OnePlus announced its new AI strategy, “personal intelligence,” on Monday. This strategy aims to create a deeply personalised AI experience integrated into smartphones. This initiative will debut with the OnePlus 13s, featuring innovative hardware and software designed to make AI a natural part of users’ daily lives.
OnePlus: a company built on Innovation and user focus
OnePlus, established in December 2013, by former Oppo executives Pete Lau and Carl Pei, rapidly became a competitor in the smartphone market. Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, the company set out to deliver premium-quality smartphones at lower prices, driven by the slogan “Never Settle.” This philosophy reflects OnePlus’s commitment to never compromise on user experience or product quality.
OnePlus’s first phone, the OnePlus One, launched in 2014 with Cyanogen OS, targeting tech-savvy users who valued performance and customization. The company grew rapidly, expanding globally and developing its Android-based OxygenOS to enhance user experience. While Oppo Electronics is OnePlus’s major investor and shares manufacturing resources, OnePlus maintains its independent operations, focusing on high-quality, user-friendly designs inspired by the “Muji of tech” concept.
OnePlus 13s replaces the alert slider with an AI-focused “Plus Key”
The centerpiece of OnePlus’s AI strategy is the Plus Key, a new physical button replacing the traditional alert slider on the OnePlus 13s. This key is a direct gateway to AI Plus Mind, an intelligent assistant that intelligently captures and organizes on-screen content. Unlike ordinary screenshots, AI Plus Mind extracts essential details such as schedules, reservations, and articles, storing them in a “Mind Space” for easy retrieval through natural language queries.
Director of OxygenOS and AI Strategy Arthur Lam explained, “Our mission for OnePlus AI is to help users go All In On Life by creating AI experiences tailored to their needs.” This personalized AI boosts productivity and creativity by adapting to individual habits and preferences.
Additional AI features include AI VoiceScribe, which summarizes and translates calls on apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, and AI Call Assistant, offering real-time translation and call summaries. Photo enhancements like AI Best Face 2.0 correct facial expressions in group photos, while AI Reframe suggests creative cropping to improve images.
OnePlus charts three-stage AI future
OnePlus’s AI rollout follows a three-stage plan. The current phase introduces AI Plus Mind and Mind Space. The next phase will embed a large language model (LLM) to develop a personalized AI “persona” that deeply understands user behavior. The final phase aims to deliver a fully agentic AI assistant capable of autonomously managing daily tasks.
Security is a priority: most AI processes run on-device to protect privacy, while heavier tasks use a Private Computing Cloud with encrypted data handling via a Trusted Execution Environment. This hybrid approach safeguards user data during processing and transmission.
The OnePlus 13s, launching June 5, 2025, will be the first device to showcase this AI strategy. Plans are to expand features to other models and integrate Google’s Gemini AI for real-time interaction with camera and screen content.
Combining its history of innovation and user-centric design with cutting-edge AI, OnePlus aims to redefine the smartphone experience, making AI a personalized, indispensable assistant for every user.