With OxygenOS 15, OnePlus is banking on smoother visuals, new AI tools, and more

Key Takeaways

OnePlus has officially announced OxygenOS 15, which is based on the Android 15 platform.
OxygenOS 15 focuses on providing smoother animations, new AI features, as well as updated visuals.
The upcoming OnePlus 13 flagship handset is expected to ship with OxygenOS 15 out of the box.

When it comes to the Android side of the smartphone operating system duopoly, OnePlus has become a pretty big market player in the United States. With the company gearing up to release its new OnePlus 13 flagship handset, it’s taking a moment to remind us that software is just as important to iterate on as hardware.

OnePlus has now made official the latest version of its custom Android skin — OxygenOS 15. This brand-new version of OxygenOS is based on Google’s Android 15 update, the latter of which was finalized back in early September.

OnePlus announces the launch date for its big Android 15 update

OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15, based on Android 15, is officially launching on October 24.

OxygenOS 15 is a decently big update over its predecessor

With OxygenOS 15, OnePlus is talking a big game when it comes to the smoothness of animations and other user interface elements. Citing an industry-first use of ‘Parallel Processing’ technology, the company says the system will maintain consistently stable and smooth visuals, even while rapidly switching between multiple applications.

“In the previous user experience, when opening and switching rapidly between app A and app B, you will notice a lag due to the loss of animation rendering. With the incorporation of Parallel Processing, this annoying lag will be eliminated, resulting in a smoother, better response,” says OnePlus.

OxygenOS’s visuals have also been refreshed for this release. These changes include refined Gaussian blur effects, a new shimmering interface element designed to “alleviate anxiety during wait times,” expanded and redesigned cards within the company’s widget-based ‘Shelf’ experience, and redesigned app icons.

Another notable addition with OxygenOS 15 is its emphasis on being leaner than its immediate predecessor.

Another notable addition with OxygenOS 15 is its emphasis on being leaner than its immediate predecessor. OnePlus says that when coupled with its next-generation flagship phone, the system will take up nearly 20% less storage compared to OxygenOS 14 running on a OnePlus 12. Optimizations in system size are always incredibly welcome in my eyes — unfortunately, there’s no word on whether the OnePlus 12 or other existing OnePlus devices will reap this benefit.

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Rather unsurprisingly, AI is the name of the game in OxygenOS 15

It wouldn’t be a modern software update without a slew of AI tools to play around with

OnePlus / Pocket-lint

As is customary in 2024, OnePlus has outfitted its OxygenOS 15 update with a number of tools and features powered by artificial intelligence. These are some of the new AI additions being introduced into the mix:

AI Detail Boost: a cloud-based image resolution enhancer that lives within the Photos app
AI Unblur: a cloud-based tool that sharpens existing photos that are blurry
AI Reflection Eraser: a cloud-based tool that removes unwanted glare from images you’ve taken
Intelligent Search: a hybrid cloud and on-device AI tool that makes it possible to search across settings, files, and notes using natural language queries
AI Notes: a cloud-based tool within the default Notes app, which uses AI to automatically organize your written content, rewrite paragraphs, and surface key content.
Circle to Search: a cloud-based tool from Google that analyzes on-screen content and provides contextual search results
AI toolbox 2.0: includes a new cloud-based AI reply feature for generating context-aware automatic replies across various messaging apps.

Putting aside AI for a moment, OxygenOS 15 does bring with it a couple of other notable features. OnePlus’ OneTake is a ‘one-click image matting function’ that allows for smoother transitions from the always-on display (AOD) mode to the lock screen, and then finally to the home screen. The tech appears to employ depth data to create this visual cohesion not seen in OxygenOS 14.

Putting aside AI for a moment, OxygenOS 15 does bring with it a couple of other notable features.

Share with iPhone is a tool that functions exactly as its name implies, acting as a sort of AirDrop system for wirelessly sharing files between an iPhone and a OnePlus phone. On the Apple side of the equation, it requires downloading a new app called O+Connect, which hasn’t appeared in the App Store yet.

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OnePlus also says it’s one of the first Android manufacturers to introduce Google’s Play Protect Live Threat Detection system, which analyzes your installed apps and goes on to block any potentially malicious software from running. Google’s recent Theft Protection feature, which locks your phone if there’s gyroscopic detection of a possible phone snatching incident, is also baked into the new software.

And, finally, the company is bringing its popular Open Canvas multitasking feature to its candybar-style phones.

And, finally, the company is bringing its popular Open Canvas multitasking feature to its candybar-style phones — including the OnePlus 12 — for the first time, starting with OxygenOS 15. Open Canvas expands upon the existing split-screen function built into Android, by adding more intelligent window management that shuffles apps in and out of view as needed. The OnePlus Open and the OnePlus Pad 2 already offer the feature, and so it’s great to see it make its way to more devices.

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The OnePlus 13 is now just around the corner

OnePlus’ next flagship handset is expected to arrive with OxygenOS 15 out of the box

We now have confirmation from OnePlus that its next flagship will launch on October 31, specifically in the company’s domestic market in China. We don’t have an official Western launch date yet, but it’s likely to arrive globally within the next few months. If last year’s precedent is any indication, we can expect a late January launch in the US.

In the meantime, OnePlus has wasted no time in teasing the OnePlus 13. On social media, the company showcased renders of the new device in its blue moment, white dew morning dawn, and obsidian secret realm colorways.

From a hardware standpoint, the device looks familiar, but with a slightly reworked camera module, a boxier build, and updated Hasselblad co-branding. The company has also confirmed that the phone will ship with a flat display as opposed to a waterfall or ‘edge’ panel, which makes folks like me pretty happy. We can also expect the newly-announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip to power the device, which would make it one of the first to ship with the processor.

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It’s essentially a given that OnePlus will ship the 13 with its latest-and-greatest OxygenOS 15 pre-installed when it lands here in North America. The reduction in system footprint size, in particular, is a much-appreciated measure by the company, no matter how you slice it. OnePlus has also confirmed that Google’s Gemini AI assistant will be integrated into the next OnePlus flagship by default, as opposed to the older Google Assistant.

When exactly we’ll see OxygenOS 15 get broadly pushed out to existing OnePlus 12 customers isn’t entirely clear.

The company’s existing flagship products currently run OxygenOS 14 in Western markets, based on Google’s Android 14. It isn’t entirely clear when we’ll see OxygenOS 15 get broadly pushed out to existing OnePlus device owners. Pocket-lint will update this article with additional information as it becomes available.