OnePlus on Friday introduced the Nord CE 6 and Nord CE 6 Lite in India, adding two battery-focused smartphones to its mid-range portfolio at a time when competition in the sub-Rs 30,000 segment has become increasingly crowded. The launches come only weeks after the arrival of the Nord 6 series and continue the company’s push around high refresh rate displays, larger batteries, and gaming-oriented features.

The OnePlus Nord CE 6 starts at Rs 29,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, while the 8GB and 256GB version is priced at Rs 32,999. Sales begin May 7, with an early bird offer that includes a Rs 2,000 instant bank discount.

The more affordable Nord CE 6 Lite has been priced at Rs 20,999 for the 6GB and 128GB model. The 8GB and 128GB version costs Rs 22,999, while the top-end 8GB and 256GB configuration is priced at Rs 25,999. Its first sale is scheduled for May 12, alongside select bank offers of up to Rs 2,000.

Both devices will be available through Amazon, the OnePlus Store app, OnePlus Experience Stores, and partner retail outlets.

The Nord CE 6 arrives as the successor to last year’s Nord CE 5 and carries several notable hardware changes. It features a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and peak brightness rated at 3,600 nits. OnePlus has also reduced the display bezels compared to the earlier model, aiming for a more immersive viewing experience.

Powering the phone is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset built on a 4nm process, paired with UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR4X RAM. OnePlus says the device includes a 5,000 mm² vapour chamber for thermal management during sustained workloads. The company has also added a Touch Reflex chip, borrowed from the OnePlus 15 series, to improve gaming responsiveness with up to 3,200Hz instant touch sampling in supported titles.

The Nord CE 6 also marks the return of stereo speakers to the CE lineup after their absence on the Nord CE 5. On durability, the phone carries IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings alongside MIL-STD-810H certification.

Camera hardware on the rear includes a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary camera. The front houses a 32-megapixel selfie shooter. OnePlus has removed the ultrawide camera seen on the previous generation but has added support for 4K 30fps video recording on both front and rear cameras.

Battery capacity is one of the headline additions. The Nord CE 6 packs an 8,000mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC charging and supports reverse charging at up to 27W. The phone runs Android 16-based OxygenOS 16 and is promised two Android version updates along with four years of security patches.

The Nord CE 6 Lite sits lower in the lineup but still adopts some of the same themes. It uses the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Apex processor, replacing the Snapdragon 695 used in the Nord CE 4 Lite from 2024. The phone features a 6.72-inch full-HD+ LCD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate.

Its 7,000mAh battery supports 45W charging and bypass charging, which allows power to be routed directly to the motherboard during gaming or extended use. The device carries a 50-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera. Rear video recording goes up to 4K at 30fps, while the front camera is limited to 1080p recording.

Like the higher-end model, the Nord CE 6 Lite ships with OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16 and includes AI-based photo editing tools such as AI Eraser and AI Reflection Remover.

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The launches place OnePlus directly against rivals including the Vivo T5 Pro, Infinix Note 60 Pro, Nothing Phone (4a), iQOO Z11x, and Vivo T5x in a segment where battery size, gaming performance, and software experience are becoming central selling points rather than secondary specifications.