Following the separation with Cyanogen Inc. The Chinese manufacturer OnePlus has actively sought to develop their own firmware based on Android, and their efforts have led to the creation of two ROMs: Hydrogen OS and Oxygen OS . The first, Hydrogen OS, is for the Chinese market, while the second, Oxygen OS, is used on the “Western” devices.
This tutorial will teach you how to transition from the Hydrogen OS to Oxygen which would be useful for anyone who bought the Chinese variant of the Oneplus 2. The procedure is extremely simple and consists of only three steps. If you have problems or concerns please use the comment section to ask for help.
OnePlus 2 European Vs OnePlus 2 Chinese
OnePlus 2 European version
- GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz
- WCDMA: Bands 1/2/5/8
- FDD-LTE: Bands 1 / 3 / 5 / 7 / 8 / 20
- TDD-LTE: Bands 38/40/41
OnePlus 2 Chinese Version
- GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz
- WCDMA: 1/2/5/8 TD-SCDMA: 34/39
- TDD-LTE: 38/39/40/41
- FDD-LTE: 1 / 3.7
The main difference between the two variants lies in support for 4G LTE frequencies. In the European OnePlus 2 we find support for the bands 3, 7:20 which are those used by the various operators in Europe, while in the Chinese variant there is no support for the 20 to 800 MHz band used primarily by operators providing support to rural areas, So buying OnePlus 2 from a Chinese retailer you can not hope for a full compatibility of 4G in Europe, a problem which the OnePlus One had last year.
In summary the main differences are the absence of the 20 LTE band and the inability to use dual SIM in the Chinese version, things that are negligible for some but important for others. So the choice is up to you, the important thing is to be aware.
Switching from Hydrogen OS to Oxygen OS
Needed:
- (Optional) Backup
- Battery above 60%
- Oxygen OS OTA zip
Guide: How to replace Hydrogen OS with Oxygen OS on your Chinese Oneplus Two
- Download the zip. Connect the OnePlus 2 to PC and transfer the file to the external memory.
- Turn off your phone and enter recovery mode (press and hold volume and power buttons at the same time).
- Go to “Choose Language> Install from SD Card”. Select the zip you just downloaded. Select “Yes”, wait until the upgrade is completed and restart.
If all went well, your Oneplus 2 will reboot and you will have to go through the setup wizard for the newly installed Oxygen OS on the Chinese variant of the Oneplus 2. That’s all there is to it. Most people have reported that the Oxygen OS is smoother and faster than the Hydrogen OS. It has quicker animations and the camera performance is much better.