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With Google ramping up Android updates and in the race to push Android 15, OnePlus was one of the first few to launch its stable OxygenOS 15 update based on Android 15, and it, too, follows the AI features trend. OnePlus has made some interesting design choices in OxygenOS 15, and the overall OS, on paper, feels like a considerable update over OxygenOS 14, but is that really the case? I’ve been using OxygenOS 15 on my OnePlus 12R , and here’s my review.
OxygenOS 15: What I Like About It
There’s a lot to like about OxygenOS 15 from the improved UI to new features. Here’s everything I like so far from the latest OnePlus update:
The Art of Motion in the New Animations
Besides Android customization, I’m a huge UI and design buff. So I was incredibly excited to try out the new animations and changes. And boy, did I find them indulging! Sure there are things that I wish OnePlus did better which we’ll talk about later. But overall, the Oxygen OS 15 brings absolute eye-candy animations and transitions to savor. The best part of all is with the new customization options. You get to experience the new changes right from the moment you pick the phone up.
The transition from the lockscreen text style to the wallpaper and then to the home screen feels seamless with extremely detailed animations . From the little bouncing animations on icons when you unlock the phone, move and place the icons around, to the little pullback from the Quick Settings menu and opening/closing fluid cloud, it all feels intricate, delicate, and in all honesty, addictive.
OnePlus emphasized Parallel Processing during the launch keynote and it works. Although, I’ve never understood the hype behind trying to open and close their apps rapidly. Hence, the feature feels more like a gimmick than an actually useful thing. I could see myself appreciating it if I opened the wrong app and quickly exited it to switch to another app. But it’s nothing super important to write home about.
A Refined Quick Settings
Speaking of Quick Settings, most UIs have revamped theirs in Android 15 and OnePlus has as well. I like the layout. It’s clean, a tad bubbly , and much, much better than OxygenOS 14’s Quick Settings panel. The brightness and sound level sliders are great to interact with. Also, the overall menu is weaved together very well, with every bit of space well utilized in the split Quick Settings mode.
I do wish OnePlus took a page out of Samsung’s One UI 7 notebook and added a translucent background rather than a more contrasty gray, but that is what it is. I’m not a fan of the split Notification and Quick Setting panels. It takes time to get used to, which I did. But there was still one thing that made me switch back to the traditional menu.
I like the concept of having notifications and Quick Settings tiles separated. But the more I used it, the more I felt that was purely due to nostalgia of the Android 4.4 days. What I don’t like in this implementation is how you cannot go back to Quick Settings after swiping right from Notifications unless you clear all the notifications. Perhaps OnePlus could add a small arrow button to take you back to tiles or add endless scrolling to both panels when you swipe right.
The point of separating them is so that users can see more notifications or tiles at the same time. But for someone like me who uses a handful of Quick Settings tiles, I don’t need them separated. Accessing notifications and tiles with just one swipe is more convenient.
Open Canvas and App Bubbles
Coming to a feature that I didn’t think I’d like but now use all the time is Open Canvas and another new feature that no one’s talking about (more on that later). When the OnePlus Open came out, I wondered what was the big deal about Open Canvas. I didn’t realize how useful it was until I genuinely gave it a try.
It feels like an extension of the split-screen feature and works brilliantly well. Of course, I could only have two apps running at the same time. But it gave me a sneak peek of how good the multi-tasking must feel on the OnePlus Open. Now I’m tempted to get one.
This brings me to another feature that I used in tandem with Open Canvas and is something Google will soon add to Pixels. Has it existed on OxygenOS since version 14? I don’t recall. Probably not.
App bubbles is yet another great multi-tasking feature that I can’t live without now that I’ve used it. You activate it by switching an app window to floating mode and drag-swiping it to the edges to automatically make a bubble. You can have at most two app bubbles at the same time.
Making OxygenOS Your Own with Customizations
I’m a sucker for customization and the OxygenOS 15 feels pretty good in this department. Most of the lock screen customizations are from ColorOS 15. But it would’ve been nice if OnePlus included more besides the “Never Settle” one.
The depth effects are great but like many have already said, there should’ve been an option to add your own text. I like the seamless unlock animation where it transitions from a frame to a full picture. Just something that I wouldn’t use more often, though, but others might.
