The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are two of this year's best Android phones, and now they're getting even better with the OxygenOS 12 Open Beta. This news comes hot off the heels of OnePlus announcing its deeper work with sister brand Oppo to create a brand new operating system for both company's smartphones. Starting in 2022, this new 'unified and upgraded' OS will be the platform used across OnePlus and Oppo phones alike. Before that happens, however, OnePlus has one final build of OxygenOS to roll out.
As the name implies, OxygenOS 12 is based on Android 12. Android 12 has many exciting system-wide features, including things like smoother animations, a new privacy dashboard, more intuitive permission controls, etc. As with any Android update, though, each manufacturer has its own unique take on what a new version of Android should look like. For Google's Pixel devices, that's Material You. For Samsung, One UI 4.0 is more or less the same One UI experience we're used to at this point. In the case of OnePlus, it's made OxygenOS 12 a fairly impactful update.
Let's start with the design. While it doesn't appear that OnePlus is adopting any of the Material You elements featured so heavily on Pixels, it uses OxygenOS 12 to revamp its own design language. One element of the new design is a focus on "light and space." In short, OnePlus is using light and shadows to add a sense of depth to its apps that previously weren't there. In its own PR hype speak, OnePlus describes this as follows: "Visually, the change of light indicates a clearer distance, while hierarchy andinterspersed relationships enhance readability and ease of use. In addition, the soft light and shadow minimize the unnecessary distractions in the UI, thus providing a more immersive and comfortable experience." OnePlus also redesigned many of its system icons to be more universally understandable, in addition to new first-party app icons based on neumorphism. In other words, app icons now have shadows and gradients to have a 3D-like appearance — ala Apple's refreshed icons for macOS Big Sur. The core interface elements are mostly unchanged from OxygenOS 11, except that everything has a fresh coat of paint.
Along with the revamped UI, OxygenOS 12 also adds a handful of feature upgrades. One of the biggest additions is something called 'Work Life Balance 2.0' (also known as WLB 2.0). WLB 2.0 allows users to create two distinct profiles on their device — one for personal use and one for work. Each mode can be customized to operate differently, such as limiting certain notifications, selecting which apps can be used, and having these modes automatically turn on based on unique rules (such as certain times of day, connecting to your home Wi-Fi network, etc.) It sounds a lot like Focus Modes introduced in iOS 15, though WLB 2.0 is limited to just two modes instead of three, four, or even more.
OxygenOS 12 also has a big upgrade for the Shelf (OnePlus's dedicated home screen for widgets). Cards on the Shelf can now be customized with different sizes and background images, there's a new Health card that can show daily activity from the OnePlus Watch, and it's further enhanced with OnePlus Scout. OnePlus Scout rolled out to Indian users last year, and it's essentially a universal search tool for looking up apps, contacts, documents, web searches, etc. Other enhancements include an overhauled Note app with new formatting tools and a doodle feature, Dark Mode can now be customized with three levels of darkness, and the new Private Safe app offers a way to store photos, documents, and other files that are "isolated from other apps while remaining personally accessible."
Based on what OnePlus has revealed, OxygenOS 12 looks like a solid update for OnePlus users. It refines the UI, adds some new features, and improves existing OnePlus apps in meaningful ways. How OnePlus fans will take to the all-new OS coming next year remains to be seen, but as the last final OxygenOS build before that happens, OxygenOS 12 seems great. The Open Beta is available now for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, with other models gaining access later on. That includes the OnePlus 9R 5G, 8T, 8/8 Pro, 7T/7T Pro, 7/7 Pro, Nord 2 5G, Nord 1, and the Nord CE 5G.
Source: OnePlus
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October 05, 2021 at 12:31AM
