Xiaomi bid farewell to its long love “MIUI” and introduced the HyperOS back in October 2023. However, it continued to carry the essence of MIUI with a similar UI interface and elements. And then came HyperOS 2.0 which brings some improvements and I have been testing this interface for the past two months. So, in their HyperOS 2.0 review article, I’ll be sharing all my experiences including what’s changed and what’s has gotten better.
HyperOS 2.0 Review:
Before heading in, let me tell you that I have been testing the HyperOS 2 on the Xiaomi 15, which is a Chinese unit, actually. And usually, Chinese ROMs on Xiaomi phones are a bit more optimized than the global and Indian versions. Plus, it’s a flagship phone with the latest and greatest Snapdragon Elite, contributing to an even smoother experience.
Some Refreshes and Animations on the UI
Okay, let me first address the changes on the UI side. The default icons on the new HyperOS 2.0 are not that different from the HyperOS 1. However, if you pull the notification panel down, the animation is new and it feels smoother on the new version. While the toggles are more or less the same. If you expand the volume control panels, it longer covers the entire screen now. Which is actually a very thoughtful move by Xiaomi.
Likewise, opening and closing apps now come with a subtle background blur effect. Scrolling in the settings has a bouncy animation, making it feel more smoother than before. Furthermore, the charging animation comes with a ripple effect. As Xiaomi 15 is a flagship phone, everything feels very fast. While its midrange siblings might not be as smooth when the HyperOS 2.0 update arrives. Still, the core features, UI changes, and animations are gonna be there. So, I can say, that although there are not many cosmetic changes, you’ll get to see slightly better animation on your Xiaomi/Redmi phone regardless of the price.
Home Screen Layout
Talking of the home screen, you now get the new soft screen wallpapers which are just slightly altered from the HyperOS’s selections. Meanwhile, the Super Wallpapers from MIUI are here to stay and I’m actually not a big fan of this but you can use them if it tickles your fancy. Getting back to the home screen, now you can view how many icons can you fit. The customization settings are new and you get the new 4×7 and 5×9 options. So you can set it standard it dense, the choice is yours!
Well, on the widget panel side, things are almost the same. But now, you can set up to 12 photos for the gallery widget, that too by adding a depth effect for some coolness.
System App Improvements
Some system apps on the HyperOS 2 have gotten better too. Starting with the clock app, if you set a new timer, now it shows on the status bar which is quite useful. While, the HyperOS 1 needs you to slide the notification panel down to view the remaining timer. Talking of the settings menu, some categories have switched their place while the most notable change is on the About Phone/ My Device section. The Xiaomi HyperOS logo on top now comes with a refreshed color scheme. And below, the major specs are highlighted. You no longer need to navigate to the detailed info and specs section to see the chip and RAM info.
Glamorous Lock Screen
Xiaomi revamped the lock screen interface with the introduction of HyperOS and the newer version makes it even better. Now, I can apply a depth effect not only to photos but to videos on the lock screen. It currently doesn’t work on every video but on those where it works, it does look cool. Other than that, you can easily customize the text, color, and clock style as you wish. Plus, the Dynamic AI wallpaper allows to turn a static photo into animated wallpaper, with the help of AI. Meanwhile, the preset lock screen themes are now categorized into People, Scenery, and Eastern Aesthetics.
AI..well of Course
I’m using the Chinese HyperOS 2.0, so, AI features are slightly different here. My Xiaomi 15 is offering AI app boost, AI interpreter, AI fraud prevention, AI subtitles, AI search, AI speech recognition, AI Gallery Editor, AI dynamic wallpapers, and whatnot! Among them, the AI subtitles are my favorite, and they allow me to enjoy subtitles while watching content. Likewise, the AI Gallery Editor is also pretty handy for improving image clarity, expanding images, erasing unwanted objects, making an AI-generated film using your own clip, and such.
Other than that, the AI call translation works also pretty charmingly. It can translate a bunch of different languages such as Chinese, Hindi, English, and such.
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Inter Connectivity
The interconnectivity from the HyperOS continues here. I can just tap and see all of my connected Xiaomi plus other devices. If you have a Xiaomi Pad, you can also drag and drop files, copy texts, and so on. I’m currently wearing a Redmi Watch 5 and turning off the alarm has never been so easy. I can tap on my watch and turn off the alarm of my phone for some extra sleeping minutes.
HyperOS 2.0 Review: Conclusion
Okay, it’s conclusion time guys. So, if you’re coming from HyperOS 1.0, you wouldn’t notice a lot of cosmetic changes here. But animation has gotten smoother for sure. And the lock screen customization is arguably the best with amazing depth effects for photos and videos. The seamless integration across Xiaomi devices has moved one step forward for the Xiaomi ecosystem on HyperOS 2.0. The system also incorporates HyperAI, providing intuitive tools for writing assistance, image enhancement, and real-time call translation, thereby enhancing user interactions.
