Daily Driver Comparison: UI Details
Hey y’all, it’s Randy and Abhishek (
@AbhishekS287), two OnePlus US Brand Ambassadors here to talk about Oxygen OS 10’s User Interface.
Today, we are going to take a look at some of our favorite parts of Oxygen OS 10's User Interface (the UI, if you will ) and compare them to similar aspects of the UI on a couple of other phones that belong to our friends - An iPhone XS Max and an LG V30. The V30 is 2 years old and running Android 8 Oreo. It has not had an update in about a year.
We hate to say it but we already know where this comparison is headed! The Oneplus 7T was the first phone shipped with Android 10 out of the box. Reviewers call it the “closest phone to stock android” that’s out there. The UI is fast, smooth, uncluttered, and free from bloatware. We love it! But anyway, let's get started!
1. Home Screen Customizations
Let us begin with the homescreen. The home-screen is one of the most significant elements in a phone’s UI. An easy-to-use yet productive homescreen forms the key in having a good smartphone experience. Oxygen OS offers tons of homescreen customizations such as customizable folders, customizable dock, multiple icon sizes and shapes, layouts, the shelf, and a lot more. Below are a few screenshots comparing it with the homescreens of an iPhone and a LG V30.
1.1: OnePlus 7T - Notice how the most used apps are in folders in the dock or on the home screen. Widgets can be placed anywhere.
1.2: iPhone XS Max - One of our least favorite parts of the iPhone is the lack of home screen customization. You're stuck with default icon shapes and layout. There is no drawer to hide your apps so scrolling through app pages can get tedious sometimes.
1.3: LG V30
2. Recent Apps & the Close All Capability
When you have 8 GB RAM (or even 12 if you are a Papaya Orange lover ), you are bound to have tons of applications open on your smartphone. Thus, it is important to have an easy way to access your recent apps, and an easier way to switch or close those apps as needed. The amazing OnePlus gestures allow you to switch between apps seamlessly with just a horizontal swipe! What’s more, if you have a large number of apps open and wish to close them all at once, you are just a tap away from doing so. No need to keep swiping until you reach the last app.
2.1: OnePlus 7T
2.2: iPhone XS Max - No close all button and tedious scrolling between apps
2.3: LG V30 - Android Oreo rocking the ability to close all open apps at once
3. Security and Biometrics
With great power comes great responsibility - the responsibility to keep your information safe and secure. Oxygen OS offers several customizable security options, starting from the traditional PIN, password, or pattern, to the modern and robust face unlock and on-display fingerprint scanner. Some flagship phones are now eliminating the fingerprint sensor for facial recognition, but why settle for one when you can have both. Never Settle!
3.1: OnePlus 7T - check out the face unlock and on-screen fingerprint reader on deck
3.2: iPhone XS Max - we feel like the lack of a fingerprint reader on screen is a real step back. What if you are in class or in a meeting and your phone is laying flat on the table? It may not be able to see your face at that point so it'd be nice to have a fingerprint entry available also to get into the phone.
3.3: LG V30 - on this phone the face unlock is turned on but it never really gets used because it's slower than the fingerprint reader.
4. Quick Settings / Tiles
With a plethora of settings to play around with, it’s handy to have a quick way to toggle those settings as and when needed. Oxygen OS offers a customizable quick settings panel to have all your favorite tiles together so that you get a super-swift experience while using your smartphone. We love how the quick settings area follows the theme and icon shapes in Oxygen OS 10.
4.1: OnePlus 7T
4.2: iPhone XS Max - This feature is similar in the latest versions of IOS. Our friend calls it “Tools.”
4.3: LG V30
5. Split Screen Apps
One of our favorite parts of the UI is being able to do two things at once. Usually it’s a youtube video in one window and a game in another. The possibilities are endless. Not all apps “allow” split screen but you can change that with the “Allow All Apps to be Resizable” setting in Developer Settings.
5.1: OnePlus 7T - Flossy review of the 7t while browsing the Community App anyone?
5.2: iPhone XS Max - Sorry, this feature is not available at the moment. Please try again in 2017, er I mean 2018, er um someday maybe!
5.3: LG V30 - Android Oreo rocking the split screen apps
6. System Wide Dark Mode with Apps That Follow
This is one feature of Oxygen OS 10 that we barely notice AND really love at the same time. But we may be saving the best for last with this one. Here’s why:
DARK MODE.
SAVES.
BATTERY.
Randy’s has done dozens of tests on OnePlus phones in dark mode and on average he gets about 15% better battery life with dark mode on. With individual apps in dark mode it will be an incremental savings but it’s still a saving! Dark mode takes a little getting used to at first but once you make the switch, it’s cake. Plus, dark mode just feels cool. OnePlus’ Oxygen OS 10 knocks this one out of the park! It’s beautifully integrated into the Customizations section and the number of apps supporting dark mode is increasing by the day.
6.1: OnePlus 7T
Dark mode setting in the Customizations section
6.2: iPhone XS Max - The owner of this iPhone hasn’t updated to the latest version of iOS yet. Apparently dark mode is available in iOS now and it works pretty well.
6.3: LG V30 - This phone has a dark mode but the apps do not follow automatically. However, the System UI gets dark for the most part of it.
Alright y’all. Thanks for sticking with us this far! We would love to know your favorite parts of the Oxygen OS UI. Let us know in the comment section below.
[NEVER SETTLE]
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