OnePlus has been doing some really smart things with its software lately. OxygenOS 15 was one of my favourite Android UIs. It was clean, fast, and super intuitive. Plus, it had some pretty nifty AI features. Now, I’ve been trying out the closed beta of OxygenOS 16 on my OnePlus 13s and honestly, it feels like a solid step forward.
The changes aren’t just visual this time. What really stands out is how well Google Gemini blends into the system. It doesn’t feel forced; rather it just works quietly in the background. And then there’s all the stuff OnePlus has been building around Plus Mind and AI, which keeps getting more interesting. Here are my thoughts after having tested the new UI from OnePlus for over a week.
Let’s start with something that catches your eye immediately: OxygenOS 16 feels insanely smooth. The moment you start using it, you can tell something’s changed. Animations glide effortlessly, and everything just flows better. That’s thanks to OnePlus’ new Flow Motion and Parallel Processing 2.0 tech. The names sound fancy, but what they really do is simple. Every animation begins even before the previous one ends, making the whole interface feel faster and more natural.
Visually, we also see a new design language called Breathe With You, and it gives OxygenOS 16 a softer, cleaner look. Rounded corners, light Gaussian blurs, and subtle lighting effects in apps like Calculator and Compass make the UI look alive. I think it looks a little like Liquid Glass from iOS 26 at times, and honestly, I am totally okay with that.
OnePlus has also added a ton of new customisation options. The new flux-themed lock screen lets you add widgets, depth effects, and other tweaks. You can now resize icons, folders, and widgets on the home screen to build your own little dashboard. There’s also a new icon theme called Flux, which gives app a single colour palette. The new app icons makes the UI look minimal, tidy, and also very premium, if you get the right colour combinations according to your setup. All in all, OxygenOS 16 doesn’t just look more refined; it actually behaves in a much more refined manner, and that’s what really makes it stand out.
What really sets OxygenOS 16 apart is how deeply AI is built into it. The biggest leap forward comes through Plus Mind and Mind Space, two features that work hand in hand to make the system feel more personal and intuitive.
Plus Mind is the brain of the operation, while Mind Space acts like your smart digital notebook. You can throw in screenshots, notes, or voice memos, and Plus Mind quietly scans everything for useful information. If it finds something like a reminder or an event, it prompts you to save it. It can also generate summaries and keep your content neatly organised so you never have to dig around manually.
With OxygenOS 16, Plus Mind has learned a few new tricks. It can now automatically create folders or “collections” and group similar content together. I noticed this while planning a small house party. I had been saving screenshots of food ideas, cocktail recipes, and décor inspiration. All of it went straight into Mind Space, and Plus Mind suggested turning it into a single collection. Once I accepted, every new party-related screenshot I saved got sorted into that folder. I even asked Mind Space to turn those ideas into a party menu. It went through my collection, picked out food and drink options, and generated a shareable list in seconds.
The integration with Google Gemini takes this even further. Say you are planning a weekend trip to Osaka and have saved dozens of reels, blog links, and screenshots about local food spots. You can ask Gemini to go through everything in Mind Space and plan the trip for you. It analyses what you have saved and builds an itinerary using that information alone. The result feels tailored to your taste rather than something generic pulled from the internet.
There are other AI upgrades too. AI Writer now works directly inside third-party apps like Instagram. If you are stuck writing a caption, it can suggest one instantly. When reading a long article or research guide, you can select a portion of text and ask AI Writer to convert it into a table or a mind map. I tested it while helping my mom plan her Berlin work trip. I gave it an article about the city’s metro, asked for a mind map, and it created a clean, exportable diagram that I could save as a JPG or PDF.
The Photos app also gets some new AI features. AI Relighting for example, adds a realistic looking fill light to pictures, and that too very smartly. It studies the scene, and also lets you fine-tune the just how much fill light you need. Then there is AI Perfect Shot. Basically, it fixes moments when someone has blinked or has given an expression that's a bit off. It searches your gallery for a better version of that face and swaps it in. The results are not perfect every time, but when they work, they look impressively real.
OnePlus has also introduced AI Playlab, a test zone for experimental AI tools. One of the first, called Party Up, turns a single photo into a short animated clip. It is currently limited to members of the OnePlus Community, but it hints at where OnePlus is heading next.
With OxygenOS 16, AI finally feels useful instead of gimmicky. Between Plus Mind’s organisation skills, Gemini’s smart assistance, and new creative tools, the software feels more aware of how you work and what you need. It is personal, practical, and a big step forward for OnePlus.
With all the new AI features, privacy naturally becomes a big concern, and OnePlus seems to have planned for it. OxygenOS 16 introduces the Private Computing Cloud, which encrypts your data using both the CPU and GPU so that even OnePlus can’t access it. All your personal files, photos, and app data stay fully protected, so much so that not even OnePlus can access them.
There’s also a new feature called Plus Lock, which lets you remotely lock your phone if it’s lost. It uses 11 layers of encryption and two-factor verification. For now, Plus Lock is exclusive to India and will debut first on the OnePlus 15 series.
OnePlus has polished how seamlessly its devices connect with other platforms. Touch-to-Connect now feels faster and more reliable — you can instantly share photos or videos just by tapping two phones together. You still need the O+ Connect app, but transfers, even between an iPhone and a OnePlus device, are noticeably smoother.
OnePlus also says Apple Watch support is on the way. You’ll be able to see notifications, reply to messages, take calls, use Find My Phone, and even control your camera straight from the watch. To test this out, I tried pairing my Apple Watch Series 10 with the OnePlus 13s, but couldn't get it work, probably because I was on the closed beta. Still, it’s an exciting addition that hints at better cross-device compatibility ahead.
I think OnePlus has done something smart with OxygenOS 16. Instead of chasing big flashy changes, it’s focused on making what already worked even better. OxygenOS 15 was already one of the best Android UIs that you could have got. OxygenOS 16 feels a lot smoother, cleaner, and more polished. The new AI tools are also very useful in daily life. Mind Space with Gemini, for instance, has become something I use without even thinking about it, for planning, organising, or just managing clutter.
Everything about OxygenOS 16 feels purposeful. It’s fast and simple, but also intelligent in a way that makes sense. OnePlus didn’t try to reinvent the Android experience. It just refined it, and that’s what makes this update such a standout.
