I never thought I would see a OnePlus smartphone with 4GB RAM launching at Rs 22,999 in 2026. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened with the new OnePlus N6 ( Rs 19,999 with launch offers ), which launched in India on June 30.
A 4GB + 128GB variant priced at Rs 19,999 is going to be a hard sell. However, I expect we’ll see more Android smartphone brands launching 4GB RAM variants at higher prices than their previous-generation models.
Samsung already does this, and several Chinese smartphone brands have followed the same approach. Examples include the vivo Y11 5G (4GB + 128GB) at Rs 18,999, vivo Y21 5G at Rs 18,999, Tecno Spark 50 5G at Rs 18,999, and the OPPO A6s 5G at Rs 20,999 ( lowest price on June 30, 2026 on Amazon.in )
So why is this happening?
You can probably blame AI.
Apple recently increased the prices of its MacBooks and iPads, citing soaring DRAM and NAND prices caused by the global AI boom.
As memory manufacturers prioritize supplying AI data centers, memory and storage costs for consumer electronics have surged. The same supply-chain pressure is likely contributing to higher smartphone prices as well. So I wouldn’t put the blame entirely on OnePlus for launching a smartphone with 4GB of RAM at Rs 19,999
Note: OnePlus has not provided an official explanation linking the OnePlus N6’s pricing or memory configuration to the ongoing AI-driven memory shortage. This is our analysis based on current industry trends
Would we recommend it?
Like many Android manufacturers, OnePlus includes RAM Expansion in OxygenOS. This feature uses a portion of the internal storage as virtual RAM to increase the amount of memory available for apps.
There are both advantages and disadvantages.
The biggest advantage is that memory-intensive apps can remain in the background more reliably instead of being closed. The downside is that internal storage is significantly slower than physical RAM, so virtual RAM cannot match the performance of real memory. Relying heavily on RAM expansion may also affect long-term storage performance.
If you’re planning to buy the OnePlus N6, we strongly recommend choosing the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant instead. It has a launch price of Rs 21,999 after eligible launch offers, and the additional 2GB of physical RAM is well worth the extra Rs 2,000.
Other OnePlus N6 Specs and Features
The OnePlus N6 doesn’t have a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor – instead is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 Apex (6nm) chipset.
Its biggest highlight is the massive 8,000mAh battery, which is likely the primary reason to consider buying this device. It supports 45W SUPERVOOC fast charging, and OnePlus includes the charger in the box.
The phone features a 6.8-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1570 × 720 pixels and support for a 120Hz refresh rate. It offers a typical peak brightness of 975 nits and can reach 1,200 nits High Brightness Mode (HBM) when needed. As you can see from Specs, OnePlus N6 doesn’t support Full HD resolution screen output.
The OnePlus N6 ships with OxygenOS 16.0, based on Android 16, and weighs 224g.
For photography, it features a 50MP rear camera (f/1.8) capable of recording Full HD 1080p videos. On the front, there’s an 8MP selfie camera (f/2.0), which also supports Full HD 1080p video recording. There is no 4K recording support available which is another con of this device.
The OnePlus N6 is a reminder that the smartphone market is changing. Just a few years ago, paying Rs 19,999 for a phone with 4GB RAM would have been difficult to justify. Today, rising component costs are forcing brands to make compromises to hit certain price points.
OnePlus N6 sale begins on Amazon India Prime Day 2026 Sale Dates – July 4 midnight.