OxygenOS released but don’t forget about alternatives
This article was intended to be a quick review of the new OxygenOS ROM for the OnePlus One. By now, those that own the device have tested it for themselves or watched countless YouTube videos or community posts regarding the release. I’m happy to share my 2 cents here too, but, I also want to share some alternatives in different flavours… If you’ve flashed the build, this means you’ve gone ahead and unlocked the bootloader yourself, flashed a custom recovery and should be capable enough to know how to get around. (This brings me to a point that has been bugging me for ages. Why is there so much moaning and growning around the internet when there is and has been multiple choices to be on Android 5 Lollipop since a week or two after the update became available. OnePlus provided every user an option to install custom software by letting us unlock the bootloader easily. If updating was/ is so important there’s always options)
Some people would rather shout on the internet than do something about it themselves?
(My personal opinion, I don’t speak for DroidHorizon as a site. Maybe the rest of the team might disagree)
OxygenOS
The new operating system from OnePlus, based on Android 5.0.2 OxygenOS is light and essential with subtle, useful features. This is just a beginning; a platform on which we will build, together.
Having flashed the official ROM on Saturday morning (UK time) and when I was back up and running, the OnePlus One on OxygenOS did indeed feel faster. (Placebo or fresh install, I’m not sure.) The little enhancements in the graphic above are nice to use and work well. The ROM it’s self is so close to stock that even I missed a few features that I’ve gotten used to on custom builds. A solid first release by the company just lacking a little with added extras and the missing camera app, libs and drivers. Battery life wasn’t as great as I was used to either with Play Services drinking up all my juice.
CM12S is coming very very soon (TM).
Android Central have had hands-on time with official CM12S. This update will be available Over The Air in the next few days and even to Indian users as Carl Pei has said on Twitter. “This update brings all of the Lollipop goodness with a few extra Cyanogen bits tossed in, and the end result is a decent step forward for all OnePlus users,” says Russell. It’s still unknown what happens after the OTA, will Cyanogen actively update, squash bugs and add new features. Is this an update to satisfy the masses after broken promises?
This brings me to what I honestly would describe as active development. Here are a few custom ROMs in no particular order.,
- BlissPop, One of the most highly customizable ROMs that you can install on your mobile device,
and you will have a truly blissful experience. CM12 based, with some features added in, and we (they) will continue to update features as they become available. - TugaPower, A Very Fluid/Maturing/Active Lollipop ROM for OnePlusOne. Updated every few days or when great new features become available, built from CM12.1
- Team Exodus, An open-source project coded by professional level developers, focusing on improved versions of common features and improvements found in the open-source community while bringing new improvements and original coding with the highest standards.
- Dirty Unicorns unofficial. A project that started out with no name. It was a project that was first created based off AOKP back in the early days of Jelly Bean because of curiosity. In the early days, it was just a one man show on one device (EVO 3D). However, many others have joined the project since and it has grown a lot.
It’s obvious by now that there are choices. Maybe our readers use a ROM that should be on this list. By all means let us know and we’ll add it..
