OnePlus is set to redefine the Android experience with the highly anticipated launch of OxygenOS 16. Built on Android 16, this major update promises a fusion of advanced AI capabilities, iOS-inspired customization, and significantly improved system animations, delivering a user experience that is smarter, smoother, and deeply personalized.
From an overhauled lock screen to intelligent camera enhancements and bolstered cross-device connectivity, OxygenOS 16 introduces substantial improvements across the board, particularly benefiting OnePlus phones and tablets. Early reviews highlight a notable leap in responsiveness and aesthetic polish compared to its predecessor, OxygenOS 15.
Deep Customization: A Nod to iOS and Beyond
OxygenOS 16’s customization layer stands out, blending OnePlus’s innovative spirit with design cues reminiscent of iOS and Hyper OS. The lock screen now offers a plethora of options, including multiple clock styles featuring transparency and depth effects. Users can transform their lock screen with dynamic wallpapers, even converting still images into animated GIFs, and integrate widgets for immediate access to information, echoing the convenient at-a-glance layouts found in iOS.
The home screen also receives significant enhancements. A new suite of widgets is available, alongside the ability to flexibly scale app icon sizes, a feature influenced by Nothing OS. Big folders can now be resized and individually personalized, granting users unprecedented freedom in organizing their digital space.
Intelligent AI Integration Across the System
A core focus of OxygenOS 16 is its intensified integration of AI features, designed to elevate usability. The new AI Writer is accessible across nearly all text input fields, capable of generating text from prompts, proofreading existing content, and adjusting tone to optimize in-app communication. The AI Recorder offers real-time voice transcription and speaker identification for recordings, complemented by the ability to generate concise summaries for efficient review.
Camera capabilities also receive an intelligent boost. AI Scan corrects perspective distortion in documents, while AI Portrait Glow improves skin tones and lighting in low-light portrait shots. Perhaps the most intriguing is AI Perfect Shot, which can fix issues like closed eyes or awkward expressions by substituting faces from previous photos, offering a novel yet potentially uncanny solution for perfecting group shots. All these powerful AI functions are conveniently centralized in a dedicated AI menu within the Settings app.
Enhanced Performance and Fluid Animations
Underpinning the visual and functional upgrades is the new “Parallel Processing 2.0” engine. This innovation ensures that animations begin even before previous actions are fully completed, resulting in remarkably smoother transitions and a noticeable reduction in perceptible lag. Overall navigation and app opening feel significantly more fluid and speedier than in previous OxygenOS iterations, contributing to a premium user experience.
Boosting Productivity for OnePlus Tablets
For OnePlus Pad users, OxygenOS 16 delivers a substantial leap in productivity. The home screen now accommodates more app icons and supports a larger dock, capable of holding up to 18 applications. The innovative Open Canvas multitasking system allows for up to five apps to run simultaneously—three in split-screen mode and two as floating windows—creating a vastly enhanced environment for power users. The Photos app also gains advanced video editing tools and the ability to convert live photos.
Seamless Cross-Device Connectivity
OxygenOS 16 strengthens the OnePlus ecosystem with robust cross-device connectivity features. Users can now mirror their phone screen to both macOS and Windows machines, blurring the lines between their mobile and desktop environments. For Windows users, a OnePlus tablet can double as a virtual trackpad, and files can be effortlessly dragged and dropped between devices, streamlining workflows across platforms.
Underlying Android 16 Innovations
Beyond its custom features, OxygenOS 16 integrates core improvements from Android 16. This includes predictive back navigation, which provides a preview of where a back gesture will lead before it’s completed, enhancing user control and predictability. The update also reinforces Android 16’s continued focus on security, privacy, and overall system performance, providing a stable and secure foundation for the new OxygenOS features.
Availability
OxygenOS 16 is slated for a phased rollout starting in November 2025 for devices such as the OnePlus 13, OnePlus Pad 3, and OnePlus Open. Its official launch will coincide with the release of the OnePlus 15 later this fall, bringing these advanced features to a wider user base.
