I tried OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15, and it’s much better than I expected

forwards of OnePlusannouncing OxygenOS 15 , Oppo showed off ColorOS 15 , which has take quite a lot of stirring fromApple ’s iOS computer software . give how closely the two pieces of software are relate , I was short implicated that OxygenOS 15 would follow the same route .

I ’ve now had some hands - on time with OnePlus ’ latest software program . Is it as derivative as I fear ? Surprisingly , no .

Not a total iOS clone

Thankfully , OnePlus has not adopted all the heavy - handed “ inspired by iOS ” sport visible in ColorOS , but that does n’t mean it has n’t taken a few of them on . Perhaps the most obvious is aDynamic Islandrip - off called Dynamic Cloud , where a pill - like floating windowpane appears at the very top of the screen surround the front camera on myOnePlus 12 . It works with some standard apps like the Recorder and with third - political party apps like Spotify , but not with other logical apps like YouTube Music or OnePlus ’ O Relax app ( at least , not at this time ) .

you may swipe it away and snarf it back again while it ’s active , which is nice . A hydrant expands the windowpane to show Spotify music controls and action for the Recorder app . It seems to work really well , and I like the small “ euphony playacting ” animation , but it ’s not the first clock time we ’ve seen anAndroid phone with this feature article .

The new dynamical lock cover is another iOS carryover , with the power to create dissimilar custom lock screen and home screen styles and switch between them . Just like Io , you may exchange the clock style and add a depth effect to make photos of mass or pets stand out from the screen background .

Wallpaper on OxygenOS 15.

Fast?Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

There ’s an odd Word Art feature for the wallpaper , which adds a word to the scope or foreground , but you’re able to only choose between a laid few examples , made up of cringey idiomatic expression like Keep Movin ’ , Game On , Fast , and Cute . Not being able to impart your own words is foreign , but not being capable to remove OnePlus ’ zany words entirely is very annoying . This also go along in other Modern wallpaper styles , and the phrases get even worse . I will never , ever desire to use a wallpaper with rightful to the Core or Be the Legend write on it , yet OxygenOS 15 assumes I will . Also , the fact the word of honor firm looks like “ fart ” and sit behind a photo of a gentleman’s gentleman ’s bottom is an inauspicious , but childishly risible happenstance .

ColorOS 15 looks to have more customization features for the look of the lock chamber screen and thingamajig , many of which seem to do forthwith from iOS , but these are missing on my variation of OxygenOS 15 . you may still change up the look of the ignition lock screenland , but not as much as in ColorOS 15 , and base on some of the dreaded option uncommitted , you ’ll probably want to stick with a evidently old background anyway . Elsewhere , Google Assistant is still the nonremittal assistant on my OnePlus 12 with OxygenOS 15 , but for subsequent OnePlus phones , it will be swap toGoogle Gemini .

Is it still fast and smooth?

OnePlus has always emphasized the speed and smoothness of its OxygenOS software as a big benefit , and for OxygenOS 15 , it has introduce Parallel Processing . This engineering is plan to keep spiritedness and app switch operating without interim , particularly for heavy users who multitask often and need to access multiple apps very cursorily . Whether you ’ll notice the differences depends on if you make these requirement on the system , tight honour vivification in slow move , or like a shot compare different phones together simultaneously .

I have used OxygenOS 15 normally , and it ’s certainly fast , but whether you think it ’s smoother than before will count on your definition of the word . A tried - and - tested cliché is to liken smoothness with butter , and I find OxygenOS 15 ’s butter to be the kind that has gotten a petty too cold in the refrigerator . In its pursuit for smoothness , the software system can find a little laboured ( even when ready to fast in the configurations computer menu ) . When I equate basic spiritedness and navigation with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra , the OneUI - equipped Samsung phone feel snappier and more directly in tune with my digit ’s movements . I think OnePlus ’s butter needs some time at way temperature before consumption , but not everyone will fit in .

OnePlus has always pushed the speed and blandness of its OxygenOS software package .

Using OxygenOS 15 on the OnePlus 12.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Games app has an updated Toolkit with a selection of new features , admit the ability to increase the frame rate , a 4D vibration mode , a Quick Start feature , and a way to track the amount of prison term you play a game . When playingAsphalt Legends Unite , the 4D vibration feature was not available , but I used the Adaptive Frame Booster and the Hyper Resolution . The game plays well and looks fantastic on the OnePlus 12 , but I ’m not sure how much of that is down to the game fashion tweaks or the stunning screen and potent Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 central processor . Either elbow room , flirt game is one of the OnePlus 12 ’s warm points .

AI photo-editing tools

The AI Eraser tool successfully absent a person from a photo and take in the desktop in such a way that you ’d have to look hard to gain it was AI - generated . However , the tool only mechanically pick out one person in a photograph of two people , and there ’s no way to contribute the other so the tool get rid of both . You have to use the Smart Lasso dick to do this . You ca n’t edit out its extract either , so in this pic , it remove the dog ’s lead-in . It ’s not as smart as Google ’s Magic Eraser .

To stress the AI Detail hike , I browse an existing photograph down and ran it through the lineament . It efficaciously sharpen the picture , removing the fuzz and pixelation introduced when you crop an double down . It ’s most noticeable on the horse rider ’s safety gadget vest , where the schoolbook has lost all its fuzziness . The solving jumped up to a full 4096 x 3072 pixels , so there ’s more to it than just a few basic tweaks . It ’s an effective tool that really does improve the look of cropped images .

Other new features in OxygenOS 15

What else is Modern in OxygenOS 15 ? There are new icon designs to try , a thin change to the configurations menu ( which emphasizes space and minimizes clutter ) , and a option to separate the notification and ready access shades between the leftfield and rightfulness of the home screen .

OnePlus ’ Shelf has been redesigned with fresh colors and layout choice . An strange portion with iPhone feature article has been sum up to seamlessly divvy up filing cabinet with the competing twist , and the OnePlus Open ’s photo fastening shortcut piss an appearance to speed up exposure share-out , too . Theft Protection is an unusual new characteristic that uses the accelerometer and various other broker to assess if your phone has been slip and then automatically locks it .

Aside from the photo - editing tools that use AI , OnePlus also use Google Gemini modeling for various productivity tool . In AI Notes , it can sire summary , change the formatting , enhance the transcript , and even expand on bullet points . An AI Reply feature film process in WhatsApp , Snapchat , and Instagram and can contextually understand messages and generate response . Intelligent Search scans all local files on your phone from a single search phrasal idiom and generates an answer to your question , but it does not appear that it will work on all OnePlus sound . Circle to Searchalso arrive and is one of the most helpful AI features , but it is uncommitted on many other Android phones , too .

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Better than expected

After using OxygenOS 15 for a few hours , it seems OnePlus has keep open most of ColorOS ’ iOS homage out of the package , and I ’m very proud of about that . Most people will take account the speed and flow of the OS , but it may need refining , as I prefer Samsung ’s approach to blandness . The AI photo - editing tools are interesting , but the wallpaper and lock screen customizations are oddly restrictive , and most of the other AI features wo n’t be ones you use all the metre .

One slight fear is OnePlus ’s failure to confirm that all the features discussed will be available on the OnePlus 12 , as it has stated that Google Gemini and Intelligent Search will be restricted to theOnePlus 13 . This away , and considering my trepidation when I started using it , OxygenOS 15 turned out to be a pleasant surprise — and I believe you ’re go to enjoy using it .

Using OxygenOS 15 on the OnePlus 12.