It's official: The next OnePlus flagship will feature unified ColorOS/OxygenOS software, launch in 2022

(Pocket-lint) - Having merged immoderate of its departments with Oppo earlier this year, OnePlus has revealed a small much item connected what this combined Oppo/OnePlus institution volition look like. And a large portion of that imaginativeness is simply a unified OS. 

From 2022, OnePlus volition motorboat phones moving the archetypal mentation of a combined ColorOS/OxygenOS bundle that's based on Android 12. 

What that means specifically is that the adjacent flagship OnePlus telephone - apt the OnePlus 10 launching adjacent twelvemonth - volition tally a bundle that's built connected a codebase that takes the champion of OxygenOS and ColorOS. 

This unified bundle volition yet beryllium moving connected some Oppo and OnePlus devices, and takes the accelerated and fluid elements of OnePlus' bundle and combines it with the feature-rich quality of ColorOS. 

Pete Lau, the OnePlus and Oppo CEO, confirmed this determination successful a briefing with Pocket-lint, and besides stated that the archetypal 2022 OnePlus flagship volition beryllium the adjacent one. That means there's nary OnePlus 9T oregon 9T Pro this year. 

For those OnePlus fans disquieted that this volition drastically alteration the acquisition of utilizing a OnePlus phone, Lau was keen to enactment that the bundle connected OnePlus phones volition inactive clasp that lightweight appearance, but adds to it with much features. 

Because OnePlus users person a penchant for this speedy and airy software, the unified OS volition beryllium customised to lucifer that expectation. 

The institution hasn't yet fixed immoderate circumstantial details connected precisely which elements are changing successful OxygenOS oregon which bits are being added from ColorOS, but the Nord 2 did springiness america a tiny glimpse of immoderate of the changes. 

For instance, the Nord 2's version of OxygenOS had Oppo's camera app and bundle update page, but inactive kept the settings paper precise airy and cleanable compared to Oppo's. 

OnePlus volition besides support the ad-free, bloat-free attack to software, and due to the fact that OnePlus users often similar tinkering a batch much than others, the bootloader volition stay unlockable. 

While the archetypal unified OS phones volition beryllium the OnePlus flagships successful 2022, the unification of the bundle crossed the planetary Oppo and OnePlus brands volition beryllium completed aboriginal connected successful the year, erstwhile the adjacent mentation of Android is release. 

As for older devices getting updated to the caller software, Lau told Pocket-lint that immoderate older devices will, others won't. For instance, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 9 bid volition beryllium updated. And due to the fact that the combined bundle squad of Oppo and OnePlus is present larger, they volition get updates for longer and person them much often too. 

It's not conscionable successful bundle that OnePlus and Oppo person combined efforts either. There's precise overmuch a consciousness that there's present a overmuch larger excavation of resources for some brands arsenic a whole. 

There's a content wrong the institution that OnePlus tin pb the telephone camera manufacture now, with accrued R&D resources and with the partnership with Hasselblad. The second is determination for the expertise successful colour processing/callibration.  

Along with the announcement of its unified OS, OnePlus besides stated that it would proceed to motorboat its flagship bid phones globally, but instrumentality a much fine-tuned attack to its much affordable devices. 

That means we're apt to spot antithetic mid-range devices successful antithetic regions, akin to however we already spot it with the Nord, R-series and N-series phones. 

The large quality present is that by the extremity of 2022, each OnePlus and Oppo phones volition beryllium moving - fundamentally - the aforesaid unified OS, but that determination volition inactive beryllium immoderate differences tuned to the expectations of those who bargain products from the antithetic brands. 

Writing by Cam Bunton. Originally published connected 20 September 2021.