OnePlus Nord CE5 Smartphone Review: Elegant mid-range phone with a marble look and powerful WLAN

[Redaktion]

With the OnePlus Nord CE5, there is finally a regular mid-range model from the Nord CE series once again and not just a mediocre light model. With a fast MediaTek Dimensity 8350 SoC, bright AMOLED display, and a decent camera system, the OnePlus Nord CE5 could be an exciting newcomer and shake up things in the mid-range.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/OnePlus-Nord-CE5-Smartphone-Review-Elegant-mid-range-phone-with-a-marble-look-and-powerful-WLAN.1140244.0.html

[splus]

What happened to the Xiaomi 15T Pro review???

[Booo]

OnePlus also promises four Android updates and six years of security patches.

That's good, but based on this SoC, it would be fast enough for a few years more, but since it's a MediaTek SoC, there unfortunately won't be custom ROMs support for it either.

Unfortunately, the capacity cap for batteries in the EU also affects the OnePlus Nord CE5 ..

Why? A smaller battery means the charging cycles will be more often and this will decrease the battery's life faster. Not very green.

Missing browser benchmarks like Mozilla Kraken.

PS: Your spam protection marks the 7,100 mAh etc. as ph0ne number, so I had to shorten the quote.

[bukletic]

I would like to clarify an important technical point regarding the display behavior of the OnePlus Nord CE 5, especially for readers who are sensitive to PWM.

In this review, a "120 Hz PWM" is mentioned. However, 120 Hz in this case corresponds to the display refresh rate, not to classic low-frequency PWM dimming. AMOLED panels update their driving current every frame, which can introduce a very small brightness modulation synchronized with the refresh cycle, even when DC dimming is used. This should not be confused with traditional PWM where pixels are rapidly switched fully on and off.

Based on multiple independent measurements and my own testing, the OnePlus Nord CE 5 uses DC dimming down to approximately 20% brightness. Below this level, PWM is present, but at a very high frequency (~3860 Hz). The modulation depth is minimal and there are no deep brightness drops to zero, which makes this behavior fundamentally different from low-frequency PWM (60–480 Hz) that is known to cause eye strain.

This also explains why cameras and oscilloscopes may detect a narrow, light scan line rather than strong dark bands: this artifact is related to refresh-cycle or scanline behavior, not to harmful PWM flicker.

I am extremely sensitive to PWM and cannot use many OLED phones. For example, I was unable to tolerate the iPhone 14, despite it often being considered relatively "safe" in PWM terms. In contrast, I can use the OnePlus Nord CE 5 comfortably for long periods with no eye strain, no headaches, and no discomfort.

In real-world usage, this device is one of the most eye-friendly AMOLED phones I have personally tested. I believe it would be very helpful if future reviews distinguished more clearly between:

classic low-frequency PWM,

high-frequency PWM,

and DC dimming with minor refresh-related modulation.

Such a distinction would prevent unnecessary concern and help PWM-sensitive users make better-informed decisions.