A few days after the official presentation of the new OnePlus 9, it seems that there is some internal movement in the company. So far the company has used two different operating systems, both based on Android and very similar aesthetically.
In China it is used Hydrogen OS, a version without Google applications and services, while the rest of the markets use Oxygen OS, very similar at the core but with Google dependent functions built in. But that could change.
OnePlus will go to Color OS
Color OS 11 on an OPPO mobile
Although they function as different companies, OnePlus has strong ties with OPPO, from sharing shareholders to using the same production chains.
This could start to be the case also in software and it seems that the company is considering using the OPPO interface in China.
OnePlus has confirmed that stalls Hydrogen OS development for China and the project website will close on March 24, one day after the presentation of the OnePlus 9. Starting in April, OnePlus mobiles will be sold in the OPPO store in China, and will use the same software.
Color OS 11 is not that different from Oxygen OS 11
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Until a year ago we could say that Color OS and Oxygen OS were night and day in terms of how to display Android. The OPPO layer was more ornate and hid the aesthetics of Android while that of OnePlus enhanced and even enhanced it.
But with the move to Oxygen OS 11, the company put aside the idea of resembling the Android of the Pixels and began to resemble layers like Samsung’s One UI.
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In the case of Color OS, the way has been the reverse and by modifying both the customization options it seems that now we have an interface that resembles pure Android more than in previous years.
For now nothing changes in Europe
Despite everything, none of this is relevant for international users as OnePlus has confirmed that Oxygen OS will continue to be the interface of its global models. As stated by a spokesperson:
“We do not have any updates on HydrogenOS to share at this time, but we can confirm that OxygenOS remains our operating system for all global devices.”
It remains to be seen if next year this layer is not basically renamed Color OS, as it happened to realme when going from Realme UI 1 to Realme UI 2, although in this case it is true that the differences were minor.
The entry OnePlus will use the Android version of OPPO in China appears first in The Free Android.
