OxygenOS 16 preview: Will your OnePlus smartphone get better?

Expect the latest version of OxygenOS to roll out for eligible OnePlus devices soon

OnePlus OxygenOS

Ali Pardiwala 16 Oct 2025 08:39 PM

Android is now on version 16, and long-time Android users will have seen the evolution of Google’s operating system from smartphones from a scrappy (and often buggy) system to a refined, polished, and highly customisable option that it is today. Of course, the Android version isn’t the end of it when it comes to modern smartphones; manufacturers have their own versions on top, which come with their own unique features and aesthetics. If you’re on the OnePlus ecosystem, that’s OxygenOS.

We’re still some time away from the OnePlus 15, but existing OnePlus users can expect the latest version of OxygenOS to roll out soon. The OnePlus 13s and OnePlus 13 will be getting is first, followed by other eligible devices. 

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Is this just a version update, or can we expect a bit more in terms of features and capabilities? I’ve had a chance to use OxygenOS 16 on the OnePlus 13 for a few days now, and here’s what it’s all about.

OxygenOS 16: Everyone is into AI

OnePlus OxygenOS

AI is everyone’s favourite tech term right now, and OnePlus is leaning into it a bit stronger with OxygenOS 16. Version 15 on the OnePlus 13 did already come with some leaps in the general direction of AI, but OxygenOS 16 is going in a bit stronger and with a view to try and set up its AI features as a regular part of your usage experience. Just look for the dedicated ‘AI’ section in the settings.

At the core of this is Mind Space, which is built into the system functions. When you’re on any screen you want analysed, a three-finger swipe up from the bottom will capture a screenshot and let Mind Space go through the contents and give you a quick summary. Usefully, it works with just about any app on the phone (it just needs to be able to read text and scan images), and can be useful to quickly summarise long text into short summaries.

Mind Space does on-device processing and doesn’t have access to the Internet for wider searches and information, although you will be able to connect it to Google Gemini. With that in place, you get the full suite of AI capabilities. It’s a good way to turn screenshots into useful tips and tricks, and can come in handy for tasks such as creating trip itineraries or getting deeper insights into technical passages.

Other AI features are a bit more straightforward, including AI writer which can turn prompts into text passages, the ability to translate and transcribing voice recordings, document scanning, fixing pictures, and eliminating background sound to make voice recordings sound professional and studio-like. It’s a useful set of features, without really shoving AI in your face at every chance.

OxygenOS 16: Pushing the performance benchmarks even further

OnePlus OxygenOS 16

OnePlus smartphones have always been known for their reliable flagship-level performance, thanks in large part to excellent hardware and over-the-top specifications that promise longevity and flagship performance even a few years down the line. While a lot of that has to do with the Snapdragon 8 Elite and oodles of RAM on the current-get devices, OxygenOS does its part too.

Performance isn’t just measured in speed - there’s also the perception element of it. While other brands might hide loading times behind complicated animations, OnePlus takes a completely different approach by merging two animations to actually highlight the faster loading times. 

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This was introduced in OxygenOS 15 as Parallel Processing, but it gets a bump to version 2.0 on OxygenOS 16, along with Flow Motion with shows these animations actually moving rapidly but smoothly. It no longer applies to only switching between apps; you can now also see it in action on system animations such as opening  the app drawer or pulling down the notification tray. 

I’ve been saying this for a while - OnePlus smartphones are all about performance, do away with illusions to actually highlight the actual speed of things, and this is one of the brand’s biggest draws. I thought OxygenOS 15 was fast and smooth, but OnePlus has managed to make things perceptibly faster and smoother with OxygenOS 16.

OxygenOS 16: (Slightly) new look

New versions of anything typically come with a new look and feel; how else do you tell the differences? In this case the general look and feel is similar, but you’ll see a couple of interesting new features. The one I found the most useful was the ability to scale app icons to larger sizes, and also add shortcuts specific to that app inside the enlarged box for easy access.

Additional features, design elements, and security tweaks will also be coming to version 16, with a few expected to release with the OnePlus 15 and its specific build of OxygenOS 16.

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