Oxygen OS vs One UI - A thorough comparison of the two popular Android skins - Android - Canadian apps and news

Oxygen OS vs One UI - A thorough comparison of the two popular Android skins - Android

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Samsung's and OnePlus' Android skins are both terrific — just for different reasons.

There are many folks out there who swear by stock Android. While we will agree that many Android skins tend to be bloated and poorly designed in comparison, some skins work so well that they transcend stock Android to become something even better. Today, we’re going to look at two of those skins in a kind of face-off event: Oxygen OS vs One UI.

Oxygen OS is the Android skin used exclusively by Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus. The skin debuted on the OnePlus One after the failure of the company’s partnership with Cyanogen, Inc. and its Cyanogen OS, which originally powered the One. Oxygen OS is all about simplicity with an experience as close to stock as possible while offering only the most important of extra features.

One UI is the Android skin used exclusively by South Korean smartphone maker Samsung. Most would consider it the third iteration of its original Android skin, which was known as TouchWiz. That skin eventually became Samsung Experience which itself evolved into One UI. Samsung’s Android skin is all about options — it allows the user to do pretty much anything they would want at the cost of simplicity and that stock Android feel.

Related: What is stock Android?

In the Oxygen OS vs One UI debate, you might already know which side you’re on. However, some people out there may have only ever used Samsung devices and might be curious to know what all the fuss is about when it comes to Oxygen OS. Conversely, some people may have abandoned Samsung for OnePlus back in the TouchWiz days and would like to know what One UI is like. Hopefully, this article will answer any questions you may have!

Without further ado, let’s dive right into the Oxygen OS vs One UI examination!

Oxygen OS vs One UI notes: To examine the two Android skins, we used a OnePlus 7 Pro running Android 10 (v10.3.1) and a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus running Android 10 (v2.0). Whenever possible, the comparisons were made using out-of-the-box configurations of the software.

Oxygen OS vs One UI: The basic takeaway

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and OnePlus 7 Pro

If we had to compare the Oxygen OS vs One UI debate to another bout, the best comparison might be macOS vs Windows. While macOS is slightly more limited when it comes to features and compatibility as compared to Windows, it is generally accepted that it is easier to use and more intuitive. On the flip side, it’s generally accepted that Windows is more powerful and versatile than macOS at the expense of simplicity and usability.

If you accept that comparison, Oxygen OS is more like macOS and One UI is more like Windows. If you were to pick up a OnePlus phone and just start swiping around aimlessly, you’d probably think you were using stock Android since it’s so simple and lean. You definitely would not get the same feeling from a Samsung phone as the look and functionality of One UI is drastically different and positively overflowing with options.

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If you come away from this article with only one thing, that should be it. Oxygen OS does only what OnePlus thinks you need to do while One UI offers everything Samsung thinks you want to do.

Both approaches to Android will have their ardent supporters (and detractors). However, always remember that not everyone uses their smartphone the way you do and some people might appreciate the other system more than the one you prefer!

With all that in mind, let’s break down the major aspects of an Android skin and look at Oxygen OS vs One UI in each one!

Ambient display

: One UI Ambient Display

: One UI Ambient Display Clock Options

: One UI Ambient Display Settings

: Oxygen OS Ambient Display

: Oxygen OS Clock Options

: Oxygen OS Ambient Display Settings

By default, both Samsung and OnePlus offer up pretty much the same thing here. If you don’t have any notifications, the ambient display will show you the time, date, and your current battery level. If you have some notifications, the related icons will show up here, too.

The major difference is the options you have for customizing the ambient display. OnePlus offers a total of four options: the default (as shown above), the same thing but with an analog clock instead of the four numbers, just the analog clock, or nothing at all.

Related: OnePlus finally commits to delivering an always-on display

Meanwhile, Samsung offers tons of options here. Not only does One UI come with nearly a dozen built-in layouts from which you can pick, but you can also download even more from the Galaxy Store. Additionally, you can choose the fonts and colors of each aspect of the ambient display screen.

On a related note, One UI also offers an always-on display (AOD), which is off by default on the Note 10 Plus. This is similarly customizable if you choose to activate it. So far, Oxygen OS doesn’t offer AOD at all.