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OnePlus announces Oxygen OS 13: Features, devices, and all you need to know
OnePlus has offered the Oxygen OS Android skin for years now, traditionally known for offering a stock-like aesthetic melded with plenty of extra features. These days, Oxygen OS shares a lot of DNA with parent company OPPO’s Color OS, but the brand has just released Oxygen OS 13. So what should you expect from the updated OnePlus skin?
For starters, OnePlus says Oxygen OS 13 adopts a so-called “aquamorphic design.” It says the design language is inspired by water and is meant to be “soothing, natural, and versatile.” One example of this “soothing” take on Android is that Oxygen OS 13 will be brighter in the morning and “intelligently transition” to a darker aesthetic in the evening.
The overall design language sounds like Samsung’s nature-inspired phase with its TouchWiz skin many moons ago. Screenshots suggest a more restrained, performant take on the nature theme than Samsung’s old skin, but we’ll need to go hands-on to find out whether this is the case.
Oxygen OS 13 features
There’s more to Oxygen OS 13 than different aesthetics, as the new Android update brings a few notable tweaks and changes. Perhaps the most notable change is that Oxygen OS 13 will now let you make your folders larger on your home screen, also letting you open apps in these folders without opening the folder first.
Another noteworthy addition is that the new update brings more contextual info to your always-on display and more AOD customizations. The former is undoubtedly inspired by Apple’s introduction of an always-on display with more functionality and widgets. Oxygen OS 13 also brings a sidebar toolbox for improved one-handed usage and quick access to apps in general.
There are also a few audio-related additions in Color OS 13, namely support for Google’s Audio Switch tech, Fast Pair integration, and Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos support. In saying so, Spatial Audio requires specific hardware support for the standard.
Other notable features include Privacy Safe 2.0 (an improved file safe), Nearby Share support, an AI system booster, and App Streaming. The latter lets you cast content to a Chromebook’s screen.
Eligible Oxygen OS 13 devices
OnePlus hasn’t dished out a specific release date for the stable version of Oxygen OS 13, merely saying that the OnePlus 10 Pro will receive it “soon” and that the OnePlus 10T will receive it later this year.
The Chinese brand has, however, listed all devices that will receive the stable Oxygen OS 13 update. We’ve listed the mainline devices below.
- OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Pro
- OnePlus 8T
- OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro
- OnePlus 9R
- OnePlus 9RT
- OnePlus 10 Pro
- OnePlus 10R
- OnePlus 10T
OnePlus has also listed all the Nord devices that will receive Oxygen OS 13. You can view the list of supported phones below.
- OnePlus Nord 2
- OnePlus Nord 2T
- OnePlus Nord CE
- OnePlus Nord CE 2
- OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite
One major omission is the Nord N20 that launched in the US earlier this year. It would be a real shame if a 2022 device missed out on Android 13/Oxygen OS 13, but I guess OnePlus is taking the Motorola approach to software updates on budget phones. The Nord N200 is another notable budget OnePlus device missing from the list, landing back in June 2021.