OnePlus's Nord 6, typically a value play, joins the flagship OnePlus 15 and Oppo F33 Pro 5G in offering high IP-rated water resistance in India. This signals a clear market shift where waterproofing is becoming a standard consumer expectation, not a premium differentiator. Product teams at other Android OEMs, especially in the 25k-40k segment, will need to respond or risk losing ground.
How We Got Here
Until recently, robust ingress protection remained largely exclusive to flagship devices from Apple and Samsung. Now, a proliferation of IP67 and IP68 ratings across wider price segments and brands like OnePlus and Oppo marks a new phase in smartphone durability.
The Numbers
- IP68 rating typically means submersion up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, an industry benchmark for durability.
- The OnePlus Nord 6's inclusion indicates a strategic move by OnePlus to democratize premium features into its mid-range offerings.
- Motorola's Edge 70 Max also features on the list, intensifying competition in the segment for devices above ₹30,000.
- Apple and Samsung pioneered these ratings in India's premium segment years ago, but now face competition from brands across price points.
What Happens Next
🇮🇳 Why This Matters for India
For product managers designing smartphones for the Indian consumer market, especially in Tier-2 cities, robust IP ratings will become non-negotiable for new models from 2025 onwards.
The Take
Indian repair shop chains in cities like Lucknow and Jaipur stand to win, as they will see fewer basic water damage cases and shift focus to more complex repairs. The losers will be accessory manufacturers who relied on basic splash-proof cases; they need to pivot to advanced protective solutions or face obsolescence within 18 months.
Source:
Gadgets 360 ↗