The Design Philosophy of "Road to Jane" Hydrogen OS: Simple but not simple outstanding experience

Five years ago, OnePlus CEO Liu Zuohu once said: "Hydrogen OS does not want to please everyone. I hope it is a system that makes people like and dislike. Either love or hate, never just like it."

　　 At that time, the hydrogen OS was unique in design style, with Material Design as the core design language, focusing on a light and simple user experience. Five years later, today's hydrogen OS still retains its former glory after undergoing multiple iterations of major versions. Simplicity and smoothness are still the core design philosophy of Hydrogen OS.

 Before discussing hydrogen OS, I would like to briefly talk about the overall and brand tones of the mobile phone. OnePlus Technology was founded in 2013. This is a company that adheres to the concept of "will not be done" and provides "high-quality" and "excellent design" products and "friendly" services to users with a "no will be" attitude. Technology company. These persistence and values ​​are also reflected in every product of OnePlus. The flagship performance will not be improved, the hand experience will not be improved, the smooth system will not be improved. The Trinity is what makes OnePlus famous at home and abroad.

　The hydrogen OS was born under the brand philosophy. Domestic Android mobile phone ROMs are blooming, especially in the few years after the rise of smart phones. However, after several years of bottom-level optimization and functional superposition, most domestic UIs have embarked on a "bloated" road, and the assimilated design language has also made users aesthetically fatigued. Hydrogen OS adheres to the following three points: simplicity, smoothness, and reliability. After years of evolution, the industry's leading smooth experience has finally been achieved. So, how does OnePlus do it?

Concise, it is a deep fit with the user's usage habits

　 Speaking of simplicity, hydrogen OS embodies this design philosophy everywhere. Whether it's the lock screen or the main interface of the system, the one-touch clear layout allows you to waste no extra time. Even the negative information screen of this "information explosion" holy place, hydrogen OS has also been as simple as possible, only keeping some commonly used cards. But brevity does not mean "simple", hydrogen OS is absolutely not missing in functionality. Commonly used applications are dual-open, three-finger screenshots, double-click bright screens, and full-screen gestures for sliding back.

Speaking of brevity, Hydrogen OS is also the closest to Android native among domestic ROMs. The reason for the proximity here is quoted because OnePlus did not copy the native Android, but kept the fluency and simplicity of the native system under the premise of combining the usage habits of the Chinese. The most obvious perception of this is the drawer-style application menu. The way of sliding up and down is very consistent with the movement of the thumb. One action includes the operations of unlocking, searching and turning pages.

　 In addition, the hydrogen OS system icons and UI design also follow the simple and clear design logic. The elaborately designed rounded rectangle icons, the clear classification in the setting menu, and the simple large color blocks in the notification center all give people a sense of order in which "there is simplicity in the details". The color and lines of OnePlus on the hydrogen OS are very restrained. The concept of theme replacement is not introduced. Users can only change the wallpaper, system theme color, etc.

Of course, aesthetics is always a very subjective thing. Personally, I like the somewhat cold but intimate style of hydrogen OS. Simplicity means concentration, efficiency and less distraction, which is also the experience that the hydrogen OS wants to bring to users.

Smooth, never a single problem with software or hardware

　　 The smoothness of hydrogen OS is a major advantage generally recognized by the industry and users. This refers to fluency, including but not limited to system, screen, and game experience. However, if you want to look at it from the perspective of the system alone, the smoothness of hydrogen OS is inseparable from the combination of hardware configuration, animation design, and software and hardware. The smoothness of the system requires powerful hardware as the support, and the 120Hz screen is the stage for the animation and UI. All-round smooth experience is indispensable.

As an important medium for human-computer interaction and display on smartphones, the quality of the screen has also improved year by year. The screen that OnePlus 8 Pro uses this time with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz is the first guarantee of smoothness. Compared with 90Hz "leading", OnePlus brings us more "breakthrough and innovation" on the 120Hz "pupil screen". This screen, rated by DisplayMate as A+, is the hardware foundation for a smooth experience of hydrogen OS. Through tuning, the performance of the hardware is maximized. Of course, this is entirely due to the years of technology and experience accumulated by OnePlus in the field of high frame rate, and the powerful strength from the screen to the algorithm, and then to collaborative optimization.

　In terms of software, OnePlus 8 Pro also introduced an independent MEMC chip that was only available in high-end TVs today, bringing motion compensation technology to make the picture smoother and smoother. Not only that, OnePlus 8 Pro also uses the exclusive adjustment algorithm Smooth Chain, from TPIC → CPU → GPU → DDIC, from touch to processing, and then to display a full range of smooth experience optimization.

　Of course, behind the smooth system, you also need the support of powerful hardware. The Snapdragon 865 processor and UFS 3.0+LPDDR5 memory combination all provide powerful power for the hydrogen OS. Hardware is the support of software, and software is the expression of hardware. Only through a combination of software and hardware can we get the best and smoothest system experience. In this regard, OnePlus is clearly familiar.

　　Finally, in terms of animation and interaction, hydrogen OS still follows the "Jian Ping Kuai" style. Based on the dividend brought by the 120Hz high refresh rate, the excessive animation of hydrogen OS is smooth and easy to follow. Every time you tap and swipe, it is enjoyment on your fingertips. Not only that, the effect of simulating physical feedback is also "realistic."

Reliable, comes from the coexistence of practical and powerful

　　As an important electronic product that is indispensable in our daily life, mobile phones undertake multiple functions such as communication, payment, and photography. In our lives, our dependence on mobile phones is also increasing. "Reliable" is actually the highest evaluation of a mobile phone. We can look at the reliability here from two points. The first is practical. Earlier we mentioned that OnePlus has followed the "simple" tenet in design and function, but this does not mean that OnePlus is lacking in functionality.

Whether it is NFC payment or game mode, or meditation mode and reading mode, this unique function, hydrogen OS has been considered for users. The second is powerful. 5G+Wi-Fi 6, global dark theme, and car voice assistant, etc., together form a complete and powerful functional system. If you list the update of the hydrogen OS in a timeline, you will find that one addition has always been very "fine" in the "addition and subtraction".



　The meditation mode and the reading mode are the two “additions” that are very bold but well applauded. Supporting black and white reading mode is a new idea proposed by OnePlus for pure reading scenarios. Using gray-scale mapping and scientifically adjusting 7 parameters such as clarity and saturation, the reading experience of e-paper books was simulated. 

The meditation model is a challenge for OnePlus to "mobile phone dependence" in today's society. It helps you to open up a pure land in a troubled world, cut off the sound of the outside world, and let you concentrate on the things in front of you. This kind of logic of "everything you have, all you need to cut off" is the fundamental reason why OnePlus can give users a sense of "no burden".

Of course, as Liu Zuohu said, hydrogen OS cannot meet all the needs of everyone, but most of those who have used and experienced hydrogen OS will feel its charm, and thus fall in love with this seemingly simple but never Monotonous ROM. A 90-point product wants to cater to 100% of users; while a 100-point product wants to achieve the ultimate 90% of users. Since everyone can't love, why not retain some personality and little rebellion. The "paranoia" and perseverance of these details may be the secret of hydrogen OS to capture countless users.