You can customize the time digits, enlarge or shrink them, add steps or weather information, make the digits bold, as well as change the color of both the digits and date individually. This should give you a lot of combinations to work with , especially if you switch wallpapers frequently and want to match the aesthetics. Here’s one I made and I think it looks fantastic.
OxygenOS 15: Things I Dislike
While the update brings many cool features and improvements, it misses out on a few fundamental things. It still has some inconsistencies from OxygenOS 14 that should’ve been fixed by now, and a few other things that could’ve been done better.
A Slow Rollout with No AI Features Yet
In the launch keynote back in October, OnePlus promised OxygenOS 15 Beta would hit OnePlus 12 and 12R users on October 30 without the AI features, and another update with the AI features would hit the devices by the end of November.
Those who’ve used OnePlus devices before may know that OnePlus does a staged rollout. That’s fine if the updates take a week or two to roll out. But OxygenOS 15 Beta didn’t roll out to my unit until the start of December, which is a month late . Many still complain about not receiving OxygenOS 15. That’s incredibly sloppy, OnePlus.
Rocking the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition didn’t help my case. I couldn’t manually flash using the Oxygen Updater because the firmware versions of the normal 12R and this edition are different (EX01 and EX01Moo1). That said, I waited for the AI features and then lost patience due to the delay. Hence, no AI features overview in this review.
Some UI Inconsistencies
I raised this point in my Android 15 review and I feel the same with OxygenOS 15. There are inconsistencies in the UI, starting with the icons which you may have anticipated. I love Material You but it puzzles me how brands have still not figured out how to deal with icons that don’t adapt it. Google’s force adapt solution is nowhere to be found and the same goes for most OEMs except Nothing’s monochrome icons.
Next is the Suggested apps feature. There’s something really wrong with the algorithm of the feature in the OnePlus launcher because it shows the same set of apps over and over again. In my case, Gmail, Chrome, WhatsApp, and Play Store have been stuck there for ages, and it doesn’t suggest apps based on time or recently used apps.
As much as I like using Global Search, I fail to understand why OnePlus hasn’t integrated it into the launcher. It’s a separate app that doesn’t adapt to the device theme and feels like an extension (which it is) rather than being a part of the OS. As someone who’s recently started daily driving an iPhone 14 Plus for a change, I could see myself using the swipe-down gesture on the home screen to bring up Global Search but the experience feels off.
I’m Convinced OnePlus Hates Media Players
Seeing Samsung whip out an excellent-looking media player on One UI 7 Beta makes me despise OnePlus’ lock screen media player. There’s no seek bar , the next back and play buttons are extremely hard to hit right, and it’s just not a good experience overall.
An improved media player is one of the most requested features since OxygenOS 14. So, it’s disappointing to see that OnePlus hasn’t listened to the feedback in this version.
Fluid Cloud Is a Potential Untapped
I want to like the Fluid Cloud feature. It tackles the inconvenience of opening Quick Settings to skip tracks or check notifications involving time-related activities like Swiggy or Zomato. It was introduced in OxygenOS 14 and my grip with it is that it still doesn’t have many features. Music Playback pill shows up only with Spotify, there’s one for personal hotspots, screen recording, and timer, and that’s about it. Right now, Fluid Cloud is very limited.
Third-party app support is lacking and I don’t completely blame OnePlus. Support for ongoing activities is absent from Android as a whole but the good news is, that Google is developing a rich ongoing notification API in Android 16 which should help get app developers on board to support Fluid Cloud-like features. This way, we could see more third-party apps like Google Maps, YouTube Music, Calendar, and other time-sensitive app notifications use the Fluid Cloud to its fullest.
Some Minor Gripes
This could be considered a nitpick but one of the first problems I had with the new customization options is with the depth effect. It’s limited in the sense that you need to find the right wallpaper with the character’s head starting from the middle of the screen for the effect to work. And it’s not supported on live wallpapers which is a bummer.
Also, I wish there were an option that allowed notifications on the lockscreen to stay minimized as bubbles. This would clean up the pending notifications and the new customizations with the depth effect would always be visible. Sort of like how Moto does it. Google could bring this to Pixels in Android 16.
OxygenOS 15 Review: Promising Update that Needs Cohesion
The OxygenOS 15 brings loads of great changes, additions, and UI improvements that make it worthy of being called a major Android update. The new animations add a much-needed bling and the customization options enable endless ways to make the device your own.
