OnePlus Previews Software Changes Coming in the OnePlus 6T

In an internal interview, OnePlus is promising a lot of changes to the software that will ship in the firm’s next flagship. As you may know, OnePlus uses an optimized version of Android called OxygenOS.

“We’re working on a ton of exciting stuff for the OnePlus 6T,” OnPlus user experience lead Crayon Hsieh said in an interview on the OnePlus website. “We’ve got a whole new UI coming up that you will have to experience for yourself to really understand. Our goal was to express the OnePlus design language in our UI, making this the most distinct and intuitive version of OxygenOS yet.”

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OnePlus will launch the 6T on Tuesday, October 30 in New York City. The device’s hardware design—with a small, teardrop-shaped notch—has leaked unofficially and officially many times in recent months. But this is the first real preview of how OnePlus plans to improve the handset’s software experiences.

Among the changes, Hsieh says, are “a couple of features that make the user experience smoother, like an advanced Do not Disturb mode and new Navigation Gestures.”

That last bit is interesting, as OnePlus uses its own navigation that differs from the Google default.

“We’ve made Navigation Gestures smoother overall,” Hsieh explains. “Whenever you swipe up in an app, the application window will follow your finger, making for a more natural experience. It’s also faster in two ways: with a quick flick from the bottom of the screen towards the right of your screen, you can change between 2 recently used apps. As there’s no navigation bar when using gestures, users weren’t able to double-tap the ‘recents’ button to quickly switch between apps. This new gesture provides a quick and easy substitute. Another thing users couldn’t do with Gestures in version 1 was quickly accessing Google Assistant. That’s why we’ve added a new action: just hold the power button for 0.5s to activate Google Assistant.”

OnePlus is also “improving the camera behind the scenes, so you can expect to take even better pictures.” But it’s not clear if that means improvements to the camera hardware or software. Given my experiences—the camera is the OnePlus 6’s main weakness compared to other modern smartphone flagships—I’m hoping he means both.

OnePlus is also performing some deeper-level improvements aimed at making the device more power efficient.

“[We’re] working on a number of optimizations to the power consumption of OxygenOS, making use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845,” he notes. “One of the things they’ve added is an AI-based algorithm that will allow the phone to learn when you sleep, so it can minimize background usage and reduce power consumption accordingly.”

I’m looking forward to reviewing this handset. If the past is any indication, it should be a standout in a crowded field of excellent smartphones.

 

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Conversation 13 comments

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2018 - 9:05 am

    <p>The AI-powered energy saver is pretty cool!</p>

  • glassman1234

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2018 - 9:21 am

    <p>All I'm hearing is; 'We're looking for ways to make Android updates even more difficult to get to our customers'.</p>

    • MikeCerm

      13 October, 2018 - 10:38 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#352909">In reply to Glassman1234:</a></em></blockquote><p>The OnePlus 6 got updated to Pie like a month ago, and they were the first manufacturer to do it other than Essential (who had it one Day One).</p><p><br></p><p>As a OnePlus 6 owner I was pleased, until I realized that a few of the apps that I used were not compatible with Pie and would instantly crash. Most apps were updated to fix the crashing, but on of my bank apps is still broken so I can't make deposits or check my balance. Also, Google's attempt to copy Apple's copy of WebOS-style multitasking is a half-baked mess, so there's not really any good user-facing stuff in Pie anyway.</p>

  • dcdevito

    13 October, 2018 - 9:42 am

    <p>OnePlus is a meme. Those phones are nothing more than rebranded Oppo phones with overhyped marketing and bad PR stunts. Their support is atrocious, their phones are always riddled with many small but annoying bugs and quirks. And the 6T's fingerprint scanner will be optical, not ultrasonic. I will never be duped by them again. </p>

    • SherlockHolmes

      Premium Member
      13 October, 2018 - 11:35 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#352910">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote><p>And how many phones did you buy to prove your statement?</p><p><br></p>

    • igor engelen

      13 October, 2018 - 11:46 am

      <blockquote><a href="#352910"><em>In reply to dcdevito:</em></a><em>I agree about the fingerprint scanner, they should have gone for an ultrasonic one.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>I bought my OP 6 almost immediately after it was released an never had any issues with it, also not after the upgrade to Pie. Quite a lot of my colleagues have OP phones too with a flawless track record.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>Could it be you just had bad luck?</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

    • Shane

      Premium Member
      14 October, 2018 - 3:11 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#352910">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote><p>I've had a 3t, my wife has a 3t and I have had a 5t from launch. None of these three phones have ever had any issues.</p><p><br></p>

    • melinau

      Premium Member
      14 October, 2018 - 6:10 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#352910">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote><blockquote><em>Sorry, but your criticism doesn't really hold up. Anecdotal evidence is just that.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>My wife had a OnePlus 3 for two years, I have a OnePlus 5, and she now has a OnePlus 6. All have been flawless.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>Of course this is a tiny sample, and statistically useless, but that's what happens when you start trading anecdotes, not statistics.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • MikeCerm

    13 October, 2018 - 10:42 am

    <p>Nice to see they're going to keep going with their own gestures. Google's system is not remotely ready for primetime.</p><p><br></p><p>As for the camera, they just have to work on the processing a bit, because the hardware itself is as good as anything else out there.</p>

    • PhilipVasta

      13 October, 2018 - 5:48 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#352916">In reply to MikeCerm:</a></em></blockquote><p>What's wrong with the Google gestures? I have Pie and they seem fine.</p>

  • rmlounsbury

    Premium Member
    13 October, 2018 - 1:44 pm

    <p>I generally try to keep an Android and iPhone around now a days. Since this is coming to T-Mobile I should be able to JOD to it so I think this will be my Android handset for the next year. </p><p><br></p><p>Though Nokia 7.1+ coming to the states with actual US LTE bands certainly makes me think about this a little harder. But I think the extra specs in the OP6T is enough to tick me over to that device. I've been wanting to play with Microsoft's Android integrations so this should be an excellent playground. </p>

  • grifterx

    13 October, 2018 - 9:37 pm

    <p>I'm hoping these changes are coming to the OnePlus 6 as well.</p>

  • sadare56

    13 October, 2018 - 10:26 pm

    <p>Wow. Nice I am Wondering to Buy. One Plus 6T Because i think It Will Best the Worlds fastest smartphone. <a href="www.repelisplusapk.site" target="_blank">Repelisplus Apk</a></p>

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