OnePlus has started rolling out a new HydrogenOS beta update to the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T in China, and it’s based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Now, most of you are probably aware that OnePlus currently develops and supports two different version of Android skins, OxygenOS and HydrogenOS, while the latter is used in China. OnePlus will almost certainly merge two of those in the future, at least according to some previous info, but for the time being, they’re separate entities.
Android 7.1.1 Nougat-based HydrogenOS beta update is now rolling out to the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T in China. Only Chinese variants of the company’s two latest smartphones will get this update, of course, those that are already running HydrogenOS, not OxygenOS. One would think that the company plans to release Android 7.1.1 Nougat on OxygenOS OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T variants, but that’s not what happened, obviously. In any case, OnePlus said that the update is currently rolling to beta users in China, and that it contains the March security patch. Some users who installed this update claim that it definitely improves touch latency, which was an issue for some users in the past. Now, in addition to that, OnePlus threw in some Gallery improvements, and some new options for the integrated picture editor, which add more image editing tools, of course.
This update actually weighs over 1GB, to be more precise, you’ll need to download 1.32GB if you’d like to update your HydrogenOS beta skin. Now those of you who are waiting for this update to hit OxygenOS beta as well, don’t fret, chances are that OnePlus plans to release it for international OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T units as well, even though the company did not confirm that just yet. As a reminder, both the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T were introduced last year, and they’re actually quite similar in terms of specs, while they share the same hardware design. The OnePlus 3T is a somewhat more powerful smartphone, however, as it is fueled by the Snapdragon 821, instead of the Snapdragon 820, and it also comes with a beefier battery and a front-facing fingerprint scanner. It’s also worth mentioning that OnePlus started rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat to OxygenOS-based OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T smartphones a while back, so it should be available for your device, if you haven’t updated yet.