Why custom ROM users are quick to dump OxygenOS

Back in November of last year, we discussed how Android 9 Pie on the OnePlus 6 differed from that on the Pixel 2 XL, which can be regarded as nearly stock AOSP. While there might be little to no difference at first glance, a closer look reveals that such a claim couldn’t be more wrong. Not only does OxygenOS offer more features that enrich the functionality of the phone, but it does also have some noticeable design alterations. This lightly-skinned version of Android Pie might appeal to the overwhelming majority of users. However, quite a lot of the tech-enthusiasts feel like being left in the dark following this mindset transition, myself considered. So what is it that makes the die-hard custom ROM enthusiasts dump OxygenOS in a heartbeat and flash a custom ROM on their phones? Well, without further ado, let’s dive in and find out.

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OnePlus 6 Review Part 2: Pocophone F1 Performance Comparison

Normally I would follow the first part of my review of the OnePlus 6 with a detailed breakdown of its performance as well as a software overview. But this year, Xiaomi has raised all of our eyebrows with a late entry, the Pocophone F1, to the market of the so-called flagship killers. This phone has had me very intrigued that I decided to pit it against its main rival, the OnePlus 6, in a separate test. In this article, we will discuss each phone’s merits and drawbacks in one of the most important aspects of a phone’s performance: UI fluidity, aka “smoothness.”

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Nubia Red Magic Review Part 1: Gaming phone for those on a budget

There’s no denying the fact that standing out from the crowd is getting increasingly difficult for phone manufacturers. With cheap flagships becoming more mainstream and mid-range phones becoming powerful enough for your day-to-day needs, there isn’t much point in shelling out the extra hundred bucks or so of your hard-earned money on premium devices. However, there is one particular group that will simply not settle for cheap: hardcore gamers. Until recently, hardcore gamers were forced to spend 700 bucks on the glorious Razer Phone to fulfill their insatiable desire of endless gaming. But the Razer monopoly on “gaming” phones might end soon. There’s a new kid on the block to watch out for…

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OnePlus 5T Review Part 1: A solid all-rounder

Silently setting their own trend of taking the holidays by a storm, OnePlus refreshed its flagship lineup with the OnePlus 5T. While last year’s T model brought us slightly upgraded internals, OnePlus has decided to change the phone’s looks this time around. And that’s for a very good reason – the OnePlus 5 looked too 2016-ish for a lot of the discerning customers. In a world where companies almost literally cut the corners to trim the screen bezels as much as possible, the OnePlus 5 touted chunky chins and an outdated design. Not to mention the camera woes in low light conditions.  

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OnePlus rolls out first Oreo Open Beta build for the OnePlus 5T

As promised in the OnePlus 5T’s launch event, OnePlus has released the first Open Beta Oreo build for the OnePlus 5T right on time. Needless to say, the highlight will have to be updating the OnePlus 5T to the newest treat from Google. Naturally, this update takes cues from the previously released Oreo update to OnePlus’ preceding flagships, as well as having (almost) all the bells and whistles that you expect when updating your phone to Android 8.0, like Picture-in-Picture mode, Smart Text Selection, Auto-fill and more.

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OnePlus could’ve added Project Treble support for their devices

Last week OnePlus was kind enough to explain to their discerning users why their current OnePlus devices won’t receive Project Treble support with the latest Oreo update. In short, adding Project Treble support necessitates a free partition, large enough to accommodate the OEM’s proprietary stuff separately, so that the main Android OS framework can be updated without reworking the whole vendor-specific code. Though we are yet to see Project Treble in action, Google claims that this should address one of Android’s main shortcomings and considerably speed up the whole updating process. As an extra treat, Project Treble support enables the enthusiastic XDA members to boot a generic, functional, pure AOSP ROM compiled from source with all ease, and enjoy the next iteration of Android way earlier than the OEM’s release.

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