OnePlus appears to be blurring the line between its mid-range and flagship phones with the upcoming Nord 6. A new benchmark leak suggests the device will skip the usual mid-tier processors in favor of a much more powerful “flagship-lite” chip from Qualcomm.
If these numbers hold up, the Nord 6 could offer top-tier gaming performance at a mid-range price.
A Powerful Mystery Chip
The unreleased phone, carrying model number CPH2795, appeared on the Geekbench database this week. The listing details a motherboard codenamed “sun” and a graphics unit labeled Adreno 825.
Industry insiders believe this hardware points to the unannounced Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. This is significant because the Nord series typically runs on cheaper, slower chips. Using an “8-series” processor would make the Nord 6 significantly faster than its predecessors, essentially giving it the engine of a high-end car in a cheaper body.
impressive Test Scores
The performance numbers back this up. The device scored 2,109 in single-core tasks and 6,503 in multi-core tests.
To put that in perspective, these scores are far higher than typical mid-range phones and sit very close to expensive premium models. The test unit was also well-equipped with 12GB of RAM and was running Android 16, hinting that OnePlus is already testing the phone on Google’s next big software update.
Market Impact & Context
This move signals that OnePlus is aggressively targeting the “performance on a budget” crowd. By using the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, they are likely trying to undercut rivals like Poco and Realme, who often dominate this space. However, high-end chips cost money. To keep the price low, OnePlus might have to cut corners elsewhere, likely in the camera department or build materials.
What’s Next
With benchmarks now public, the phone is likely in the final stages of development. We expect to hear more concrete details about pricing and global availability in the next few months.
