cooked” in some cases. This processing also affects shadow and highlight details.

Overall, both cameras perform well, though the OnePlus still exhibits a slight reddish tint in some images. Sharpness on zooming in is again better on the OnePlus, while distortion control is good on both. 

Telephoto Camera

The OnePlus 13 uses a Triprism lens, while the Vivo X200 opts for a periscope lens. Both feature a 50 MP sensor with 3x optical zoom, but Vivo has downgraded its telephoto sensor from 64 MP in the X100 to 50 MP in the X200. The OnePlus features the Sony LYT-600, while the Vivo has the Sony IMX882 and they both offer different zoom ranges as well. The OnePlus can zoom up to 120x, while the Vivo maxes out at 100x.

Here, Vivo produces slightly underexposed images but delivers better sharpness at higher zoom levels. Colour consistency is also more reliable on the Vivo, though OnePlus has improved in this area compared to its previous models.

A great example of this is the Vistara logo test—on the OnePlus, the logo appears slightly blackish instead of its original maroon colour, whereas Vivo reproduces the colour more accurately. However, at maximum focal range, both phones produce over-processed images, making extreme zoom largely impractical.

Low-Light Performance

Both phones have impressive low-light capabilities, as noted in my previous reviews.

Main Camera: Both deliver sharp, well-saturated images. Vivo’s high contrast makes images look more vibrant and pleasing to the eye, but OnePlus still retains better sharpness when zooming in.

Ultra-Wide Camera: OnePlus images exhibit a slight reddish tint, but its distortion control is better than Vivo’s.

Telephoto Camera: The Vivo once again shines at higher zoom levels, maintaining sharpness and consistency, while OnePlus struggles with colour accuracy.

Front Camera

They both use a 32-MP camera at the front which also shoots 4k upto 60 fps. The images from both are sharp and decent, but the OP has a better performance overall. In terms of video as well – there is a slight cool tone to the output from the Vivo, while the OP delivers more natural result. The sound recording and output also is better in the OP.

Portraits

In portraits both the phones offer 5 focal ranges to shoot at, but the Vivo goes upto 100x whereas the OP will go to a max of 85mm. 

In terms of performance both are pretty good. The output is sharp and detailed in both cases and the colour accuracy is also good. The images are vibrant and well saturated. The edge detection performance is also decent in both cases. But there is visible skin smoothening in the Vivo despite the setting being off. At higher focal range there is a slight reddish and yellowish tinge in both the cameras as well. But what I liked is that the images are sharper as you move to higher zoom. 

In lowlight as well the performance is good and in a studio environment – both the phones perform really well. The bokeh performance is better on the Vivo in this case, but due to the skin smoothening in some cases the images do look slightly cooked. In this case there is very little to choose between them.  

Video Performance

Both phones support 4K 60fps recording with fast autofocus, and the OnePlus even shoots 8K30. Vivo’s footage has higher contrast, while OnePlus delivers more saturated colours in low light, making it look more visually appealing.

Verdict 

Both phones have their strengths. Vivo X200 offers better low-light performance, stronger telephoto zoom and more consistent colour reproduction in telephoto. While OnePlus 13 delivers sharper main camera images, better contrast, no skin smoothening in portraits, and an overall more fluid user experience, especially with its new processor and display.

While the Vivo X200 is a good camera phone, as a complete package, the OnePlus 13 is simply better. Its overall user experience, display quality and software refinements make it the superior choice, especially after recent updates that addressed previous concerns that I had.

Watch our review video: