HyperOS review: Xiaomi sets new Android benchmark in fluidity

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Those animations I previously called “fancy” have been amped up even more. Xiaomi tweaked various elements across the UI to seem more vibrant and lively than before. Here are some of the other bits I noticed after taking HyperOS for a test drive.

Undoubtedly inspired by iOS

Plenty of Android skins have “borrowed” from iOS, but Xiaomi has a reputation for outright copying Apple at times. The similarities are pretty blatant. While the Control Panel in MIUI already resembled iOS, HyperOS takes it a step further by removing the labels on the tiles. Still, it’s a rip-off well done and I’m not complaining. Pulling down the status bar to open Control Center now has a far more seamless, flowing animation.

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The parallels with iOS continue with the new lock screen customisation options. HyperOS offers three styles: Classic, Magazine, and Rhombus. Classic displays the time, date, and weather. Magazine shows your own text nice and large. You can always have whatever words you want front and center via a long press. These lock screen formats carry over to the always-on display as well, allowing for a smooth transition when you unlock.

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In my opinion, this is the best implementation of lock screen customisation available on any Android skin. It makes refreshing your lock screen incredibly simple – just a couple taps to completely transform the look whenever you get bored. Xiaomi has absolutely nailed easy personalisation.

Redesigned apps & settings

A few apps got redesigned too, like the Weather, Calculator, and File Manager apps. The Weather app has better readability and extra details like Real Feel now. Meanwhile, the File Manager hadn’t been updated in years and was looking dated, but now it finally matches the rest of the system UI – though it’s weirdly slow to launch for some reason. I also love the blurred translucency on the bottom tabs in these apps. It adds an elegant touch.

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Xiaomi also hopped on the custom font trend with Mi Sans, which pairs surprisingly well with the rest of the interface. It’s curvier than Roboto but more modern looking. The home screen icons were refreshed as well – the new iconography has a lot more detail. Settings icons have been tweaked too.

But my favourite change is the new dedicated Wallpapers and personalisation page. It consolidates all the customisation options into one spot instead of scattering them everywhere. Before, tapping “Wallpaper” would open the awful Themes app, but thankfully that’s not the case anymore.

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Some bothersome issues persist

Some of my biggest MIUI gripes are still around though. The app shortcuts menu was redesigned but you still can’t drag shortcuts out to the home screen. So there’s no way for me to add my favourite GPay “Scan any QR Code” shortcut. Notifications are still a mess layout-wise. And the only way to customise icon shapes is by using the low-quality Theme store – a shame considering most other Android skins now feature built-in options for the same.

But perhaps my biggest complaint is the fact that Xiaomi has continued to hold on to Google apps instead of fully switching to HyperOS apps the way the brand does in China for a more cohesive experience. Instead, you get a messy combo of Google and HyperOS apps which feels rather disjointed. I’d have loved to switch teams to the HyperOS ecosystem, but considering it’s so half-baked, I was forced to disable/uninstall (HyperOS lets you do that thankfully) most of them and stick with Google’s more robust ecosystem of apps instead.

Bottom line

So far only the Xiaomi 13 Pro in India has HyperOS in a limited rollout, with plans to bring it to the Pad 6 soon. Eligibility is simple to register – any phone launched with Android 12 or above gets HyperOS and Android 14, with some exceptions. I hope all the optimisation Xiaomi touted for HyperOS means they’ll finally stop limiting software based on price tiers. Smoothness and features should be consistent across the lineup.