Should you install Android 11 on your OnePlus, Xiaomi, and OPPO phone?

Best answer: OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Realme kicked off their first Android 11 beta builds, and they're stable enough for the most part. That said, you're better off waiting a few days and installing upcoming builds.

• The latest hotness: OnePlus 8 ($699 at Amazon)

Should you install Android 11 on your OnePlus phone?

OnePlus was one of the first manufacturers to offer a preview build based on Android 11. The first OxygenOS 11 build featured the Android 11 dev preview and went live a few weeks ago, and with the release of the Android 11 stable build, OnePlus kicked off the OxygenOS 11 public beta program for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro.

The key point to note here is that the OxygenOS 11 public beta is based on Android 11 beta. That said, it is relatively stable — I've been using it on the OnePlus 8 for close to a week now and I didn't run into any issues. The build is well-optimized, I didn't see any crashes in the week I used it, and I had zero issues with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity.

If you're interested in being the first to try out Android 11 and have a OnePlus 8 or 8 Pro, you can install the OxygenOS 11 public beta right now. You won't need to format the storage on your phone, and should you run into any issues, OnePlus has rollback builds that let you seamlessly switch back to Android 10.

Should you install Android 11 on your Xiaomi phone?

Xiaomi technically has an Android 11 build for the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, but the issue is that it is not a public beta. Xiaomi closed the first wave of registrations for testing initial MIUI 12 builds based on Android 11, so even if you have the Mi 10 or Mi 10 Pro, there's no way to get your hands on the build.

I got the Android 11-based MIUI 12 build installed on my Mi 10 Pro, and like OxygenOS 11, it has been stable. There's no issues at all with connectivity or stability, but I have used the build for just under a day and will share more thoughts once I get more usage under my belt.

Should you install Android 11 on your OPPO phone?

Like Xiaomi, there's no way to get your hands on a ColorOS 11 build based on Android 11 at this point. OPPO is introducing the build on the Find X2, Find X2 Pro, Reno 3, and Reno 3 Pro, but the first beta build isn't public.

That said, OPPO has a launch event on September 14 where it is unveiling ColorOS 11, and we should have more details about a public beta program and stable release availability.

Should you install Android 11 on your Realme phone?

Realme is also limiting the availability of its Android 11 rollout, with Realme UI 2.0 available for just 100 users. The build is also limited to the X50 Pro users, so if you're using a Realme phone and want to try out Android 11, you'll have to wait a while.

OnePlus is your best option for trying Android 11 right now

If you want to take a look at what Android 11 has to offer and don't have a Pixel, your best option is the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. By offering a public beta, OnePlus is making it about as seamless as possible to try out OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11, and you always have the option to go back to the stable OxygenOS 10 release if you have issues on your phone.

The OnePlus 8 Pro continues to be one of the best phones you can buy right now, and in addition to robust hardware, you get the ability to install the latest version of Android at the same time as Google's Pixels.