OxygenOS 17 could further improve day-to-day smoothness and fluidity, suggests early leaks
Right when OxygenOS 16 has concluded rolling out to most of the eligible OnePlus devices, an early OxygenOS 17 leak from a Telegram channel has provided a glimpse of what OnePlus’ upcoming software could offer. Likely to be based on Android 17, the skin could bring improvements and refinements to areas where OxygenOS already excels, such as smoother day-to-day operation, refined animations and transitions, enhanced camera zoom capabilities, and more. Let’s look at the leaked information in detail.
While the original source of the leak is unknown, a Telegram channel that often keeps track of the latest happenings around OxygenOS and OnePlus phones claims that OxygenOS 17 could bring a “major system-wide fluidity upgrade”. This is a positive sign of how OnePlus is constantly improving the fluidity to not only offer a better user experience, but also to give an edge to other major skins available in the market.
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Firstly, the leak states that zooming in the camera viewfinder is significantly smoother in both Photo and Video modes. Any lag or flickering issues are likely to be reduced on OxygenOS 17, resulting in a more seamless experience. From my brief hands-on experience of using the cameras on the OnePlus 15 and Vivo X300 Pro, the former’s camera zoom animation, although smooth, isn’t as fluid as Vivo’s when switching between multiple focal lengths. So, OnePlus improving upon this aspect on OxygenOS 17 could actually be a big win for camera enthusiasts.
However, it’s unclear whether this camera zoom improvement will be available on newer OnePlus models only or will also be extended to older OnePlus phones. Moving on, OxygenOS 17 could further enhance system-wide animations by making the UI interaction more responsive, and also work on reducing the frame drops. While flagship OnePlus phones are mostly devoid of lag or jitter issues, enhancements to responsiveness could bring a positive impact to midrange OnePlus phones, such as the Nord and Nord CE series.
Next up, the leaks notes that several under-the-hood changes could be made to reduce the CPU usage, resulting in fewer app stutters and system-wide improvements to battery efficiency. Faster app launch speeds could also be in tow for quickly juggling between apps, while deep-level optimisations could be in place for enhanced stability. If true, phones with lower-end or older hardware might highly benefit from this change, positioning OnePlus phones in the upper ranks of delivering a smooth and stable software.
While the leak doesn’t offer any details on the software’s design or appearance, one can expect OxygenOS 17 to bring brand-new visuals and customisation options, as was the case on OxygenOS 16. Furthermore, most of the details mentioned in the leak are to be expected, even though it isn’t backed by a credible source, since OxygenOS’s ethos has always revolved primarily around being fast and smooth.
In other news, Google has released the first Android 17 Beta for eligible Pixel devices last week, skipping the traditional route of first releasing a Developer Preview for developers and users to get an early hands-on. Since OnePlus typically announces the closed beta program for OxygenOS around August each year for its latest flagship, expect the OnePlus 15 to receive an early preview of OxygenOS 17 in the same timeframe. It might be wise to stick to your OnePlus 15 or any other compatible OnePlus phone, for the OxygenOS 17 update could yield substantial performance benefits.
