Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

OnePlus gives us our first look at OxygenOS 13, and the phones getting it

Andy Boxall
By

The open beta version of OnePlus’s next operating system, OxygenOS 13, will be available this month. What makes it exciting is it’s built on Google’s Android 13, and will be one of the first opportunities to try out the next major overhaul of the mobile operating system. However, while we know OxygenOS 13 is coming very soon and the devices getting it, we don’t know much about it or its look yet.

Gary Chen, Head of OS Product at OnePlus, had this to say:

Recommended Videos

“With OxygenOS 13, we continue to deliver the experience that our long-time users love, like a faster and smoother experience, stable performance, burden-less design, and ease of use. We have also made exciting improvements to better accommodate users’ needs and changing lifestyles, bringing an all-encompassing upgrade that underscores customization and personalization, gaming, and connectivity.”

OxygenOS 13 logo shown during the OnePlus 10T launch event.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

If you’ve owned OnePlus phones for a while, you’ll have your own opinions on how the software has changed since OxygenOS took on many attributes from Oppo’s ColorOS. Some will no doubt hope things will change in the next version, but OnePlus hasn’t shown too much of how the software looks, saying only that the design has been inspired by water, which is reflected in the name given to the new look: Aquamorphic.

Related

A small preview of OxygenOS 13

Renders of OxygenOS 13's Aquamorphic Design
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

What does this mean? Apparently, we should look for softer, more rounded edges throughout, and more flowing menus and transitions. OnePlus specifically mentions the way OxygenOS 13 will become, “brighter in the morning and take on a darker, calmer aesthetic after sunset.” OnePlus briefly shared a few images of what this will look like during its OnePlus 10T launch event.  We get to see a redesigned Clock and Weather apps, a revamped notification shade, and more.

OxygenOS 13's Spotify always-on display widget.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

The only real major feature revealed by OnePlus at the moment is a new Always-on screen that works with Spotify and enables control of music without unlocking your phone and visiting the app. OnePlus also promises updates to its existing Always-on screens with more contextual and relevant information displayed. Unfortunately, OnePlus is adding what sounds like a few new superfluous features too. We’re told to expect a Smart Launcher and Sidebar Toolbox, where connectivity features related to Bluetooth and audio will live, along with the HyperBoost gaming mode.

OxygenOS 13's Sidebar feature.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

On the subject of audio, OxygenOS 13 will support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos, plus Fast Pair and Audio Switch to swap Bluetooth connections between devices quickly. Additionally, Google’s Nearby Share will be included, and a feature called App Streaming will enable screen sharing to ChromeOS devices. However, Spatial Audio will require special headphones to operate, and Dolby Atmos won’t be available in all regions.

Which phones will get OxygenOS 13?

While today’s small preview of OxygenOS 13 is great to see, we’re still eager to go hands-on with the software and see how it performs in daily use. There are certainly some design changes compared to OxygenOS 12, but it looks like OnePlus is creeping more towards its ColorOS aesthetic — not going back to the minimalistic design of previous OxygenOS versions.

What devices will OxygenOS 13 arrive on, and when? The OnePlus 10 Pro will be the first to receive the software, followed by the new OnePlus 10T later this year. Exactly when and how owners will be able to participate in the open beta program isn’t known yet.

In the future, the OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T, OnePlus 9, 9 Pro, 9R, and 9RT will also get the update. For Nord owners, it’ll come to the Nord 2, Nord 2T, Nord CE, Nord CE 2, and Nord CE 2 Lite. OnePlus has not committed to a schedule for the final public release of the software at this time.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Here’s our first look at OnePlus’ next Apple Watch killer
Leaked render of OnePlus Watch 2.

OnePlus’ first attempt at making a smartwatch was mostly a meh attempt, even though it looked extremely sleek. The biggest drawback, of course, was the software. It was essentially a bare-bones software reskinning atop a very basic real-time operating system (RTOS) foundation.
Put simply, it was a not an app-loving operating system and was far away from the deep functional goodness that the likes of Google’s Wear OS and Apple’s watchOS have to offer. The second attempt, which just surfaced online, could atone for those sins.
Leaker OnLeaks (via MySmartPrice) has shared alleged renders of the second-generation OnePlus Watch. Instead of mimicking what Samsung and Fossil have done with their smartwatches, OnePlus seems to be chasing an original design that blends a round dial and a flattened right edge reminiscent of Casio’s G-Shock series timepieces.

The metallic arms extend a little further from the main frame compared to what we’ve seen on Samsung’s recent Galaxy Watches. It’s a subjective aesthetic deviation, but from the top, it seems the arms could offer a more secure grip on the strap attachments.
But the juiciest elements of the latest leak are the chip inside and the software shift it could bring to the table. OnePlus will reportedly go for the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip, a wearable platform that is a familiar name in the Wear OS territory. 
The leaked report doesn’t explicitly go into the details of a OnePlus-ified Wear OS experience on the smartwatch, but that Qualcomm chip is a little too overpowered for RTOS, so there’s that. There's also a separate report from leaker Max Jambor, who claims that the OnePlus Watch 2 will indeed be powered by Wear OS — specifically, Wear OS 4.
https://twitter.com/MaxJmb/status/1723031095896076776?s=20
Embracing Wear OS not only saves OnePlus the trouble of managing an entirely custom software experience on its own — it also adds a whole dimension of convenience for users. The biggest and most notable advantage would be the availability of apps and seamless cross-device linking with Android phones.

Read more
For a $1,700 folding phone, the OnePlus Open has one big flaw
OnePlus Open in Emerald Dusk showing camera bump.

OnePlus has been doing a lot of cool stuff lately. Thee company released its first tablet, the OnePlus Pad, earlier this year, and it just launched its first folding phone, the OnePlus Open.

Though folding phones continue to be a small niche in the overall smartphone market, they’ve been growing in popularity recently. And there are a few reasons why one would want a foldable: a convenient larger screen when you need it and a small screen when you don’t, easier multitasking, and more.

Read more
I tried Android 14 on my OnePlus 11 — and I’m not impressed
OxygenOS with Android 14 beta on OnePlus 11.

Android 14 is in the final stages of development, and its first stable version is set to release later this month. As a result, Android phone brands are starting to unleash previews of their upcoming software upgrades based on the Android 14 beta, allowing select users to try out forthcoming features before other people. After Samsung opened up One UI 6 beta for a limited number of devices earlier this month, OnePlus is giving us a peek at its upcoming OxygenOS 14 beta based on Android 14.

OnePlus' custom Android skin, OxygenOS, received a major overhaul last year after merging the codebase with the ColorOS interface offered by its parent company, Oppo. Our worst fears came true when OxygenOS 13, based on Android 13, was released last year. It received a radical design overhaul that most OnePlus purists deemed a downgrade that made it nearly indistinguishable from Oppo's ColorOS.

Read more