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OnePlus has announced its comprehensive artificial intelligence strategy, introducing a new hardware button and suite of AI-powered features designed to enhance productivity and personalisation across its smartphone range.
New Hardware: The Plus Key
The centrepiece of OnePlus’s AI strategy is the Plus Key, a customisable hardware button that replaces the company’s traditional Alert Slider. This physical button will debut on the upcoming OnePlus 13s in Asia, with plans to roll out across all OnePlus smartphones launching throughout 2025.
The Plus Key can be programmed to perform various functions including switching sound profiles, launching the camera, initiating translations, or starting recordings. However, its primary purpose is to activate AI Plus Mind, OnePlus’s flagship AI feature designed to capture and organise on-screen information.
AI Plus Mind: Digital Organisation Tool
AI Plus Mind addresses the challenge of information overload by allowing users to quickly save, categorise, and recall important on-screen content. When users encounter information they wish to retain – such as schedules, event details, reservations, or listings – they can capture it by pressing the Plus Key or performing a three-finger swipe gesture.
The system intelligently saves relevant on-screen content to a dedicated Mind Space, creating an organised repository of captured information. Beyond simple screen capture, AI Plus Mind uses artificial intelligence to analyse content contextually. For example, it can extract schedule details from an image or text message and automatically add them to the user’s calendar.
The feature integrates with AI Search, which supports natural language queries for easy retrieval of saved content. Users can search through their captured information using conversational language rather than specific keywords. OnePlus plans to introduce automatic content categorisation later this year to further enhance organisation capabilities.
AI Plus Mind will launch first on the OnePlus 13s, scheduled for release on 5th June 2025, before arriving on other OnePlus 13 Series devices through a software update. The company has indicated plans for wider rollout to additional devices in the future.
Comprehensive AI Feature Suite
OnePlus has developed several additional AI-powered tools to complement the Plus Mind system:
- AI VoiceScribe enables users to record, summarise, and translate calls and meetings directly within popular messaging, video, and online meeting applications. This feature aims to streamline communication workflows by automatically processing conversation content.
- AI Call Assistant, initially available only in India, will integrate with the OnePlus Dialer on the OnePlus 13s to offer automatic call summaries and real-time call translation during phone conversations.
- AI Translation consolidates all translation capabilities into a single application, supporting text, live voice, camera-based, and screen translation. This unified approach simplifies the translation process across different content types and scenarios.
- AI Search extends beyond the Plus Mind integration to enable conversational queries across local files, settings, notes, and calendars. The natural language processing capabilities aim to make device navigation more intuitive.
- AI Reframe analyses photo scenes to identify subjects and adjust composition, generating multiple creative framing options for users to choose from. This feature targets photography enthusiasts seeking to improve their image composition.
- AI Best Face 2.0, arriving this summer through an over-the-air update, enhances group photos by automatically detecting and correcting issues such as closed eyes or unflattering expressions. The feature supports images containing up to 20 individuals and works with photos captured on other devices.
Google Gemini Integration
OnePlus has expanded its partnership with Google to integrate Gemini AI more deeply into OxygenOS. The enhanced integration will allow Gemini to work across OnePlus’s native applications, including Notes and Clock, alongside Google’s own apps.
Gemini Live with camera and screen sharing will enable real-time conversations about content captured by the device’s camera and displayed on screen. This feature aims to create more practical and engaging interactions with the user’s environment.
Privacy and Security Focus
Recognising privacy concerns surrounding AI processing, OnePlus has developed a Private Computing Cloud (PCC) system to balance performance with data protection. For AI features involving highly sensitive information, the company prioritises on-device processing within a trusted environment.
When more intensive computation is required, the PCC provides a secure, encrypted environment for data processing. The system uses a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) that spans the user’s device, cloud servers, and data transfer processes to ensure user data remains private and inaccessible to unauthorised parties.
OnePlus claims full compliance with regional privacy regulations, including those in India and the European Union. Data from Plus Mind is processed in the cloud but stored exclusively on the device, with plans to shift more processing on-device as hardware capabilities continue to improve.
Strategic Vision
Arthur Lam, Director of OxygenOS and AI Strategy at OnePlus, explained that the foundation of OnePlus AI is built upon understanding user needs. The company’s research indicated that users want AI to help them work efficiently while maintaining their authentic selves.
OnePlus positions its AI strategy as avoiding a “Frankenstein AI” approach, instead focusing on meaningful, user-driven features. The company’s AI product roadmap outlines a progression from multimodal AI to personalised AI, and ultimately to an agentic AI future.
The announcement comes ahead of the global launch of the OnePlus 13s, positioning these AI capabilities as a potential driver for smartphone upgrades. OnePlus aims to differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive Android market where manufacturers are seeking unique selling points beyond hardware specifications.
The company’s three-stage AI strategy begins with Plus Mind and Mind Space, progresses to integrating large language models for creating user personas, and culminates in full AI agent capabilities that could serve as comprehensive personal assistants.
This strategic approach reflects OnePlus’s commitment to delivering what it terms “deeply personalised and secure AI experiences” through an intelligent operating system designed to integrate seamlessly into users’ daily lives.
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
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