Samsung often dominates the conversation – and certainly sales figures – when it comes to Android phones in 2024, but the Korean tech giant has dragged its heels in getting the latest version of Android ready for its customers. Google has finally pushed out Android 15 to Pixel phone owners, and now another of Samsung’s rivals has confirmed it will launch the newest operating system in the coming days.
OnePlus said it will unveil OxygenOS 15, its version of the new Android 15 mobile software, during an online event on Thursday 24 October.
Though the Chinese firm has been tight-lipped on exactly what is new in the free update, we have a pretty good idea already. That’s because Android 15 is made by Google as an open source operating system. That means all Android smartphone makers can use it for free, and most choose to add their own design, animations and general aesthetic to their version to help differentiate them.
Android 15 doesn’t bring many visual changes to Google Pixel phones, nor does it introduce many headline-grabbing new features. This is mostly because Android is such a mature operating system, and Google can no longer magic up huge beneficial changes for smartphone owners year after year.
Instead, Android 15 brings several theft protection updates, including AI that can tell if a thief has swiped your phone from your hand. This can lock your phone down so that they cannot access your personal data, including banking apps.
There are also new authentication demands when someone goes to turn off Find My Device or reset the phone, something thieves do to try and sell on phones after they’ve stolen them. Though this of course won’t stop phones being stolen, it’s hoped once criminals learn that it’s becoming harder to reset Android phones, it will lead to a decrease in phone theft.
“As one of the first operating systems based on the Android 15 update, OxygenOS 15 leverages OnePlus’s extensive research and deep user insights to create a new generation of software that embodies the iconic Never Settle spirit,” OnePlus said. “Equipped with industry-leading Fast&Smooth experience, meaningful new AI features and a distinctive design style that highlights OnePlus’s personality, OxygenOS 15 is set to be the fastest and most user-friendly OxygenOS ever.”
OnePlus has notably been slower to adopt AI software features than its rivals, but it sounds as though OxygenOS 15 will change that.
Which OnePlus phones will get Android 15 is yet to be confirmed, but we’re pretty sure the latest flagship OnePlus 12 will be the first to get the new goodies. OnePlus also has the OnePlus 12R, OnePlus Open foldable, and OnePlus Nord 4 that could see OxygenOS 15 pushed out to them soon.
This news could annoy Samsung Galaxy owners, who have in recent years been first in line for the newest Android version. But the company has confirmed that it will not release One UI 7, its flavour of Android 15, until January 2025 – most likely when the next generation Galaxy S25 phones are announced.