However, the lack of updates way past the promised date killed my excitement for the AI features. The inconsistencies in the UI haven’t been ironed out which makes the user experience feel unpolished. Regardless, OnePlus has done a great job with OxygenOS 15, and while it’s too soon to say if it’s one of the better third-party UI updates of this year, it’s definitely one of the best OnePlus updates users could’ve asked for.
Abubakar covers Tech at Beebom, with his passion for technology tracing back to 2011 when he received a Dell Inspiron 5100 as a gift. He’s also a passionate advocate for the right-to-repair movement, believing in empowering users to maintain and extend the life of their devices. Outside the tech world, he enjoys watching anime and exploring his newfound enthusiasm for Japanese cars. In his free time, you’ll often find him immersed in Genshin Impact or researching his next gadget purchase. Before joining Beebom, he contributed to leading publications like Android Police, How-To Geek, and Fossbytes.
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- The OnePlus 13 series is launching on January 7 at 4:30 PM CET
- OnePlus is expected to reveal the OnePlus 13, 13R, and OnePlus Watch 3.
- OnePlus 13 will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset whereas OnePlus 13R will have the 8 Gen 3.
Thanks to the launch of Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered devices like the iQOO 13 ( review ) and Realme GT 7 Pro ( review ), the year 2024 is ending on a high note, and we’re just getting started. The Galaxy S25 series is set to launch next month . And now the official release date for the much-awaited OnePlus 13 series has also been announced.
OnePlus’ official social media handles are yet to reveal the official release date. But, tipster Abhishek Yadav posted on X what looks like the official release date poster. The OnePlus 13 series including the OnePlus 13 and 13R will launch on January 7 , 2025, at 10:30 AM EST.
The tipster also posted an image of the OnePlus 13R with OxygenOS 15′ s Intelligence search feature in action. For those unaware, the OnePlus 13R is expected to arrive with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, improved cameras, and a bigger 6,000 mAh battery.
Image Credit: X/ @yabhishekhd
On the other hand, the more premium OnePlus 13 which has already launched in China, features the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, Hasselblad cameras, an exquisite BOE display, and a 6,000 mAh battery.
Besides smartphones, OnePlus is also expected to reveal its latest wearable, the OnePlus Watch 3 . This is expected to bring a bigger battery, slimmer design, and WearOS 5.
Abubakar covers Tech at Beebom, with his passion for technology tracing back to 2011 when he received a Dell Inspiron 5100 as a gift. He’s also a passionate advocate for the right-to-repair movement, believing in empowering users to maintain and extend the life of their devices. Outside the tech world, he enjoys watching anime and exploring his newfound enthusiasm for Japanese cars. In his free time, you’ll often find him immersed in Genshin Impact or researching his next gadget purchase. Before joining Beebom, he contributed to leading publications like Android Police, How-To Geek, and Fossbytes.
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- OxygenOS 15 is scheduled for Q4 2024. The OS could do well with a few feature additions.
- A few notable features are desktop mode, media player revamp, and quick settings revamp.
- Some other features OxygenOS 15 should bring are Pixel-like Now playing and the ability to customize the alert slider.
OxygenOS has become a controversial Android skin in recent years after OnePlus decided to merge the codebase of the skin with ColorOS. The OS has come a long way since then, and while it sure feels like OnePlus robbed the old “feeling” from the OS, we cannot deny that it’s still a very decent-looking Android skin. OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14 brought all sorts of features but still missed out on a few things. So, here’s my wishlist for OxygenOS 15 and the features I want to see on the upcoming version of OnePlus’ mobile OS.
1. Improved Media Player
I recently moved from a Pixel to a OnePlus and one of the things that seemed like an instant downgrade to me was the media player on OxygenOS. Sure, it gets the job done but is not good enough compared to the one in Pixel UI. Pixel’s media player has gone through several changes but the current version looks the best. It feels funky yet modern with Android’s signature material squiggly lines and the glass effect when playing or pausing the music.
I’m not saying OnePlus needs to copy the same pixel-by-pixel but the current player is in dire need of an update and feels unattached from the UI in both quick settings and on the lock screen. One way OnePlus could improve it in quick settings is by moving the tiles in place of the current media player, shrinking the brightness slider, and moving the media player to below the slider.
