OnePlus has now announced it’s extending support for Project Treble to its previous flagship devices, the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. The confirmation on this came through a OnePlus forum post which was in effect announcing a new beta build for the two devices – OxygenOS Open Beta 13 for the OnePlus 5, and Open Beta 11 for OnePlus 5T. Although, what seems to clearly be the headline feature of the two beta updates is the Project Treble support.
This is something that is already on offer with the newer OnePlus 6 so this represents an example of OnePlus looking to afford the same features to owners of its earlier devices. What’s more, this is considered a fairly important feature upgrade add the sole purpose of Project Treble is to speed up the time it takes for Android smartphones to get their updates. Project Treble looks to achieve this by essentially breaking down the update so those involved — smartphone makers and partners — can directly update just their part. In other words, it applies a modular approach to the update which allows for the main user-focused aspect to begin rolling out earlier than it would otherwise. In this case, the assumption would be OnePlus 5 and 5T owners should expect faster updates in the future. Of course, it’s worth keeping in mind that at present OnePlus has only announced the feature as part of a beta program rollout and therefore the new support will only be available to beta-enrolled users for now. Likewise, this does not necessarily mean the support will make it to the final OxygenOS build enjoyed by most OnePlus 5 and 5T owners, although the obvious expectation is it will become widely available once it has gone through the beta process. It’s just there are no guarantees.
Project Treble aside, OnePlus did also state the new beta builds for the two devices also includes “a brand new user interface” designed to improve the user experience in general. Although OnePlus has yet to really explain what design changes are included and what users can expect. Full details on the two new beta builds, and how to download and install available through the link below.
OnePlus 5 & 5T Betas