Realme is making waves in the smartphone industry. All Realme Phones come with exceptional hardware for its price, but at the same time, they were running Color OS on top of Android, which didn’t quite suit early adopters.
The company recently announced that the Color OS-based Android skin Realme UI will ship with the company’s new device and will update existing devices. They follow a similar path with OnePlus’ Oxygen OS to get closer to the stock Android look and feel.
Now that Realme has developed flagship devices with high-end CPUs, these phones will be compared to competitors. High-end Realme devices are comparable to OnePlus phones in terms of hardware and mostly differ in software experience. So, if you are confused between the two offers because of the Android skin, read the below comparison between Realme UI and Oxygen OS. Lets start.
Note: For comparison, I used the OnePlus 7 Pro running Android 10-based Oxygen OS and the Realme X recently upgraded to Realme UI running Android 10.
User experience
As I said earlier, OnePlus uses the vanilla Android look and feel for Oxygen OS, something its fans value about the company. The home screen, settings menu, notification panel, and notification toggles are all similar to stock Android.
Adding a cherry to the top, the company has replaced the unnecessary shelf menu with Google Assistant home with the launch of the OnePlus 8 series.
Realme cleaned up the usual clutter of Color OS and added more elements of vanilla Android. It’s a nice change compared to the Color OS days. Notification panel is compatible with Android version of Google.
My biggest complaint with Realme UI is the Smart Assistant menu (more on that later). I hope to see the company replace this with the Google Assistant menu in future updates.
Theme Engine
The theme store is the heart of the Realme UI experience. Android skin provides a custom theme store where you can change the entire UI look with a single install button.
With the theme store, you can change wallpapers, apply new icon packs, change the UI accordingly, and even apply fonts.
Realme UI supports Android 10 dark theme. You can also play with the screen color temperature and adjust it to your liking. Realme’s app is better here. Third-party apps also force the dark theme to apply.
OnePlus does not offer any theme store. It sticks to the official Google offer and lets you switch between light/dark theme. My favorite part is that you can apply different accent colors system-wide. I usually prefer Red or Green accent colors over the default Blue one.
Users can also change the shape of the icons. OnePlus lets you apply third-party icon packs on Oxygen OS, you don’t need to download a separate launcher for that.
Customization Options
Both Realme UI and Oxygen OS are packed with customization options. Let’s start with Oxygen OS. Long press the home screen and dive into the Oxygen OS settings. From here, you can change the home screen layout, swipe down, change notification dots, apply new icon packs, and more.
Realme is in the same boat as OnePlus. You can change the home screen mode, the layout of the apps, add different effects, swipe down gestures and more.
Realme has added Smart Assistant functionality to the side drawer. This carries ads from Realme store apps and games.
There are two useful additions, though. Quick functions give you access to useful tools like browser, translator, Google search or any app with just one swipe. Also, there is an option to add Favorite contacts.
Features
The extra features out of the box are one of the reasons why the majority prefer an OEM skin over vanilla stock Android. Both Realme UI and Oxygen OS are full of them.
Oxygen OS packs native screen recording with audio support, an excellent reading mode (something Google hasn’t added to stock Android yet), and scrolling screenshot. OnePlus offers a special Gaming mode that kicks in during gameplay to give you a better gaming experience and turn on DND mode while gaming.
The company also offers app cloning functionality that lets you create a copy of popular social media apps and use two accounts with it. My favorite function is Zen mode. It allows you to limit device usage and allows you to enjoy the environment called life.
OnePlus offers App Lock functionality which is lacking in Stock Android and something I see regular users prefer certain apps.
Realme’s take on App Clone function is better than Oxygen OS. Not only is it limited to Social apps, you can also clone apps like Amazon, Google Pay, Skype, and Swiggy (food delivery app).
Realme has added the sidebar function that allows you to pin the most used shortcuts like screenshot, recording screen and apps. You can also change its position and transparency.
I love the Smart Driving function. When enabled, it turns on DND while driving, blocks in-app audio and video calls, and automatically sends a message after rejecting a call.
Navigation Gestures
Both Oxygen OS and Realme UI have adopted Android 10 navigation gestures. They are set by default. You can revert this to the standard Android Pie gestures or navigation buttons from the Settings menu.
In terms of fluidity, I must say that I find OnePlus’s animations more smooth and consistent than Realme UI.
Lock Screen Customization
Realme’s app is a hit and miss, at least for me. It offers a Lock screen magazine that changes the lock screen photo every time you turn on the screen.
OnePlus has added an ambient mode to Oxygen OS. It’s like stock Android that lets you browse the unread notification, date and time when a user picks up the device.
Which Android UI Is Better
As you can see from the comparison above, both Oxygen OS and Realme UI have their pros and cons relative to each other. OnePlus has Google Assistant integration and offers a useful Zen mode and has a better look and feel (subjective). Realme UI battles tons of features like Smart Driving, Utility Ball, App Clone and more.
Next: Want to learn more about Android 10 based Realme UI? Read the post below to find the best tips and tricks for it.
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