OnePlus Nord 6 vs OnePlus Nord 5: What’s new?

Buying a new mid-range phone? The Nord series has always been a solid pick, and now with the new OnePlus Nord 6 stepping in, things just got interesting.

But which one should you pick, the latest Nord 6 or the Nord 5 at a slightly cheaper price? And if you already own the Nord 5, is it really worth upgrading? Read on to find out.

OnePlus Nord 6 vs Nord 5: Design, Build, Display

The Nord 5 keeps things simple with a clean glass back and a minimal camera layout. It looks sleek and feels premium enough for the price.

The new Nord 6, on the other hand, builds on this with a flatter frame and a more refined finish. The camera module also feels slightly more pronounced, and boxier.

Where things really change is durability. The Nord 6 comes with IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K. The Nord 5, on the other hand, is IP65 rated, making it a tad less resistant to dust and water in comparison.

On the display front, Nord 6 features a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with faster 165Hz refresh rate and higher 3,600 nits peak brightness. That’s a huge upgrade over the existing Nord 5’s 144Hz screen that produces lower 1,800 nits peak brightness.

OnePlus Nord 6 vs Nord 5: Performance and Battery

The newer Nord 6 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, which is a true flagship-level SoC that can easily handle gaming and multitasking.

The Nord 5 also offers faster performance with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. Both phones get up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.

As far as the batteries are concerned, the Nord 6 takes things further with a mammoth 9,000mAh battery, making it ideal for heavy users. Although we are yet to test it, we expect it to offer at least two days of usage.

The Nord 5 also has a big battery, but it’s quite small compared to the Nord 6. It gets a 6,800mAh cell. Both phones support 100W fast charging, but due to the Nord 6’s larger battery, it will take longer to get to 100 per cent.

OnePlus Nord 6 vs Nord 5: Cameras

Both phones stick to a similar camera setup with a 50MP main sensor and an ultra-wide lens.

The Nord 6 focuses more on software improvements and image processing rather than major hardware changes. But apart from that, they both have a similar camera setup. We’ll learn about the actual camera performance while reviewing the Nord 6.

OnePlus Nord 6 vs Nord 5: Software

The Nord 6 ships with a newer version of Android, i.e; Android 16 out of the box, and brings new AI-based features. The Nord 5 boots on Android 15 out of the box, but gets Android 16 via OTA update.

That said, there isn’t much difference here. Both get four years of OS and six years of security updates. However, you will get one extra year of Android and security updates with the Nord 6.

OnePlus Nord 6 vs Nord 5: What to buy?

So, If you want better battery life, slightly better performance, and a more future-ready device, the Nord 6 is the right pick for Rs 38,999.

ALSO READ: OnePlus Nord 6 debuts with 165Hz display, 9,000mAh battery

But if you are on a tighter budget, the Nord 5 still holds up well, especially if you can grab it around Rs 30,000. And if you already own the Nord 5, there’s no real need to upgrade right now unless you are looking for that extra battery life.