Most of you remember TouchWiz as Samsung's original skin for Android OS. TouchWiz was replaced by Samsung Experience in 2016, and a couple of years later, the Korean tech giant introduced what we now love and know as One UI.
This transition was a huge deal for Samsung, especially given the poor reputation of TouchWiz at that time. The switch to One UI worked wonders for Samsung's image and the Galaxy user experience, which has been refocused on holistic improvements and services and incorporates a richer device ecosystem.
Interestingly enough, another Android phone maker is ready to borrow Samsung's tried and tested strategy and rebrand its proprietary Android skin. Xiaomi has just announced that its 13-year-old MIUI skin for Android OS is on its way out to make way for a new overlay called HyperOS.
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HyperOS could emulate One UI's success and help Xiaomi's image
Xiaomi's MIUI is in a similar predicament as TouchWiz used to be many years ago. The original vision of MIUI no longer holds up 13 years on. In 2023, many Android phone users view MIUI as slow, heavy, and uninspired.
Xiaomi's new HyperOS, which Lei Jun teased on X (formerly Twitter) this week, aims to fix all the issues that have given MIUI a not-so-great reputation.
Today marks a historic moment. After years of collective work, our new operating system, #XiaomiHyperOS, is set to make its official debut on #Xiaomi14Series. pic.twitter.com/bNJqIyD8y0
— Lei Jun (@leijun) October 17, 2023
According to Xiaomi Global VP (via Android Police), the HyperOS skin for Android OS was built from the ground up on “a completely new rewritten architecture” to be fast and offer connectivity across a vast ecosystem of devices and the Internet of Things.
It sounds a lot like Xiaomi is borrowing a page from Samsung's book, which admittedly also borrowed a page from Apple. HyperOS is to Xiaomi what One UI is to Samsung. And like One UI did for Samsung a few years ago, Xiaomi's HyperOS appears to shift the company's attention to performance, fluidity, user experiences, services, and an expansive ecosystem.
Whether HyperOS will live up to the promises of its creator is to be determined. And if it will, it's going to be interesting to see how HyperOS competes with Samsung's One UI. Xiaomi is rumored to unveil the 14-series smartphones running the new HyperOS skin in November or December.
