OnePlus' OxygenOS is easily among the most popular and highly-rated Android OEM skins out there. It offers the right mix of features and customization options without any of the bloatware that one usually finds in other Android skins. No wonder then that over the last few years, OxygenOS has become a favorite of the Android community.
There are a lot of features in OxygenOS that make it superior to other Android skins like Samsung's One UI, Realme UI, and MIUI. If you have never used an OnePlus smartphone or experienced OxygenOS, you are missing out on a great UI experience. Below is a look at some of the top OxygenOS features that make it so special compared to the competition.
Stock Android-like UI
This is perhaps the key reason as to why OnePlus' OxygenOS resonates so much with a wide range of customers. Unlike other OEMs that try to reinvent the wheel with their Android skin, OnePlus has a very different approach with OxygenOS. The UI/UX of the skin is very similar to stock Android or what you would get on a Pixel device, but with some useful features thrown in to make the experience even better. If you prefer the stock Android-like experience, no other Android skin comes close to OxygenOS in this department.
Speed
Of all the Android OEM skins out there, OxygenOS is perhaps the only one that focuses heavily on speed. With every new version of the skin, OnePlus manages to make its skin faster than ever before. If all you care about is speed and smooth UI interactions, OxygenOS is the skin for you. OnePlus manages to achieve this by not bogging its skin down with unnecessary features and in part by speeding up system animations.
Another advantage of this is that unlike Samsung phones where users tend to complain that they slow down over time, OnePlus devices feel quick to use even after a few years from their launch.
Deep UI Customization Options
OnePlus manages to make the stock Android-like experience of OxygenOS even better with its deep customization options. You can control almost every aspect of the UI element and tweak it as per your liking. For example, one can customize the accent color, lock screen animations, system icons, and use a mix of the light and dark theme if you wish to. There are plenty of other UI customization options in OxygenOS that you will simply not find in any other Android OEM skin.
Reading mode
OnePlus' OxygenOS contains a useful Reading mode that's ideal for anyone who spends a lot of time reading content on their phone. Reading mode is different from Night mode and Dark mode as in this mode, you can give the screen on your OnePlus device either a Mono effect or a Chromatic effect. This helps give an immersive reading experience while reducing the strain on your eyes.
The good thing is that one can set up Reading mode to automatically enable itself whenever a particular app is launched. You can also block all 'Peek' notifications in this mode to ensure your reading time is not hampered in any way.
Zen mode
OxygenOS has a handy Zen mode feature that will help you take a break from your phone and the plethora of notifications that you receive periodically. While there's Digital Wellbeing in OxygenOS, Zen mode is a separate feature that will let you take a short digital detox from your phone. What makes Zen mode so good is that it cannot be canceled once enabled and you need to enable it for a minimum of 20 minutes at one go. You cannot bypass Zen mode by restarting your device as well which is what makes it different from the regular Do Not Disturb mode or Digital Wellbeing.
When you enable Zen mode, your phone will automatically mute all incoming notifications and all apps on your device -- except for camera -- will be temporarily locked as well. You can still receive incoming calls and make emergency calls in this mode for safety reasons though. The main aim of this mode is to cripple your device so that you do not use it and take a short break from it. If you are always on your phone and just want to spend some quality time with your family or loved ones and not be distracted by your phone for once, you will find Zen mode extremely useful.
Regular Feature Updates and Community Feedback
OnePlus is a very community-centric company i.e. it actively takes feedback from its user base, communicates with them, and tries to make changes to its products and feature stack as per the needs of its customers. The company takes a very similar approach to the development of new features in OxygenOS as well. It regularly details upcoming features that it plans to add to OxygenOS and even gets its community to vote in on the features that they'd like to see first. This is something that no other major Android OEM does for their skin and they rarely if ever, acknowledge user feedback as well.
OnePlus also tends to keep adding some new features to its devices with a major OxygenOS update at least once in a few months. This is again in stark contrast to other OEMs which usually tend to roll out bug-fixing updates for their devices after releasing it.
Have you used OxygenOS on an OnePlus phone? If so, how has your experience with it? Which is your favorite Android OEM skin?
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