It's a non-negotiable right now that every phone-maker out there must have a plan for integrating AI into its devices. OnePlus is a little late to the party, but it's arrived nonetheless. Back in May, the company announced plans for bringing its own vision of personalized AI to OnePlus phones, and from this week, it's rolling out to the OnePlus 13 and 13R.
At a launch event in London earlier this year I not only got to see the first AI features to land on OnePlus phones in action, but also learn about what the company's future plans are for bringing more complex and sophisticated AI features to its phones down the road.
With all Android phone-makers increasingly making use of best-in-class Qualcomm chips and relying on Google's Gemini AI, having a strong AI strategy is one way they can set themselves apart from rivals. I was impressed with how far OnePlus seems to be thinking ahead and not rushing into going ham on AI. Its initial AI rollout will likely capture people's attention, even if its ideas aren't entirely original.
The OnePlus 13's upcoming "Mind Space." Katie Collins/CNET
OnePlus' statement AI tool is called Plus Mind, which can save, suggest, store and search based on what's currently on your phone screen, ultimately depositing the details in an app OnePlus is calling "Mind Space." Plus Mind can be activated at any time, either by a dedicated button (if your phone has one) or by a swipe-up gesture. If it spots details of an event or reservation, it will propose creating a calendar entry.
Mind Space is a place to "organize your fragmented memories," said Arthur Lam, the company's director of OxygenOS and AI strategy. This is a hub where all of your most important content will live. AI search will allow you to find what you need without the information overload you may be used to, or it will automatically translate content into another language to make it accessible and searchable.
Plus Mind will debut with the upcoming launch of the OnePlus 13S, a phone designed specifically for the Asian market, which comes with a dedicated AI button (the "Plus Key," as OnePlus is calling it) on the side of the phone. That means for those of us in the US and Europe, we'll have to wait a little longer to enjoy OnePlus' vision for AI ourselves. It will eventually be rolling out to the OnePlus 13 as an over-the-air update later this year, although the company is yet to confirm exactly when.
The Plus Key on the OnePlus 13S. Katie Collins/CNET
Plus Mind and Mind Space: My first impressions
On the OnePlus 13, which shipped before the addition of the Plus Key, you instead have to use a three-fingered swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to activate the AI features. When I tested this in person, it was hit or miss as to whether I could get it to work. There's definitely a knack to it -- you need to start from a couple of centimeters above the lower rim -- and there's a high chance of accidentally displacing what's on the screen.
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