In the race by Google to increase Android updates and push Android 15, OnePlus was one of the first few to launch its stable oxygenos 15 The update is based on Android 15, and also follows the AI feature trend. OnePlus has made some interesting design choices in OxygenOS 15, and the overall OS, on paper, seems like a significant update compared to OxygenOS 14, but is that really the case? I am using OxygenOS 15 on my oneplus 12rAnd here is my review.
OxygenOS 15: what I like about it
There’s a lot to like about OxygenOS 15, from an improved UI to new features. Here’s everything I like so far from the latest OnePlus update:
The art of motion in new animation
Apart from Android customization, I am a big fan of UI and design. So I was incredibly excited to try out the new animations and transformations. And boy, did I find them indulgent! There are definitely some things I wish OnePlus did better which we’ll talk about later. But overall, Oxygen OS 15 brings absolutely fascinating animations and flavor changes. The best part is the new customization options. As soon as you pick up the phone, you start experiencing new changes.
The transition from lockscreen text style to wallpaper and then to home screen feels seamless highly detailed animationFrom little bouncing animations on icons when you unlock the phone, to moving and placing icons around, to stepping back from the quick settings menu and opening/closing Fluid Cloud, it’s all Complex, delicate and, quite honestly, addictive.
OnePlus stressed parallel processing During the launch keynote and it works. However, I never understood the hype behind trying to open and close their apps faster. Therefore, convenience It feels more like a gimmick Than anything actually useful. If I opened the wrong app and immediately exited and moved on to another app, I could see myself appreciating it. But this is nothing of great importance to write home about.
A sophisticated quick settings
Talking about quick settings, most of the devices have revamped their UI in Android 15 and OnePlus has done the same. I like the layout. Its clean, a little bubblyAnd much better than OxygenOS 14’s Quick Settings panel. Interacting with the brightness and sound level sliders is great. Moreover, the overall menu is very well woven with everything space used well In Split Quick Settings mode.
I wish OnePlus would take a page out of Samsung’s One UI 7 notebook and add a translucent background instead of a more contrasting gray, but it is what it is. I’m not a fan of the split notification and quick settings panel. It takes time to get used to, which I did. but there was still one thing I had to switch back For traditional menu.
I like the concept of separating notifications and quick settings tiles. But the more I used it, the more I thought it was purely due to nostalgia for the Android 4.4 days. What I don’t like in this implementation is that you can’t go back to quick settings after swiping right from notifications unless you clear all 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 purpose of separating these is to allow users to see more information or tiles at the same time. But for someone like me who uses a handful of quick settings tiles, I don’t need to separate them. It’s more convenient to access notifications and tiles with just one swipe.
Open canvas and app bubble
Coming to a feature I didn’t think I’d like but now uses all the time, Open Canvas and another new feature no one is talking about (more on that later). When the OnePlus Open came out, I wondered what the big deal was about the Open Canvas. I didn’t realize how useful it was until I actually tried it.
it feels like Split-screen extension Convenience and works brilliantly. Of course, I could only run two apps at the same time. But it did give me a glimpse of how good multi-tasking would look on the OnePlus Open. Now I’m tempted to get one.
This leads me to another feature I used in conjunction with Open Canvas and it’s something Google will be adding to the Pixel soon. Is it present on OxygenOS since version 14? I don’t remember. Probably not.
App Bubbles is another great multi-tasking feature that I can no longer live without after using it. you activate it Switching app windows to floating mode And drag-swipe it on the edges to automatically create a bubble. You can have up to two app bubbles at the same time.
Making OxygenOS your own with customization
I’m fond of customization and OxygenOS 15 seems to be quite good in this department. Most of the lock screen customizations are from ColorOS 15. But it would have been nice if OnePlus included more than just “never settle.”
The depth effects are great But as many have already said, there should have been an option to add your own text. I like the seamless unlock animation where it transitions from one frame to the whole photo. However, this is something I won’t use very often, but others may.
You can customize the time digits, making them larger or smaller, add steps or weather information, bold the digits, as well as change the color of both the digits and the date individually. this should give you Lots of combinations to work withEspecially if you change wallpapers frequently and want to match the aesthetics. This is one I made and I think it looks fantastic.
