The dream of a genuinely helpful digital assistant has gained significant traction, especially with the advent of tools like ChatGPT. Google’s Gemini has made impressive strides, integrating itself into the daily digital pathways of users, from Gmail to Maps. However, not all interactions with AI assistants are seamless; errors and inconsistent contextual memory remain challenges. Furthermore, advanced capabilities like Project Mariner or ChatGPT operator often come with limitations or a hefty price tag. For many smartphone users, an AI subscription isn’t appealing. OnePlus proposes a simpler, back-to-basics approach with OnePlus AI, a strategy packed with genuinely useful tricks. After experiencing it on the OnePlus 13s, I believe this is a formula Apple should seriously consider for iPhones.
AI Plus Mind: Your Personal Digital Memory Assistant
OnePlus has made a bold move by replacing the iconic two-stage alert slider on its latest compact phone with a new button, dubbed the Plus Key. Similar to the Action Button on current iPhones in its functional versatility, this Plus Key introduces an ingenious feature: AI Plus Mind. Think of it as a dedicated, intelligent repository for everything you deem important and wish to access quickly. Whether it’s a quick snap of a poster, a screenshot, an article, a social media post, or virtually anything on your screen, a simple tap of the Plus Key on the left edge activates AI analysis, saving the content effortlessly.
OnePlus 13s smartphone displaying the AI Plus Mind interface activated by the new Plus Key, showcasing seamless content capture.
Crucially, this happens in the background, allowing you to continue your current task without interruption. Within AI Plus Mind, all saved items are neatly organized by date and then further cataloged into categories such as photos, social media apps, calendar, and browser. This addresses one of my biggest daily challenges: organizing disparate ideas scattered across countless screenshots, browser bookmarks, synced collections, and self-sent messages. Finding specific items used to be a chore, but AI Plus Mind tackles this with remarkable efficiency.
Demonstration of OnePlus AI Plus Mind seamlessly saving on-screen content in the background on a OnePlus 13s without task interruption.
Beyond Bookmarking: Intelligent Analysis and OCR
AI Plus Mind doesn’t just save content; it intelligently analyzes it, including text and images. It employs optical character recognition (OCR) to detect text within photos and even generates concise summaries. Depending on the context, it can also extract full details. For instance, when I saved a picture of my calendar appointments, the AI accurately copied every entry with the correct name and timing. I simply copied this list and shared it with my manager to update them on my availability.
The AI Plus Mind home screen on a OnePlus 13s, illustrating how saved content is neatly organized by date and category for easy access.
Similarly, it automatically processed my schedule saved in a notes app and created a shortcut for each entry. With a single tap on the “add” button, these were seamlessly saved to my Calendar.
OnePlus 13s showcasing AI Plus Mind's OCR capability, accurately extracting calendar appointment details from a saved image.
The text and character recognition capabilities are also invaluable for other scenarios. If you’re reading an article online and want to save it for later, you no longer need to bookmark it or copy-paste the URL. Just press the Plus Key. The saved memory will include a screengrab, a short summary of the article, and, importantly, a quick link at the top that takes you directly back to the original source. This is particularly useful if you save a lot of web content but struggle with recall, as the AI analysis significantly aids discovery.
OnePlus AI Plus Mind interface displaying a saved web article with a concise summary and a direct link for quick access.
Smart Search: Finding What You Need, Effortlessly
Everything saved in AI Plus Mind is analyzed for text and media, which then becomes part of a searchable index. This means that even if you only have a vague recollection of something you saved days ago, you can find it using broad descriptions. For example, a photo of my brother wearing a black shirt was saved along with an AI-generated visual description. Later, when I needed to find it, I simply typed “black” into the search box, and the image appeared. This functionality extends to tickets, bills, and other similar items.
Demonstrating the AI-powered search feature in OnePlus AI Plus Mind, finding an image based on a broad description like 'black shirt'.
AI Plus Mind also excels at analyzing chats. With work communication spread across multiple channels, I often lose track of important discussions, and the generally poor search functions within these apps don’t help. Over the past few days, I’ve saved snapshots of key chats in AI Plus Mind. It has consistently done an excellent job summarizing the conversation’s context, accurately identifying names and events discussed. Subsequently, searching for these conversations using relevant keywords has been straightforward. Overall, AI Plus Mind is a wonderfully convenient AI tool that makes saving and recalling information incredibly easy.
OnePlus 13s screen showing AI Plus Mind accurately summarizing a saved chat conversation, highlighting key names and events.
The Broader OnePlus AI Vision and Why Apple Should Pay Attention
Beyond AI Plus Mind, OnePlus’s AI strategy includes features like automatic voice call translation, transcription, and summarization. A universal AI app will consolidate capabilities such as text, live voice, camera-driven analysis, and screen translation. Fun editing tools to enhance pictures are also on the horizon. I am particularly excited about the system-wide AI search feature, which will allow users to find local files, settings, notes, and calendar entries using natural language queries for contextually relevant results. Additionally, Google’s Gemini will be integrated into native OnePlus apps like Notes and Calendar.
Close-up of the dedicated Plus Key on the OnePlus 13s, used to activate the AI Plus Mind feature for instant content capture.
AI Plus Mind (referred to by OnePlus as AI Mind Space in some contexts) remains the standout element, though it does raise initial privacy considerations. Its approach is reminiscent of Recall on Windows 11 but is unique for a mobile device. OnePlus states it utilizes a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and Private Computing Cloud to safeguard user data. Arthur Lam, Director of OxygenOS and AI Strategy at OnePlus, informed me that the company will process sensitive information exclusively on-device. While I await more specific details, this is expected to cover identity cards, banking details, and similar content. Lam mentioned there isn’t a hard-coded list for this at present.
While I’ll delve deeper into the OnePlus 13s in a future article, my initial impressions of the company’s AI approach are overwhelmingly positive. It’s neither overly flashy nor needlessly aggressive. Most importantly, with AI Plus Mind, OnePlus is solving a practical, everyday problem that has largely gone unaddressed in the smartphone ecosystem.
Apple’s current AI implementation on the iPhone feels somewhat limited. It often relies on ChatGPT for tasks beyond Siri’s capabilities, and it’s ironic that Gemini can perform better on iPhones than Apple Intelligence itself. I sincerely hope Apple takes note of OnePlus AI and incorporates some of this practical inspiration into future iOS builds.
Conclusion: A Smarter, Simpler Path for AI
OnePlus’s AI Plus Mind demonstrates a thoughtful and user-centric approach to integrating artificial intelligence into the smartphone experience. By focusing on practical problem-solving—effortless information capture, intelligent organization, and intuitive recall—OnePlus has created a feature that genuinely enhances daily productivity and convenience. It’s a refreshing departure from AI implementations that feel more like tech demos than truly useful tools.
The simplicity of the Plus Key, combined with the sophisticated background processing of AI Plus Mind, offers a glimpse into how AI can seamlessly assist users without being intrusive. As the AI landscape continues to evolve, the emphasis should remain on delivering tangible benefits. OnePlus’s strategy is a commendable example, and it sets a high bar for competitors. It’s time for Apple to look beyond its current AI framework and consider how such practical, impactful features could redefine the iPhone experience for millions of users. What AI features do you believe are most crucial for the next generation of smartphones?
