Although we’re still counting the minutes until Google launches a stable build ofAndroid 14, other OEMs aren’t waiting for an official release to show off their own customizations. We’ve already seen whatSamsung’s bringing to the table with One UI, and today, it’s time for OnePlus to show off whatOxygenOS 14 looks like. Unsurprisingly, its software is more influenced by Oppo than ever before, and anyone hoping for that to change with this year’s upgrade might need to look elsewhere for their smartphone needs.
Frankly, it’s difficult to really break down what makes OxygenOS 14 tick, in part because of the reliance OnePlus places on utilizing some of the most complicated buzzwords in the industry. This isn’t new with Android 14 —just look at last year’s coverage, which includes awkward explanations of AI System Booster, ZenMode, and Aquamorphic Design — but it’s worse than ever this year. It feels like every change, even those I find intriguing, are locked behind frustrating names that mask what’s really seeing improvements.
I’m not kidding. A quick glance through some of this year’s features include names like Fluid Cloud, Go Green AOD, and, of course, Trinity Engine, which itself is built out of phrases like RAM, ROM, and CPU Vitalization and, returning from last year, HyperBoost. As best as I can tell, these are optimizations to your phone’s existing hardware designed to make the overall experience feel snappier, but it’s buried beneath so much obscured language, it’s genuinely difficult to make out what the company is trying to achieve.
Can anyone tell me what “big RAM” is or does? Thanks in advance.
These are all keywords OnePlus is trying to leverage to win over their target audiences: enthusiasts, gamers, and anyone else not won over by what Samsung and Google are doing with Android. At the same time, I can’t help but feel like the company is absolutely missing the forest for the trees here. I liked my time with theOnePlus 11earlier this year — it’s a good phone, especially at its price point. But it’s using the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset as (nearly) every other flagship Android phone in 2023, which really limits what the company can actually do to compete with other manufacturers, no matter how “vitalized” its CPU is. Hell, it doesn’t even have the advantage of a custom-branded overclocked SoC, asSamsung used in its flagship phonesand foldables throughout the last nine months.
Moreover, trying to rely on terms that would set off red flags for spam on the Play Store only makes Apple’s recent advances in this space more impressive. OnePlus stresses how this OS upgrade can utilize non-descript algorithms to boost your frame rate in mobile gaming, or reduce the heat output from your phone, or extend your battery life by 20 minutes. Apple just put Resident Evil 4 and Death Stranding on its latest iPhones. These companies are not the same.
Those awkward buzzwords don’t stop with mobile gaming. Every major corporation in mobile is trying to stress their respective environmental promises, even as many of those claims fall flat. Samsung has spent the last couple of years pushing its green agenda (to mixed success), while Apple spent an eternity in its last keynote on an overlong sketch starring Octavia Spencer as Mother Nature (I’m still not sure if this was aMajoke or not). I’m sure Google will also devote a decent portion of its upcoming October event to discussing its commitment to green initiatives.
OnePlus, meanwhile, is taking a different route. Its Go Green AOD combines some Earth-focused iconography with a hidden step counter powering a carbon footprint gauge to try to persuade you to walk over relying on other modes of transportation. I would not expect this to be accurate to any degree, but if it makes you feel better about your impact on climate change, more power to you.
Thanks to Ben Schoon for helping me with the screenshots.
And it’s not like there aren’t some good enhancements here, with many of them coming from the core Android 14 experience. Security and privacy improvements like Safety Center or better photo management are both here, and OnePlus has doubled down on these initiatives for good measure. Auto Pixelate 2.0 looks like a dream when capturing screenshots, something vital to my job. Strong Box uses chip-level encryption to (hopefully) keep your password management tools a little safer. And Fluid Cloud isn’t a cloud service at all, but an improved status bar that aims to reduce interruptions throughout your day. All of this sounds pretty good, at least on paper, though again, it’s difficult to fully understand what OnePlus is doing here because it’s buried under so many levels of marketing speak.
At the very least, OnePlus will have plenty of time in the spotlight to show off its new OS over the coming weeks. The company is rumored to belaunching its first foldable on October 19th, while the OnePlus 12 is likely set for an early 2024 launch. I’m hopeful that, once OxygenOS 14 gets in the hands of users, it’s a worthy upgrade to an OS that, post-Oppo’s influence, feels a little past its prime. Unfortunately, the brand’s reliance on buzzwords just don’t inspire much confidence in the future.
As for when you’ll be able to try this update out for yourself, check out thecompany’s open beta timelineto see when your phone is scheduled to enter testing.