OxygenOS 15: Things I Dislike
Although this update brings a lot of great features and improvements, it misses some basic things. There are still some inconsistencies from OxygenOS 14 that should have been fixed by now, and a few other things that could have been improved.
A slow rollout with no AI features yet
At the launch keynote in October, OnePlus promised that the OxygenOS 15 beta would hit OnePlus 12 and 12R users without AI features on October 30, and another update with AI features would come to devices by the end of November.
Those who have used a OnePlus device before would know that OnePlus does a phased rollout. It’s okay if it takes a week or two for the update to be released. But OxygenOS 15 beta didn’t arrive on my unit until early December a month lateMany people still complain about not getting OxygenOS 15. This is incredibly useless, OnePlus.
Rocking the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition didn’t help my case. I could not flash manually using Oxygen Updater because the firmware versions of the normal 12R and this version are different (EX01 and EX01Moo1). That said, I waited for the AI features and then lost patience due to the delay. Therefore, there is no overview of any AI features in this review.
some ui inconsistencies
I raised this issue in myself android 15 review And I feel the same with OxygenOS 15. There are inconsistencies in the UI, starting with what you might have guessed are the icons. I love Material U but it puzzles me how brands have it Still haven’t figured out how to deal with the icons Which doesn’t optimize it. Google’s Force Adapt solution is nowhere to be found and the same goes for most OEMs except for monochrome icons of nothing.
next is Suggested Apps Speciality There is really something wrong with the algorithm of the feature in OnePlus Launcher because it Shows the same set of apps Frequently. In my case, Gmail, Chrome, WhatsApp, and the Play Store have been stuck there for ages, and it doesn’t suggest apps based on time or recently used.
As much as I love using Global Search, I fail to understand why OnePlus hasn’t integrated it into the launcher. Its A separate app that doesn’t optimize It’s in line with the device theme and feels like an extension (which it is) rather than being part of the OS. As someone who has recently started using an iPhone 14 Plus on a daily basis for a change, I can see myself using the swipe-down gesture on the home screen to bring up Global Search but the experience feels poor. Is.
I’m convinced OnePlus hates media players
Seeing Samsung put out an excellent looking media player on One UI 7 beta makes me hate OnePlus’ lock screen media player. there is no search barIt’s extremely difficult to hit the Next Back and Play buttons correctly, and it’s 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 feedback on this version.
Liquid cloud is an untapped potential
I would love to have the Fluid Cloud feature. This tackles the inconvenience of opening quick settings to skip track or check notifications related to time-related activities like Swiggy or Zomato. It was introduced in OxygenOS 14 and my gripe with it is that it still doesn’t have many features. The music playback tablet only appears to have one with Spotify, personal hotspot, screen recording and a timer, and that’s about it. Right now, liquid clouds are very limited.
Lacks third-party app support And I don’t blame OnePlus entirely. Support for ongoing activities is absent from Android overall, but the good news is that Google is developing a rich ongoing notification API in Android 16, which will help app developers support features like Fluid Cloud. This way, we can see notifications from more third-party apps like Google Maps, YouTube Music, Calendar, and other time-sensitive apps that make full use of Fluid Cloud.
some minor complaints
This may be considered a small fault but one of my first problems with the new customization options is the depth effect. It is limited in the sense that you have to find the right wallpaper with the character’s head starting from the middle of the screen for the effect to work. And it is not supported on live wallpapers which is a bummer.
Also, I wish there was an option that would minimize notifications as bubbles on the lockscreen. This will clear pending notifications and new customizations with depth effects will always be visible. Kinda like how Moto does it. Google may bring it to Pixels in Android 16.
OxygenOS 15 review: Promising update that needs reconciliation
OxygenOS 15 brings a ton of great changes, additions, and UI improvements that make it worthy of being called a major Android update. New animations add much-needed flare and customization options enable endless ways to make the device your own.
However, the lack of updates well before the promised date dampened my enthusiasm for the AI features. Inconsistencies in the UI have not been resolved making the user experience feel unimpressive. Regardless, OnePlus has done a great job with OxygenOS 15, and while it’s too early to say if it’s one of the better third-party UI updates this year, it’s definitely one of the best OnePlus updates What users could ask for.
