OnePlus has officially outlined its strategic direction for personalised artificial intelligence on its devices, unveiling a new AI brand—OnePlus AI—and introducing a reimagined physical interface called the Plus Key. Together, these additions represent a shift in how the company intends to integrate AI features into its OxygenOS platform and future hardware, prioritising productivity, creativity, and data security.
At the centre of this new strategy is a focus on tailoring AI experiences to the individual. “The foundation of OnePlus AI is built upon a deep understanding of its users,” said Arthur Lam, Director of OxygenOS and AI Strategy. “They’ve told us they want AI to help them work smart, play hard and be their authentic selves.”
The new AI features are designed to meet those expectations through contextual intelligence and user-centric functionality.
The New ‘Plus Key’
Leading the hardware side of this effort is the Plus Key, which is set to appear first on the OnePlus 13s in Asia before being introduced to all OnePlus smartphones released later this year. The Plus Key is a fairly big evolution of the company’s long-standing Alert Slider, which has historically offered users quick access to silent and vibrate modes.
Unlike its predecessor, the Plus Key is fully customisable, allowing users to assign actions such as switching sound profiles, launching specific apps, initiating live translations, or beginning recordings. One of its key functions is to trigger AI Plus Mind, OnePlus’ new tool for capturing and organising on-screen content in real-time.
AI Plus Mind
AI Plus Mind is aimed at helping users manage and make sense of everyday digital clutter. When activated—either via the Plus Key or a three-finger swipe—AI Plus Mind captures relevant screen content such as schedules, event details, or addresses, and stores it in a dedicated Mind Space (similar to what Nothing offers on its latest (3a) devices.)
The feature goes beyond standard screen capture. Using AI, it’s said to be able to extract useful data, such as parsing calendar dates from text or images, and directly integrate it into the user’s existing apps. In the near future, OnePlus plans to expand the feature with automatic content categorisation.
AI Plus Mind will debut on the OnePlus 13s, with availability expanding to the rest of the OnePlus 13 Series via a software update. Broader device support is expected to follow as well in the future.
Expanding the OnePlus AI Suite
Alongside AI Plus Mind, OnePlus is developing a broader set of AI-powered tools, covering use cases across voice, photography, search, and translation:
AI VoiceScribe: Allows users to record, summarise, and translate conversations or meetings, working within commonly used messaging and video platforms.
AI Call Assistant (India only): Offers automatic call summaries and live call translations via the OnePlus Dialer.
AI Translation: Consolidates all text, voice, camera, and screen translation tools into a single, simplified app.
AI Search: Enables users to search using natural language, surfacing content from files, settings, notes, or calendars. It’s integrated with AI Plus Mind for more context-aware results.
AI Reframe: An image tool that automatically suggests improved compositions by analysing scene content and subject focus.
AI Best Face 2.0 (coming this summer via OTA): Enhances group photos by correcting facial expressions, such as closed eyes, and supports up to 20 individuals—even for images not taken with a OnePlus phone.
OnePlus is also strengthening its partnership with Google through deeper integration with Gemini, Google’s AI assistant. Users will soon be able to interact with Gemini across core OxygenOS apps like Notes and Clock, as well as in Google’s own apps. Gemini Live, which enables conversations based on live camera input and on-screen content, is also on the way.
Security remains a central concern in OnePlus’ AI rollout. Wherever possible, the company is favouring on-device AI processing, particularly for sensitive data. For tasks that require more computing power, the Private Computing Cloud (PCC) offers a secure and encrypted processing environment. It operates within a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) that spans the device, cloud servers, and transmission protocols to ensure data privacy.
OnePlus’ new direction for AI is about more than just new features—it’s an infrastructure shift that blends software, hardware, and privacy-first thinking. With tools like the Plus Key and AI Plus Mind, OnePlus is positioning itself to offer AI experiences that are both practical and personal, while staying in control of user data.
The first taste of this new approach will arrive with the OnePlus 13s, and a wider rollout is planned across the company’s upcoming 2025 device line-up.
