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The budget smartphone market in India isn't what it was until a few years ago. Earlier, the spotlight was almost always on one feature that was borrowed from the mid-range or upper mid-range smartphone. But now, budget smartphones are increasingly packing high screen refresh rate displays, bigger batteries, fast charging capabilities and more in more affordable devices. This trend, on one hand, has intensified the competition and on the other hand, it has overwhelmed potential buyers with too many options.
The OnePlus N6 recently entered this competitive segment as the company's first N-series smartphone in India. On paper, the OnePlus N6 checks many boxes. However, its biggest strength is its massive battery, which comfortably lasts through demanding daily use and is probably one of the biggest in its price segment. That said, the question remains, is the battery enough to make it an easy recommendation or are there areas where this smartphone could have done better to earn a top spot in India's highly competitive budget smartphone segment.
We will try to answer that question and more in our detailed review below. But before that, let's take a quick look at its core specifications.
OnePlus N6 specifications
OnePlus N6 design: Simple yet bulky
Let’s start with the design. The OnePlus N6 comes with a polycarbonate body with IP65 dust and water resistance, MIL-STD-810H certification and OnePlus’ ArmorShell Protection, which makes this device immune to occasional water spills and accidental drops. But that’s not the first thing or things that you notice about this smartphone.
The first couple of things that you do notice about this smartphone are its design and weight. While this smartphone does come with a polycarbonate body, its hardened glass finish at the back and metallic finish of its chassis gives it a premium appeal. It easily looks and feels a closer sibling of the OnePlus 15R than other budget OnePlus smartphones. This glass finish makes it immune to dust and oil smudges and fingerprint marks. However, OnePlus does ship a protective case inside the box for those with lazy fingers. That said, this phone is noticeably heavy and you can feel its weight in your denim’s back pocket or while holding it for long. If you don’t mind the heft, the OnePlus N6 sure looks elegant.
OnePlus N6 display: Functional and reliable
Next up is the display. First, let’s talk about the display details. The OnePlus N6 comes with a 6.8-inch HD+ LCD display. This display offers the resolution of 1570 x 720 pixels, a 120Hz screen refresh rate, and 1200 nits of peak brightness.
In usage, the OnePlus N6 offers dependable performance in everyday use. Whether you are scrolling through social media, reading articles, or streaming videos on Hotstar or Netflix, the screen delivers a smooth and comfortable viewing experience. The colours appear balanced without looking overly saturated, while text remains crisp and clear. The animations are fluid and scrolling feels natural. On the brightness front, the screen is adequately lit in the indoor environment and it remains usable even when the sun is out. For all practical purposes, the screen has a decent display that is functional and reliable, especially for its price point. That said, it does fall short in front of its competitors like the OPPO K13 and the iQOO Z10R, both of which come with a far superior AMOLED display.
OnePlus N6 performance and software: Dependable everyday performance
Now let’s talk about the performance. The OnePlus N6 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 Apex processor that is coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space. In experience, this phone offers adequate performance. It handles everyday tasks such as web browsing, social media scrolling, messaging, OTT streaming, and multitasking with ease. The app launches are quick and the animations and navigation feel fluid. During my time with this phone, I used it for everything from messaging and sending emails to answering calls to scrolling through my Instagram feed and watching TV series on Jio Hotstar and Netflix -- basically, everything any average user would do. Throughout my usage, this phone didn't falter or lag at any point, nor did it throw a nervous fit. Overall, the OnePlus N6 offers dependable everyday performance, which makes it a decent pick for a daily driver at its price point.
Coming to the software, the OnePlus N6 runs Android 16-based OxygenOS 16 and it promises to offer two major OS updates and three years of security updates. This means, you will get up to Android 18 on this device. As far as the experience is concerned, OnePlus is one of few companies that offers a cleaner Android experience. This means you get very less bloatware - nothing that you cannot get rid of easily. This is true for the OnePlus N6 as well and it’s one of the features that I like about this device, besides its premium-looking design of course. In a nutshell, the overall interface feels intuitive and well optimised and everyday interactions remain smooth. Features like app cloning, gesture controls, and productivity tools add genuine value and the software combined with the hardware, make the OnePlus N6 a dependable smartphone at its price point.
OnePlus N6 camera: Decent but nothing impressive
Now let’s talk about the camera. The OnePlus N6 gets a single 50MP camera at the back despite the camera module hinting towards a dual rear camera setup. On the front, it gets an 8MP camera.
As far as the usage is concerned, the rear captures images with respectable detail, natural-looking colours, and a decent dynamic range in daylight conditions, both indoors and outdoors.
The problem arises in low-light conditions. While it does manage to capture colours accurately, the clarity and details take a sharp hit and there is visible noise in the images and Night Mode doesn't really make a noticeable difference in the outcome.
Coming to the front camera, portrait shots offer decent edge detection, but background separation can occasionally appear inconsistent. Overall, the OnePlus N6 delivers a competent camera system for its price, but it doesn't stand out in a fiercely competitive market segment where several rivals, including the OPPO K13 offer more versatile and polished camera performance.
OnePlus N6 battery: The highlight
Lastly, let’s talk about the highlight of this phone – its battery. The OnePlus N6 comes with a massive 8,000mAh battery. This battery is coupled with 45W SuperVOOC fast charging technology, 6.5W reverse charging technology, Bypass Charging Power feature and Night Charging Mode that slows down charging overnight to adapt to a user’s sleep routine. In usage, the battery takes around an hour and half to charge completely and it can easily last for over a day on light usage or over the weekend, when the usage slows down for a lot of users. During medium to high usage, the battery easily lasts a day.
OnePlus N6 review: Pros and Cons
Here’s what we liked in the OnePlus N6 and what could have been better:
Pros
Cons
OnePlus N6 review: Final thoughts
The OnePlus N6 isn't the most feature-rich phone in the mid-budget phone market right now, nor does it claim to be. While it may not lead its segment in camera performance or display performance, it succeeds in delivering a well-rounded experience where it matters most. It offers dependable everyday performance, a smooth and reliable display, clean software, and above all, an outstanding battery life. In addition to that, it offers a premium-looking design that can easily take a beating or two. Sure, the photo buffs may feel the camera could have been more versatile, or hardware aiding the performance could have been better, but that's not the user base it wants to impress. To sum it up, the OnePlus N6 gets the fundamentals right for the average consumer. But if you are looking for a better camera or a brighter display or slightly better performance, the OPPO K13 and the iQOO Z10R offer worthy alternates.
