As you’re probably aware, the global RAM shortage has forced smartphone manufacturers to hike the prices of their devices. The ‘RAMageddon’ has also led to the reprise of 4GB RAM in midrange devices as a cost-cutting measure. OnePlus’s new ‘N’ series smartphone manages to find the right set of specs to make it all work without costing a bomb. Its prices start at Rs 22,999, with the 6GB RAM variant fetching Rs 24,999. Unfortunately, there is no 8GB RAM variant in the lineup. We used the smartphone for a week to find out if it’s worth the price tag. Here is our review of the OnePlus N6.
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In This Article
OnePlus N6 Review: Design and Display
Box Contents
- Smartphone
- 45W power adapter
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Silicone cover
- SIM ejector
- User guide
The N6 follows the design language established by the flagship OnePlus 15 (our review here). The square camera island has rounded corners and is positioned on the top-left section of the flat plastic back panel. The matte finish on this back panel keeps fingerprints and smudges at bay. The OnePlus logo is embossed at the centre. The smartphone weighs 224g, but is spread across the body evenly. It does not wobble when placed on a flat surface.
The plastic frame houses the volume rocker and the side button on its right edge. The latter doubles as the fingerprint sensor. The hybrid SIM tray, primary microphone, USB-C port, and speaker grille are positioned at the bottom of the frame. Up top lies the secondary microphone. The smartphone is IP65 for dust and water resistance. It is compliant with MIL-STD-810H standards.
The IPS LCD panel has a 120Hz refresh rate and can reach 1,200 nits in High Brightness Mode. It is surrounded by chunky bezels that get thicker along the chin. The touch response offered by this display is fine. It registers subtle touches with ease. In outdoor conditions, it manages to maintain decent legibility. Since this is an LCD panel, you don’t get Always On Display. There is no under-display fingerprint scanner either. The fingerprint unlock duties are assigned to the side button.
During the review period, we used the OnePlus N6 to stream movies and TV shows across OTT platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar. The 720 x 1,570p display produced good visuals with sharp details. The contrast and colours were not as punchy as we’re used to seeing on AMOLED displays, but for an LCD panel, it put up a good performance. The solo bottom-firing speaker needs more work as it produced a weak, boxy audio output.
OnePlus N6 Review: Performance and Cameras
The MediaTek Dimensity 6360 Apex chipset lies at the heart of the OnePlus N6. The smartphone comes with fixed 128GB (UFS 2.0) internal storage, which can be expanded to 2TB with the help of a microSD card. There are 2 RAM (LPDDR4X) options on offer:
- 4GB RAM: Rs 22,999
- 6GB RAM: Rs 24,999
Here’s how the smartphone performed in Geekbench and AnTuTu benchmark tests.
- Geekbench 6: 713 (single core) | 1,681 (multi-core)
- AnTuTu 3D Lite: 613,366
Ideally, the N6 would be available with 8GB RAM, but the global RAM shortage has forced OnePlus to resort to cost-cutting measures. The 6GB variant we used for this review put up a fine display while handling routine tasks like calling, texting, social media browsing, and media streaming. Multitasking, on the other hand, felt a bit jittery. This became more apparent while running 4-5 different apps in the background and constantly switching among them.
The Dimensity 6360 Apex chipset isn’t designed to handle heavy gaming, but it can run titles like BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile. The gameplay is littered with jitters and frame drops even with the FPS and graphics settings set to their lowest level. We would recommend limiting yourself to lighter titles. On the bright side, the 5,300 mm² vapour cooling chamber did a fine job of managing the smartphone’s internal temperature.
On the software front, you get Android 16 skinned with OxygenOS 16. There are a handful of bloatware apps on this device, although not as many as we’re used to seeing on budget/midrange phones. You get plenty of customisation options for the lockscreen and homepage, including OnePlus’s Flux themes. Since the smartphone uses an LCD panel, you miss out on Always On Display.
The photo editor in the native gallery app has AI tools like Recompose, Eraser, Portrait Glow, Perfect Shot, Detail Boost, and more. However, the device misses out on the OnePlus AI package. This means you don’t get features like AI Mindspace and AI Suggest. This tradeoff has likely been made due to RAM constraints.
The massive 8,000mAh battery pack is the star of the show for us. Casual users will find it nearly impossible to kill this battery within a day. If your primary tasks involve texting, scrolling the web, and media streaming spread across 7-8 hours of screen time, you can easily get up to 2 days of battery life. There’s 45W wired charging support on board. It took us exactly 90 minutes to fully charge the phone from 20%.
The 50MP primary shooter captures good images in outdoor daylight conditions. The pictures have balanced colours and a natural vibe instead of an artificially boosted ‘social media ready’ feel. The contrast and dynamic range are fine as well. We would have preferred a little more sharpness, but it isn’t a dealbreaker. In limited lighting conditions, the camera relies on Night Mode to light up the shot and resolve the noise, but the final results leave more to be desired.
The Portrait Mode in the Camera app does not offer multiple focal lengths/zoom levels. The smartphone does a fine job of separating the subject from its background. The portraits are vibrant and well-focused, but the bokeh effect could have been more intense. The front-facing 8MP camera captures clear selfies without messing with the skin tone too much. This camera can record 1,080p videos at 30fps. Meanwhile, the 50MP rear camera can shoot 1,080p footage at 60 and 30 fps.
Read Also: OnePlus N6 Vs Realme P4R: Which is a better value-for-money phone?
Verdict
The OnePlus N6 is a nifty device if you’re on a tight budget and looking for a smartphone with a big display and a long-lasting battery. The LCD panel of this device is great for streaming video content, even though the audio output produced by the single, bottom-firing speaker is boxy. The 8,000mAh battery pack is the biggest highlight here, offering a 2-day battery life. The software experience is fun and accessible, but misses out on the OnePlus AI package. The MediaTek Dimensity 6360 Apex chipset is reliable for routine tasks, but the RAM constraints lead to frequent jitters while multitasking. With that being said, at a time when limited RAM is becoming the new normal in midrange devices, the OnePlus N6 feels like a good deal.
Pros
- 2-day battery life
- Nice design
- Big display
- Expandable storage
Cons
- Does not come with 8GB RAM
- Boxy audio output
