Android 11 on OnePlus 8: Hands-on & the new Oxygen OS 11 features

Google released Android 11 earlier this week and — in a welcome change — a whole host of smartphones are compatible with beta versions of the update. 

OnePlus announced an Android 11 developer preview earlier in the month but has now joined the party with an open beta for Oxygen OS 11 for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. I’ve been running the beta for the past week on a OnePlus 8. Doing this gave me a feel for all the changes coming with Android 11 as well as Oxygen OS 11. However, having run the dev preview released earlier in the month, I had a fair idea of what to expect. The open beta, however, adds an extra layer of polish to the release.

Here’s a quick look at all the new features coming to Oxygen OS 11 with Android 11 on the OnePlus 8.

A new look Oxygen OS: Familiar yet fresh 

I’ll be honest, the revamped interface in Oxygen OS 11 threw me off at first. As a long time OnePlus user, I’ve become accustomed to the stock-like way of doing things. Turns out, most of the changes are for the better. The OnePlus Sans font is the most obvious change and is quite a departure from Roboto. The thinner and cleaner typeface makes use of significantly wider spacing to reduce visual clutter.

As a fan of minimalism, the typeface sat really well with me and I got accustomed to it quickly enough. I went in skeptical about readability from a distance, but that was a non-issue. 

Most of the UI changes are designed to ease one-handed use.

  The other major change is the copious use of white space. In our recent behind the scenes interview with Sam Twist, Senior Product Manager at OnePlus, he explained that this was meant to improve one-handed use. I didn’t observe a huge benefit on the regular OnePlus 8. On the other hand, an even taller phone like the OnePlus 8 Pro would absolutely benefit from the interface enhancements. Having the initial touchpoint at about halfway through the larger display makes it much easier to quickly tap and scroll through the settings screen.

Ironically, my favorite design change is perhaps the most subtle of them all. You no longer need to pull down the full notification shade for access to the brightness bar. A single swipe gives you access to key toggles and lets you adjust screen brightness levels. Perfect. Seguing from brightness to darkness, the integrated dark mode can now be scheduled to trigger at sunset or at a custom time. In other major changes, OnePlus has finally introduced an Always On Display. It’s coupled with the 11 different design options, which gives you plenty of ways to customize it. I opted for one of the more information-dense options. Unfortunately — at least in the beta release — the Always On Display is a battery hog and takes away a significant percentage of charge overnight. Meanwhile, OnePlus has collaborated with the Parsons School of Design for an option that shows you the number of times you’ve unlocked your phone. There’s also a visual indicator for how long you’ve been using your phone.