Hydrogen OS 3.0 is now officially available for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, bringing along Android 7.0 Nougat with it. OnePlus is now allowing users to flash the ROM on their device, and there is already a tutorial and download links on the OnePlus forum for it. The download file weighs in at 1.2GB and varies slightly from Oxygen OS in terms of features. Some users of Hydrogen OS 3.0 have reported that the software provides better battery life compared to Oxygen OS, and a call recording feature has also been included.
Hydrogen OS is the official ROM for the Chinese version of the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, while international variants of the aforementioned devices come out of the box with Oxygen OS. If you would like to try out Hydrogen OS 3.0 on your device, you may install it yourself from recovery mode. It should also be noted that Hydrogen OS 3.0 doesn’t come with the Google Play Store pre-installed, meaning no Google apps are included. In order to use any Google apps or services, you’ll need to download a Gapps package and flash that on your device after installing Hydrogen OS 3.0. On top of that, the ROM comes with a number of pre-installed Chinese apps which you may want to delete once the flashing process is completed.
While Hydrogen OS users are only receiving the jump to Android 7.0 Nougat now, Oxygen OS users received the update beginning New Year’s Eve. The OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T are the current flagship smartphones of OnePlus, and both devices sport similar specs. Both devices come with a 5.5-inch display with an FHD resolution, and 6GB of RAM. When it comes to the differences between the two devices, OnePlus has focused on the processor and battery capacity. The OnePlus 3T packs a newer Snapdragon 821 processor and also a larger 3,400 mAh battery, compared to the Snapdragon 820 processor and 3,000mAh battery on the OnePlus 3. The front facing camera has also seen an upgrade, and has been upgraded to a 16-megapixel camera, while the OnePlus 3 sports an 8-megapixel shooter. In addition to the 64GB storage variant, the OnePlus 3T is also be available in a 128GB model.