After thirteen years, we’re preparing to say farewell to MIUI, with the new Xiaomi HyperOS Android skin replacing the brand’s divisive software. While the hardware of Xiaomi devices makes it one of the best smartphone manufacturers in the market, many find that the MIUI skin is holding the company back, predominantly due to a paradoxical desire to recreate the feel of iOS while somehow being much less user-friendly in practice. Considering how clear it is that the brand wants to expand outside of China, it feels like an intelligent decision to make the change.
While we still don’t have an official date or rollout period for HyperOS, we know it’s coming alongside the upcoming Xiaomi 14 series before rolling out across devices from our list of the best Xiaomi phones as an MIUI replacement. This new software isn’t just for smartphones, though, with the manufacturer also planning on integrating HyperOS across its range of consumer electronics. That range is far more substantial in China right now, but it does open the possibility for more integration with smart home and tablet releases in the future.
Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun uploaded a post to Weibo to unveil the Xiaomi HyperOS skin while simultaneously paying tribute to MIUI’s thirteen years of service. While the CEO revealed quite a lot of detail over a series of posts, the most interesting point is that production is officially underway on the Xiaomi 14 series with the HyperOS skin on board, so it wouldn’t surprise us to see more announcements soon about a potential release date for both the device and the Android skin.
However, we’re not anticipating an overnight disappearance of MIUI, with Lei Jun describing the sunsetting of the software as a “gradual farewell” for the skin. This leaves us wondering just how long the process might take and how compatible the new skin might be with older Xiaomi phones. We’ve seen developers aim too high with new software updates before, rendering older devices almost useless, but we’re sure that the team at Xiaomi has this in mind while announcing the new Android skin.
With that, you’re up to date on the news that the Xiaomi HyperOS Android skin is coming to replace the aging MIUI software. For more from this brand, be sure to check out our Xiaomi 13T Pro review, or set your sights on some other fantastic devices with our guides to the best Samsung phones and the best OnePlus phones.