DT Next Tech | Leave that power bank at home. OnePlus Nord 6 is the new battery champ

CHENNAI: We’ve said this before, OnePlus’ Nord series is a throwback to OG OnePlus. Through the late 2010s, OnePlus smartphones embraced the ‘flagship killer’ moniker delivering on the key things that mattered to most users without the flagship price tag. The OnePlus Nord 6 is the latest chapter in the Nord story and it prioritises on the features that matter for heavy duty users. It’s fast, fluid and has a battery that goes on and on. Is that what you’re looking for?

We’re gradually coming to terms with the new Nord design template. OnePlus nails the weight distribution on this device; it doesn’t feel bulky despite a massive battery under the hood. It’s under 9 mm thick and weighs just 217 gm. OnePlus opts for a minimalist design vibe that sets it apart in a cluttered market. We checked out the Fresh Mint colour option, we also dig the Quick Silver colour way with its holographic pattern. OnePlus has doubled down on ingress protection. The device boasts of IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings.

Performance has been OnePlus’ strength. The Nord 6 will please heavy duty users. The Nord 6 blazed through our benchmark tests (it consistently hit scores above 6600 on our Geekbench multi-core benchmark test). At its heart is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset. The device comes in a choice of 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256 variants, we’re surprised OnePlus opted to go without a 512GB option for this performance-driven smartphone. If there’s one reason we’d recommend the OnePlus Nord 6, it’s the monster 9000 mAh battery. If you deal with battery anxiety, the Nord 6 might just be your fix. It lasted for two days with moderate to heavy usage in our tests, making it one of the best smartphone batteries we’ve ever checked out. The 80W in-box SUPERVOOC charger powers this device in about 70 minutes.

Gamers will love the 6.78-inch 1.5K FHD+ display (2772 x 1272 pixels) that hits a peak brightness of 3600 nits. OnePlus’ Aqua Touch 2.0 tech ensures that you get a responsive touch experience even with wet fingers. Camera performance is certainly not the talking point of the Nord 6 and yet the 50MP Sony primary lens with dual axis OIS did a decent job in most lighting conditions. Results with the 8MP ultra-wide lens are a mixed bag though.

The OnePlus Nord 6 delivers on its performance promise. It’s ultra-quick and backed by a terrific battery, making it easy to recommend in the sub Rs 40K segment for users looking for a performance-driven smartphone. (Rs 38,999 onwards)

(Ashwin Rajagopalan is a lifestyle writer and consumer technology expert. Catch the latest digital and tech updates in this weekly column.)