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OnePlus Nord 5 vs Google Pixel 9a

73 out of 100
OnePlus Nord 5
VS
67 out of 100
Google Pixel 9a
OnePlus Nord 5
Google Pixel 9a

Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.83-inch OnePlus Nord 5 (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3) that was released on July 8, 2025, against the Google Pixel 9a, which is powered by Google Tensor G4 and came out 4 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Memory
  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery life
  6. Camera
  7. Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the OnePlus Nord 5
  • Has a 0.53 inch larger screen size
  • Shows 24% longer battery life (25:12 vs 20:15 hours)
  • 40% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1848K versus 1321K)
  • Higher display refresh rate – 144 Hz
  • Supports higher wattage charging (80W versus 23W)
  • Newer Bluetooth version (v5.4)
  • Compatible with Wi-Fi 7 wireless networks
  • Has 2 SIM card slots
  • Thinner bezels – 5.6% more screen real estate
  • Has a built-in infrared port
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 9a
  • Delivers 45% higher peak brightness (1915 against 1323 nits)
  • Handles wireless charging up to 7.5W
  • Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
  • More recent OS version: Android 17 versus 16
  • Weighs 25 grams less
  • Ready for eSIM technology

Review

Evaluation of OnePlus Nord 5 and Google Pixel 9a crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Nord 5
73*
Pixel 9a
70
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
NanoReview Score
Final comparison evaluation
Nord 5
73*
Pixel 9a
67
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
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Value for money (Beta)

To get an accurate value-for-money index, update the default prices with actual prices from your country’s retailers (for the selected memory configs) and press the "Calculate" button.
Currency
8 / 256 GB
VS
8 / 128 GB
83.0
(Good)
Value Index
62.3
(Average)

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests
Phone:
Nord 5
vs
Pixel 9a

Display

Type AMOLED POLED
Size 6.83 inches 6.3 inches
Resolution 1272 x 2800 pixels 1080 x 2424 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.8:9 20:9
PPI 450 ppi 422 ppi
Refresh rate 144 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) Yes (60-120 Hz)
Max rated brightness 1400 nits 2700 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR 1800 nits 1800 nits
HDR support Yes, HDR10+ Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection Corning Gorilla Glass 7i Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Screen-to-body ratio 90.1% 84.5%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC Dimming		 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display tests
RGB color space 100% 98.2%
PWM 119 Hz 240 Hz
Response time 9 ms 1 ms
Contrast ∞ Infinity ∞ Infinity
Screen space comparison
Nord 5
6.83″ (19.8:9 ratio) = 17.6 in2
Pixel 9a
6.3″ (20:9 ratio) = 14.9 in2
~18% more screen space
Peak brightness test (auto)
Nord 5
1323 nits
Pixel 9a +45%
1915 nits
Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height 163.41 mm (6.43 inches) 154.7 mm (6.09 inches)
Width 77.04 mm (3.03 inches) 73.3 mm (2.89 inches)
Thickness 8.1 mm (0.32 inches) 8.9 mm (0.35 inches)
Weight 211 g (7.44 oz) 186 g (6.56 oz)
Waterproof IP65 IP68
Advanced cooling Vapor chamber Vapor chamber
Rear material Glass Plastic
Frame material Plastic Metal
Colors White, Gray, Blue White, Black, Red, Purple
Fingerprint scanner Yes, in-display Yes, in-display
Repairability Good (3.6/5) Good (3.53/5)
Drop resistance Good (C) · 90 drops Excellent (A) · 270 drops
Screen-to-body ratio
Nord 5 +7%
90.1%
Pixel 9a
84.5%

Performance

Chipset specifications of OnePlus Nord 5 and Google Pixel 9a
SoC
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Google Tensor G4
Max clock 3000 MHz 3100 MHz
CPU cores 8 (1 + 4 + 3) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 3 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A520
- 4 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A720
- 1 core at 3 GHz: Cortex-X4		 - 4 cores at 1.92 GHz: Cortex-A520
- 3 cores at 2.6 GHz: Cortex-A720
- 1 core at 3.1 GHz: Cortex-X4
L3 cache 8 MB -
Manufacturing TSMC Samsung
Lithography process 4 nanometers 4 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU) Hexagon Yes
GPU
Graphics Adreno 735 Mali-G715 MP7
GPU shading units 768 896
GPU clock 1100 MHz 940 MHz
FLOPS ~1689.6 GFLOPS ~1684.4 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Benchmark comparison of OnePlus Nord 5 and Google Pixel 9a
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Nord 5 +17%
1963
Pixel 9a
1677
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Nord 5 +22%
4981
Pixel 9a
4067
Compute Score (GPU)
Nord 5 +36%
10567
Pixel 9a
7784
Compute Score (GPU) 10567 7784
Single-core score 1963 1677
Multi-core score 4981 4067
Sources: Geekbench [3], [4]
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
Nord 5 +40%
1848224
Pixel 9a
1321069
CPU 610318 445318
GPU 487079 410687
Memory 289054 175537
UX 461773 289527
Total score 1848224 1321069
Samples [30 tests] [7 tests]
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Nord 5
1055
Pixel 9a
1060
Stability 92% 81%
Graphics test 8 FPS 8 FPS
Graphics score 1055 1060
3DMark Solar Bay
Nord 5
5168
Pixel 9a
n/a
Graphics test 20 FPS -
Section 1 22 FPS -
Section 2 20 FPS -
Section 3 17 FPS -
Graphics score 5168 -
Sources: 3DMark [5], [6]
PCMark 3.0
Nord 5 +46%
18813
Pixel 9a
12890
Web score 22960 10570
Video editing 7758 7547
Photo editing 37813 21264
Data manipulation 14719 12988
Writing score 24843 16308
Submit your benchmark results