Excuse my poor editing skills but the above image is how I imagine OnePlus’ next media player design should be (I couldn’t add the playback buttons but you get the gist). The media player should show the thumbnail with the like and dislike buttons. This will save an extra tap. It can have a seek bar that users can use to skip to different parts right away.
2. Customizable Alert Slider
Alert slider has remained one of OnePlus’ signature features. However, its functionality has more or less remained the same. Alert slider is a convenient way to switch sound profiles but I’m sure many people don’t use it much and would like to remap it to different functions.
Hence, OnePlus should bring a feature that would allow users to map the alert slider to. The ability to switch between Normal/High-performance mode for games, DND and Ring mode, would be one of the features in my OxygenOS 15 wishlist.
3. Lockscreen Widgets
It’s high time Android manufacturers brought lockscreen widgets to their devices. I added this feature to my Android 15 wishlist. And if there’s one manufacturer that can quickly bring the feature to Android devices, it has to be OnePlus.
It’s hard to imagine what the result may look like since only Nothing does lockscreen widgets on Android. “Do we bring quick-setting tiles on the lockscreen or only the existing widgets?” are one of the questions they should ask themselves. I would like the first iteration of this feature to be plain and simple. Just bring the existing widgets and keep adding new lockscreen widgets in future updates.
4. Revamp Quick Settings
The Quick Settings panel on OxygenOS has to be one of the most average, uninspiring panels I’ve seen so far. It brings elements from the likes of Realme UI and ColorOS and tries to blend them, which doesn’t look very good, and hence is in need of a major revamp.
The Aquamorphic design is nice but the gray tinge that appears on top as you pull down the quick settings panel makes it look bland. OnePlus should instead embrace the wallpaper’s color, tone down the blur, and make the gray a tad bit lighter. Besides, they need to figure out how the icons appear and how to arrange them better because the current setup is average at best. It requires more fiddling around to get to something which defeats the purpose of “Quick” settings.
5. Pixel-like Now Playing feature
If there’s one thing I miss the most after switching from a Pixel to OnePlus, it’s Now Playing. With OnePlus going big on AI, we can expect to receive many features in the coming months, and I would love OnePlus to add a Now playing-like feature.
For those unaware, Now playing detects the music playing in your surroundings and shows the name of the song on AOD or in Notifications. While the feature may not seem like a big deal, my reliance and habit of quickly looking at my Pixel’s AoD when an unknown song is playing isn’t something that will go away soon.
6. Desktop Mode
Samsung has DeX and recent reports suggest Google is planning to add a desktop mode to Pixels thanks to the phones getting USB-3.1 Type-C ports. The ability to use your phone as a desktop replacement hasn’t picked up pace yet, but with more companies hopping on the train, OnePlus needs to start working on a desktop mode before the competitors gain more traction.
7. AI Features
Almost all major manufacturers are banking on making their UIs feature-rich by bringing lots of AI features, and while OnePlus has already announced AI features are coming to OxygenOS, there are three specific features I want them to add to OxygenOS.
Image Credits: OnePlus
The first is a video boost feature like Pixels but instead of sending it to a server for the boost, develop it so that the processing happens on-device. The output doesn’t have to be incredible but the flagship Snapdragon SoCs on flagship OnePlus devices are capable enough to bring significant difference in video quality. It doesn’t have to be instant, and I’d have no problem if the feature takes time to boost a video.
The second missing feature is AI-generated wallpapers. Last but not least, give us a generative fill feature for images. Google announced it recently, and I would love to see the same come to OnePlus devices at the earliest.
Some of the honorable mentions are a Bluetooth widget that shows you the battery percentage of all your connected devices and a punch-hole progress bar to reflect, say a file’s download progress.
Abubakar covers Tech at Beebom, with his passion for technology tracing back to 2011 when he received a Dell Inspiron 5100 as a gift. He’s also a passionate advocate for the right-to-repair movement, believing in empowering users to maintain and extend the life of their devices. Outside the tech world, he enjoys watching anime and exploring his newfound enthusiasm for Japanese cars. In his free time, you’ll often find him immersed in Genshin Impact or researching his next gadget purchase. Before joining Beebom, he contributed to leading publications like Android Police, How-To Geek, and Fossbytes.
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