OxygenOS 13 is the latest Android OS from OnePlus, which is based on Android 13. While OxygenOS 12 was decent, OxygenOS 13 is a game-changer of many sorts. Especially if you have the OnePlus 10 Pro or the OnePlus 9 Pro. Both these devices are capable of supporting the Always-on-Display (AoD) in a manner where your battery doesn’t drain fast. But yes, the AoD function is also available in other less expensive OnePlus phones. OxygenOS 13 looks and feels a lot like the ColorOS, which is not surprising, but yes, it does hurt many OnePlus fans. However, I am not one of them. I have no problem if it looks like Oppo’s ColorOS, it has its slight distinctions, and all I care about is the smooth experience.
OxygenOS 13: Basic Understanding
OnePlus said that OxygenOS 13 is inspired by nature and is pretty fast and burdenless. The clock app has been redesigned in a very clean manner. The shelf has also been modified to give a consistent experience, and the Aquamorphic icons are pretty beautiful. With the OxygenOS 13, OnePlus has tried to deliver the user a faster and cleaner experience, which I can vouch is happening. There’s one issue that has been persistent since the time of OxygenOS 12, but that’s something we will talk about later.
Read More - Top OxygenOS 13 Features to Try Out
OxygenOS 13: AoD
Always-on-Display hasn’t been too much important to me until now! OxygenOS 13 enhances the experience of AoD several times, to be honest. Forget the iOS 16; OnePlus has also made a solid experience with its AoD function, which is also available for devices such as the OnePlus Nord 2T. Now you can also set an Omoji on your screen for AoD. Further, if you have any food deliveries out, you can also see them being updated on the AoD. However, this is something that I didn’t really experience, so can’t comment if it’s good. The best thing is that it doesn’t consume a lot of battery. Especially if you have a device with an LTPO display, such as the OnePlus 10 Pro. AoD also shows you the song that is currently playing on the OnePlus 10 Pro. This songs’ feature isn’t available on the OnePlus Nord 2T OxygenOS 13 Beta. Note that when you play songs through Spotify, you will be able to use AoD, but not otherwise.
OxygenOS 13: Changes that I Love
OxygenOS 13 has seen many changes. First of all, there’s the option to add new widgets, one of which is the custom image carousel widget which can be activated when you long-press on the Photos app. Not Google Photos, but the default Photo app from OnePlus. Then another change that I have noticed is how the app folders have been given a much cleaner look. You can see the transparent folders housing different apps, sort of blending in with the background. There are new fingerprint animations. With these new animations, there are also new sounds, which are oddly satisfying. The notifications panel and settings have been modified as well. It is more like the stock Android 13 that you will see on Pixel devices. You can play around with the colours on the device as Android 13 adapts the colours of the wallpaper to give you a more consistent experience. For gaming, I didn’t notice many differences, to be honest. But that’s not a bad thing, to be honest, as the gaming experience was always good on the OnePlus 10 Pro, except for when the device used to get super hot. For the last two to three years, OnePlus has been lagging in the software department. But I think OxygenOS 13 is finally getting those concerns out of my mind. Things actually are pretty smooth with the OxygenOS 13. Sidebar Toolbox Floating Window is also a new addition to this new OS from OnePlus. It can enable quick access to many important tools and mobile applications. Then there are, of course, native OnePlus features such as the Zen Mode, which I never use, but feel at peace about the fact that it is there. I also appreciate the WhatsApp floating window that allows me to read messages over the other apps and reply to them quickly.
What is the Problem that I have Encountered With the OxygenOS 13?
The only issue with the OxygenOS 13 that I have noticed is whenever I am watching something in landscape mode, whether it is content through any of the OTT platforms or through YouTube, I can’t reply on Telegram or WhatsApp via notifications as the screen freezes whenever I try to do so and then I have to power off the device and power it on back to continue using it. But when the device is in portrait mode, I can reply via notifications very easily. This is an issue which was also there with the Android 12-based OxygenOS 12.
How is OxygenOS 13: Conclusion
OxygenOS 13 is a pretty great experience for anyone and everyone who want to use it. Personally, I have been using OnePlus devices since 2017 now, and this is one of the best versions of OxygenOS OnePlus has ever released. It is already out for many devices, and many are in the beta phase, such as the OnePlus Nord 2T (I am currently using the Nord 2T in OxygenOs 13 Beta, let me know if you want my thoughts on it in the comments below).