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
OnePlus Nord 5
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-19 -> Rox9ne9CPU Throttle92%
📘 2026-09-19 -> Rox9ne9Geekbench 6 CPU1952 / 5317
📘 2026-09-19 -> Rox9ne9AnTuTu 111950942
📘 2026-09-18 (Rox9ne9)Geekbench 6 CPU1960 / 5182
📘 2026-09-17 -> elyad1AnTuTu 111971461
Add View all (35)
Google Pixel 9a
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-08-21 (Leif)AnTuTu 111590049
📘 2026-05-13 (kiriguap)AnTuTu 111182042
📘 2026-03-09 (d1ldo)AnTuTu 11943849
📘 2026-01-03 (Joy)AnTuTu 111487240
📘 2025-11-11 (VLAD)AnTuTu 111507185
Add View all (7)

Memory

RAM
RAM size 8 GB 8 GB
Memory type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
Memory clock - 4200 MHz
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage size 256 GB 128 GB
Storage type UFS 3.1 UFS 3.1
Memory card No No

Software

Operating system Android 15 (Can be upgraded to Android 16) Android 15 (Can be upgraded to Android 17)
ROM OxygenOS 16 Stock Android
OS size 53 GB 14 GB
OS updates 4 years 7 years
Security updates 6 years 7 years

Battery

Capacity 5200 mAh 5100 mAh
Max charge power 80 W 23 W
Battery type Li-Po Li-Po
Replaceable No No
Wireless charging No Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse charging No No
Bypass charging - No
Fast charging Yes (79% in 30 min) Yes (47% in 30 min)
Full charging time 0:42 hr 1:41 hr
Battery cycles 1200 cycles 1000 cycles
Battery life tests
Web browsing 10:44 hr 08:20 hr
Watching video 16:17 hr 12:40 hr
Gaming 05:44 hr 06:06 hr
Standby 112 hr 91 hr
General battery life
Nord 5 +24%
25:12 hr
Pixel 9a
20:15 hr
Add your battery life

Main camera

Matrix 50 megapixels 48 megapixels
Image resolution 8192 x 6144 8000 x 6000
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K video recording No No
4K video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
Slow motion 240 FPS (1080p) 240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens 116° 120°
Lenses 1) Standard: 50 MP
2) Ultrawide: 8 MP
1) Standard: 48 MP
2) Ultrawide: 13 MP
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode		 - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Standard lens
Image resolution 50 MP 48 MP
Aperture f/1.8 f/1.7
Focal length 24 mm 25 mm
Sensor Sony LYT-700 Samsung GN8
Sensor size 1/1.56" (≈ 0.64 inch) 1/2" (≈ 0.5 inch)
Pixel size - 0.8 micron
Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Optical Optical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution 8 MP 13 MP
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length 15 mm 16 mm
Sensor Omnivision OV08D10 Sony IMX712
Sensor size 1/4.0" (≈ 0.25 inch) 1/3.06" (≈ 0.33 inch)
Pixel size - 1.12 micron
Stabilization Digital Digital

DxOMark main camera tests

Photo quality
Nord 5
n/a
Pixel 9a
144
Video quality
Nord 5
n/a
Pixel 9a
100
Generic main camera score
Nord 5
n/a
Pixel 9a
128
Bokeh - 145
Zoom - 99
Samples - Photo samples of Google Pixel 9a from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels 50 megapixels 13 megapixels
Image resolution 8192 x 6144 4032 x 3024
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.2
Focal length 21 mm 20 mm
Sensor Samsung JN5 CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.76" (≈ 0.36 inch) 1/3.1" (≈ 0.32 inch)
Pixel size 0.64 micron 1.12 micron
Autofocus Phase autofocus No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D) No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.4 5.3
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.2
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
DisplayPort No Yes
GPS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared port Yes No
Network
Number of SIM* 2 1
Type of SIM card Nano Nano
Multi SIM mode Standby Standby
eSIM support* No Yes
Hybrid slot No No
LTE Cat* 18 -
5G support Yes Yes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
Headphone audio jack No No
FM radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes No
Speakers test
Max loudness
Nord 5
87 dB
Pixel 9a +1%
88.1 dB

Other

Category Mid-range Mid-range
Announced July 2025 March 2025
Release date July 2025 April 2025
Launch price (MSRP) $549 $499
Successor - - Google Pixel 10a
SAR (head) - 0.99 W/kg
SAR (body) - 1.39 W/kg
Sensors - Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint		 - Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint
Bundled charger Not included Not included
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

After analyzing all the data, we think that the OnePlus Nord 5 is definitely a better buy.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?
19 (59.4%)
13 (40.6%)
Total votes: 32

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