This is the OnePlus Nord 3 5G. It’s the latest phone from OnePlus that’s trying to reclaim the brand’s core philosophy of offering the best possible specifications at an affordable price.
Now, it’s quite different from previous Nord devices, especially when it comes to the price, so if you want to get the full low-down on the Nord 3, keep watching this video. This is our OnePlus Nord 3 5G Review.
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OnePlus Nord 3 5G Design & Utility
Let’s begin with the design, because OnePlus has made some interesting changes that you may or may not like. It’s now got flat sides, that give it a boxier shape, but the back remains slightly curved so that holding it in the hand is still a comfortable experience. By the way, the module lower down isn’t a second flash, it’s apparently a colour temperature sensor, even though I didn’t really notice it doing anything during my testing. Anyway, there’s Gorilla Glass 5 at the back, Dragontail on the front and despite being a fairly large phone, the Nord 3 only weighs around 193g.
Now in terms of utility, there’s quite a lot to like on the Nord 3. For one, there’s an alert slider, that’s no longer a standard feature on all OnePlus phones, so it’s good to see it here. Then there’s an IR blaster for controlling compatible household appliances—very useful, there’s also fairly loud stereo speakers, an in-display fingerprint scanner that works fast and well, and there’s an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance.
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OnePlus Nord 3 5G Display
Okay, let’s move on to the display of the Nord 3, because this is something that impressed me. It’s a 6.74-inch AMOLED panel, so it’s quite large, and it sports a 1.5K resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate. What’s particularly great is that the bezels are slim and mostly uniform, so from the front, the Nord 3 looks like a very premium device.
Plus, it’s a flat display, so there’s no chance of accidental touches that you usually see on curved screens.
In terms of colour reproduction, the screen is great—it's a vibrant looking panel, and watching content on this screen is a treat. That treat is further enhanced thanks to HDR 10 – HEVC support for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. That 120Hz refresh rate is adaptive, so the screen will ramp down to 60Hz, depending on what apps you’re using.
OnePlus Nord 3 5G Camera
You get a 50MP primary sensor with OIS for the main camera, and it uses the same Sony IMX890 sensor that’s seen on the more expensive OnePlus 11R. In well-lit, outdoor situations, this sensor performs quite well for the price, providing quite a natural colour profile to photographs, with good dynamic range. There’s also good natural depth of field when you’re close to your subject, and skin tones are pretty true-to-life. The portrait mode does do a solid job of edge detection, but curly hair can throw it off a bit at times.
In mixed-lighting situations, the main camera understands white balance quite well, and you don’t see overly warm or cool tones in images. Even in low-light scenarios, the Night Mode does an excellent job of sharpening and brightening the frame, and even colours are preserved surprisingly well.
The 8MP ultra-wide is also a strong performer, and in fact, I liked that images from it looked punchier and more rich in contrast compared to the main sensor. There is some notice-able difference in colour profile between this and the main sensor, but to me, that isn’t a deal-breaker.
What does seem quite unnecessary is that 2MP macro, which really lacks colour accuracy and focusing capabilities, and I would much rather recommend using the main sensor at 2X crop to get super close-up shots.
The Nord 3 continues to impress in the video department, because it can shoot at up to 4K at 60fps with the main rear camera. The optical image stabilisation helps keep the frame stable, although I did notice that in some situations, the auto-exposure was quite trigger-happy, even if there wasn’t a whole lot changing in the frame.
Anyway, that front camera is a 16MP unit that takes good selfies no matter what the situation. Both in well-lit outdoor scenarios and mixed lighting or low-light situations, you’ll get clean, consistent results with accurate skin tones. The portrait mode is also pretty decent, but I do wish that OnePlus offered 4K recording with the front camera to really set the Nord 3 apart from its competitors.
OnePlus Nord 3 5G Performance & Software
Now OnePlus has done a great job of packaging performance into the Nord 3, because it comes with the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset, that’s built on the 4nm process. Pair that with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, that I’ve got here, and there’s virtually nothing you can throw at this phone to make it stutter. It breezes through day-to-day multi-tasking and app-switching, and even consistent runs on games like Call of Duty Mobile do little to faze it.
I will point out though, that if you play these graphic intensive games for long periods, the phone does tend to run a little warmer than usual. But still, it’s an ultra-fast device, and that’s also evidenced by the fast UFS 3.1 storage, up to 256GB of it.
When it comes to software, the Nord 3 is the first OnePlus device to ship with the latest OxygenOS 13.1, and it remains one of my favourite Android 13 skins out there. It’s clean, minimal and fuss-free, with a good balance of essential pre-loaded apps and useful features. For example, I really like the Always-On display and there’s so many options to choose from on the Nord 3.
OnePlus Nord 3 5G Battery & Charging
Now if you’re running all of this high-performance hardware, you’re going to need a beefy battery unit, so that’s just what OnePlus has done. The Nord 3 packs in a 5,000mAh battery which should easily last you well over a day’s usage on a single charge, and even more if you’re a light user. Charging speeds are also great thanks to the bundled 80W fast charger, which gets phone from flat to full in just about 30 minutes. That’s impressive considering the large battery size, and I’m sure power users will appreciate it.
OnePlus Nord 3 5G Quick Review & Verdict
Alright, so the OnePlus Nord 3 5G. To me, it’s the most well-balanced smartphone you can buy right now, in terms of price and performance. At a starting OnePlus Nord 3 5G price in India of ₹33,999, it’s certainly more expensive than Nord phones of the past, but it’s still placed well enough against the competition to make it a very compelling choice.
We've looked at the OnePlus Nord 3 5G specifications, its battery performance, camera capabilities, and its impressive OnePlus Nord 3 5G Features. But as with any product, there are pros and cons. Despite a few minor downsides, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G pros and cons balance out to make it a highly recommended buy.
