Oxygen OS vs. Stock Android: Which Android Skin Is Better

Today, most Android smartphones in a certain price range have similar hardware. For most users, the purchasing decision mostly comes down to camera and software experience. To ensure this, many phone manufacturers are now implementing custom UI skins that look and feel like stock Android. For example, OnePlus uses Oxygen OS, Samsung prefers One UI, offers Google Pixel Experience, ASUS and Nokia offer stock Android experience, etc.

OnePlus and Google are fighting fiercely in the 400-500 dollar price category. While OnePlus is jumping into the mid-range smartphone segment with the OnePlus Nord, the Google Pixel 4a has recently launched

On the software front, OnePlus integrates Oxygen OS while Google prefers Pixel Experience, which mostly looks like stock Android.

Other Android OEMs like Nokia and ASUS also run stock Android out of the box. In this article, we will compare stock Android with Oxygen OS. The comparison will cover UI, customization options, features, theme engine and more. Lets start.

Pixel Experience and Stock Android

Let’s clear up this confusion before we move on to the comparison. Google implements a few minor changes to stock Android and brands it as Pixel Experience on Pixel devices.

Some of the changes include superior touch delay, squeeze gestures, always-on song recognition on the lock screen, and more.

Most of the changes are limited to Pixel hardware, and software changes will eventually make their way to stock Android. Pixel Experience’s appearance and customization options remain the same as Stock Android. You can expect a better experience from a Pixel device than a similar stock Android phone from Nokia and ASUS.

For this comparison post, I’m using Pixel XL with Android 10 and OnePlus 6 with Oxygen OS on top of Android 10. The goal is to compare it closest to the vanilla aka stock Android experience as absolute bare bones isn’t something for everyone. would enjoy. A small improvement Google has made on its Pixel phones and Oxygen OS on OnePlus phones certainly leaves many, including us, in the dilemma of choosing the best of the two.

The screenshots are similar to Pixel UI and you can expect the same looks and features from any stock Android device.

user interface

Interface design can make your life easier or turn into a nightmare. Unlike Samsung and Xiaomi, OnePlus doesn’t bother much with clean Android. OnePlus’ Oxygen OS mostly follows Material design guidelines, which is nice to see. OnePlus has made some changes in certain areas. For example, the Settings menu looks different.

OnePlus has replaced stock Android apps like Phone, Dialer, Contacts, and Gallery app with Oxygen OS apps.

Google sticks to the proven formula. The home screen and Settings menu with the Google search bar, notification area, and toggle buttons are the same as you find on phones running stock Android. It uses the standard white/blue theme for notification toggles and menus.

Google’s aggressive search bar enforcement can be boring for many. It appears on the home screen, app drawer, feed menu, and multitasking menu. The presence of a bar in every corner or panel in the interface can be tiring at times.

Theme Engine

OnePlus clearly has an advantage here. The company doesn’t go overboard with a custom theme store. However, it does offer the option to change the accent colors from the settings. You can choose from dozens of color options available for notification toggles and toggle menus via Oxygen OS. I love to add and prefer the Orange accent color on my OnePlus 7.

Google has implemented a system-wide dark mode with Android 10. You can enjoy dark theme on home screen, notification bar and default Google apps with a simple toggle switch. Users can also schedule the dark theme on their device. You can always change the look by installing custom theme apps, different launchers, wallpaper and app icon packs from Play Store.

Navigation Gestures

Google has completely revamped the gestures in Android 10. It’s very similar to iOS, with the ability to swipe up to go home, swipe up and hold to open the multitasking menu, and swipe from either side to go back.

If you’re not a fan of these gestures, you can revert to Android 9’s pill-based gesture navigation or the standard Android navigation buttons. Google also lets you change the motion back sensitivity.

Oxygen OS offers a variety of customization options. And that goes for the gesture part as well. You can choose from multiple gesture navigation styles and also change the position of the Back and Multitasking buttons.

Customization Options

OnePlus’ approach is simple. It allows you to change the home screen layout, add third-party icon packs, notification dots, and gestures. I appreciate how the company allows you to apply third party icon packs without any launcher.

OnePlus also lets you hide apps and remove icon labels to protect the screen. In short, you can customize the entire experience exactly the way you prefer and want it to be.

Google provides standard customization options. You can enable/disable the Google feed menu, add new apps to the home screen, and turn notification dots on or off. I appreciate that Google allows users to disable the Google Feed menu. Unfortunately, stock Android and Pixel Experience do not allow you to use third-party icon packs from the Play Store.

Features and OS Updates

Google is often late to add important features to stock Android. The company has added Digital Wellbeing to its Settings app. It lets you track mobile usage data, set limits on certain apps, and more.

Google also offers always-on song recognition on the lock screen (limited to Pixel devices), which displays the song name of the tune playing around you. I hope Google takes inspiration from Android partners and implements more features on stock Android.

As expected, Oxygen OS offers a lot more features on top of stock Android. Something OnePlus fans value about the company. A clean and distraction-free look with all the features you need.

Oxygen OS has integrated App locker, Game mode, Parallel apps, different view mode, screen recorder, scrolling screenshots and more. My favorite is Reading mode. When turned on, the screen switches to a black and white theme, which is useful for reading at night.

OnePlus usually releases OS updates quickly, but if you want to get the latest version of Android on the device first, opt for stock Android phones.

my feed

With the latest Oxygen OS update, OnePlus is removing the Shelf menu and shifting with the Google Feed menu, just like every stock Android offering.

Which One Should You Choose?

The answer is pretty simple. If you value features, customization options, add-ons like Gamer mode, go with Oxygen OS. If you prefer faster OS updates, clean and smooth Android experience, use Pixel or other stock Android phones. As for me, I prefer OnePlus’ approach. But what about you? Mute the sound in the comments section below.

Next: Xiaomi is also emerging as a solid player. It uses MIUI Android skin on top of clean Android. Read the comparison post below with Oxygen OS to choose a better Android launcher.