A lot has been written about OnePlus in recent months, and it’s possible that the manufacturer is exiting most global markets, including North America. That’s annoying to say the least, as the OnePlus 15 is a legitimate alternative to the Galaxy S26 Ultra in the U.S.
Thankfully, it doesn’t look like OnePlus is changing its strategy in India. That’s evident with the introduction of the Nord 6, which has the potential to do really well in India’s crowded mid-range category. The Nord 6 is going on sale starting April 9 in India, and the 8GB/256GB model will be available from ₹38,999 ($422), with a 12GB/256GB model retailing for ₹41,999 ($455).
The biggest talking point with the Nord 6 is the battery; the phone comes with a power bank-sized 9,000mAh battery, and that allows it to last two days even with heavy use. You can even get the phone to last three days between charges with light usage, and that just overshadows every other phone in this category.
Thankfully, OnePlus went with a silicon-carbon dual-cell battery, so you’ll get better longevity and much better density. It’s the latter point that’s key here, because in spite of a gargantuan battery, the Nord 6 has a thickness of just 8.5mm.
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That’s what makes using the Nord 6 so good; at no point do you get the feeling that you’re using a phone that can double as a power bank. It’s a smidgen heavier than the Nord 5 at 217g, but the dimensions are in line with most other mid-range devices, and while it is a little thicker than most phones, it is in fact thinner than the Pixel 10a, which has a 5,100mAh battery.
There’s good news on the charging front as well, and it takes just over 70 minutes to fully charge the 9,000mAh battery. A five-minute charge is good enough to get an hour’s worth of gaming, and you get to the 50% mark in just over 30 minutes, which is more than adequate to last a day with ease.
Honestly, the battery life is so good that if that is a key consideration when upgrading a phone, you shouldn’t look anywhere else — the Nord 6 is the endurance champion of 2026.
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The design of the phone is decent enough, if a little bland. There isn’t any flair or uniqueness to the design, and while I like the squarish camera module and the fact that it doesn’t protrude from the chassis, the design isn’t evocative in the least. The all-metal Nord 4 is still one of the best OnePlus phone designs in recent years, and it’s a shame that the Nord 6 didn’t take after that.
Still, build quality is pretty good, and the phone gets IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance, so it should weather India’s monsoon season without any issues whatsoever. I also like that the weight is balanced well, and the rounded edges ensure the phone doesn’t dig into your hand.
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The 6.78-inch AMOLED panel has vibrant colors and good contrast, but the 165Hz refresh is a bit of a misnomer as you’re not able to use that outside of select games. Still, the regular 120Hz refresh is good enough, and I didn’t see any issues in my usage of the device.
On that note, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is a good choice on the Nord 4, as it gives the phone serious power. The chipset handled demanding games with relative ease, and it’s safe to say that the Nord 6 is one of the most powerful phones in this category.
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The software is quite good too; the phone comes with ColorOS 16 OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16, and you get a clean interface with plenty of customizability. There’s some AI thrown in as well, but you don’t need to use any of these features if you’re like me and ambivalent towards AI in general.
Like most OnePlus phones, the Nord 6 will get four Android OS updates alongside six years of security updates, and that’s good enough in this category.
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The 50MP Sony Lytia LYT-600 main camera is a known quantity, and it takes good photos most of the times. Recent OnePlus phones struggled with consistency, and that’s the case on the Nord 6 as well, but for the most part, you get detailed photos with good color rendition. The 8MP wide-angle lens is average at best, and you miss out on a tele shooter yet again.
Overall, I really enjoyed using the Nord 6, and I think this is a much better phone than the OnePlus 15R. If anything, with the Nord 6 now available, there isn’t much of a reason to buy the 15R. The combination of hardware and class-leading battery life makes the Nord 6 a very enticing choice in the mid-range category, and if you’re looking to upgrade this year, this may just be the ideal phone for you.
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