Before OnePlus announced OxygenOS 15, Oppo introduced ColorOS 15, which drew a lot of inspiration from Apple’s iOS program. Due to the close connection between the two operating systems, I suddenly became concerned that OxygenOS 15 would follow the same path.
I have now spent some time working on the latest OnePlus software. Is it as derivative as I feared? Surprisingly, no.
Not a complete clone of iOS system
Fortunately, OnePlus did not adopt all the “iOS-inspired heavy features” that were visually present in ColorOS, but that does not mean they did not use some of them. The most prominent example is the Dynamic Island trick called Dynamic Cloud, where a floating window resembling birth control pills appears at the top of the screen surrounding the front camera on my OnePlus 12 phone. It works with some standard apps like the recorder and third-party apps like Spotify, but not with other logical apps like YouTube Music or the OnePlus O Relax app (at least not currently).
You can swipe it away and then swipe it again while active, which is great. Tapping expands the window to show controls and actions for Spotify music and the Recorder app. It seems to work really well, and I love the tiny animated “play music” graphics, but this is not the first time we’ve seen an Android phone with this feature.
The new dynamic lock screen is another version of the iOS system, with the ability to create different patterns for the lock screen and home screen, and switch between them. Just like iOS, you can change the clock style and add a deep effect to make people or pets stand out in the background.
There is a strange Word Art feature for the wallpaper background, which adds a word to the background or header, but you can only choose from a few examples, consisting of embarrassing phrases like Keep Movin’, Game On, Fast, and Cute. The inability to add your own words is strange, but not being able to remove OnePlus’ silly words completely is very annoying. This also extends to other new wallpaper patterns, with phrases getting worse. I will never want to use a wallpaper that says True to the Core or Be the Legend, yet OxygenOS 15 assumes I will. The fact that the word Fast looks like “fart” and is positioned behind a man’s rear in a picture is an unfortunate yet childish coincidence.
ColorOS 15 seems to have more customization features for the lock screen appearance and tools, many of which seem to come directly from iOS, but these features are missing in my version of OxygenOS 15. You can still switch lock screen appearance, but not to the extent of ColorOS 15, and based on some terrible options available, you might want to stick with a plain old wallpaper anyway. Elsewhere, Google Assistant is still the default assistant on my OnePlus 12 phone with OxygenOS 15, but for later OnePlus phones, it will be switched to Google Gemini.
Is it still fast and smooth?
OnePlus has always emphasized the speed and smoothness of its OxygenOS software as a major benefit, and for OxygenOS 15, they introduced parallel processing. This technology is designed to keep animations running smoothly and switch between apps without delay, especially for heavy users who often multitask and need to quickly access multiple apps. Whether you’ll notice differences will depend on whether you push the system’s limits, closely monitor animations in slow motion, or directly compare different phones together at once.
I have used OxygenOS 15 normally, and it is indeed fast, but whether you think it is smoother than before will depend on your definition of the word. There is a cliche term that has been tested and debated, comparing smoothness to butter, and I find that OxygenOS 15 butter is the kind that has become too cold in the refrigerator. In its efforts to achieve smoothness, the software can feel somewhat strained (even when set to speed in the settings menu). When I compare basic animations and navigation with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra phone, the Samsung phone equipped with OneUI interface seems faster and more responsive directly to my finger movements. I believe OnePlus’ butter needs some time at room temperature before use, but not everyone will agree with that.
OnePlus has always worked on enhancing the speed and smoothness of its OxygenOS software.
The gaming app has an updated set of tools with a selection of new features, including the ability to increase frame rate, quad-dimensional vibration mode, quick start feature, and a way to track how much time you spend playing a game. While playing Asphalt Legends Unite, the quad-dimensional vibration feature was not available, but I used Adaptive Frame Booster and high resolution. The game plays well and looks great on the OnePlus 12 phone, but I’m not sure how much of that is due to game mode adjustments or the stunning screen and powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. In both cases, gaming is one of the strengths of the OnePlus 12.
AI photo editing tools
Open the gallery app, and you’ll find a new AI Editor tool from OnePlus, which includes AI Eraser and three new features called AI Detail Boost, AI Reflection Eraser, and AI Unblur. Using saved photos on my OnePlus 12 phone, I tried out AI Eraser and AI Detail Boost and was very pleased with the results of both.
The AI Eraser tool succeeded in removing someone from the image and filling in the background in a way that you have to look closely to realize it was created by artificial intelligence. However, the tool only recognizes one person in a picture of two people, and there is no way to add the other person so the tool removes both. You need to use the Smart Lasso tool to do that. You also cannot edit its selection, so in this image, it removed the dog’s leash. It’s not as smart as Google’s Magic Eraser.
To try out AI Detail Boost, I cropped an existing image and ran it through the feature. It effectively enhances the image’s clarity, removes blur and pixels that appear when cropping the image down. This is most noticeable on the horse rider’s safety vest, where the text loses all its fuzziness. The resolution jumped to 4096 × 3072 pixels, so it contains more than just basic adjustments. It’s an effective tool that really works to enhance the appearance of cropped images.
Other new features in OxygenOS 15
What else is new in OxygenOS 15? There are new icon designs to try out, a slight change in the settings menu (which emphasizes space and reduces clutter), an option to split notifications, and quick access shadows between left and right sides of the home screen.
The OnePlus shelf has been redesigned with new colors and layout options. An unusual feature has been added for sharing with iPhone to smoothly share files with the competing device, and the attachment shortcuts show up in OnePlus Open for quicker photo sharing as well. Theft protection is an unusual new feature that uses the accelerometer and various factors to assess if your phone has been stolen and then automatically locks it.
Aside from AI-powered photo editing tools, OnePlus also utilizes Google Gemini models for various productivity tools. In AI Notes, it can create summaries, change formatting, enhance the copy, and even expand on bullet points. The AI reply feature in WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram can understand messages in context and generate replies. The Smart Search scans all local files on your phone from a single search term and generates an answer to your question, but it does not seem to work on all OnePlus phones. The Circle to Search feature has also arrived, which is one of the most useful AI features, but it is available on many other Android phones as well.
Better than expected
After using OxygenOS 15 for a few hours, it seems that OnePlus has kept most of the ColorOS homage to the iOS system out of the software, and I am very happy with that. Most people will appreciate the speed of the operating system and its smooth flow, but it may need improvement, as I prefer Samsung’s approach for smoothness. The AI-powered photo editing tools are interesting, but the restrictive customization of lock screen backgrounds and strange lock screen are perplexing, and most other AI features may not be those you use all the time.
One minor concern is OnePlus failing to confirm that all the features discussed will be available on the OnePlus 12, as they mentioned that Google Gemini and Smart Search will be limited to the OnePlus 13. This aside, and considering my initial fears when starting to use it, OxygenOS 15 has been a pleasant surprise – and I think you will enjoy using it.
