Xiaomi released the Redmi Note 9 Pro, and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max almost a year ago in India. The brand then introduced similar offerings in global markets as Redmi Note 9S, and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. A few months later, POCO launched the M2 Pro in India, which was basically a better version of the Redmi Note 9 Pro. Some of these devices are yet to receive Android 11 update officially.
All these devices will be getting Android 11 update officially for sure, but no one knows when. If you are someone who is impatient at this point, and want to use Android 11 on your device, custom ROMs are your way forward. dot OS is a custom ROM based on AOSP, which claims to endeavor the essence of Simple, Unique, and Secure.
The project developers released dot OS 5.0, based on Android 11 a couple of months back. We recently installed dot OS on our POCO M2 Pro unit, and here is our detailed post on dot OS featuring POCO M2 Pro to help you decide if you should install it on your device!
Readers must note that this is a unified ROM, so it will work on all five devices that include Redmi Note 9 Pro (curtana), Redmi Note 9 Pro Max (excalibur), Redmi Note 9S (curtana), Redmi Note 9 Pro Global (joyeuse), and POCO M2 Pro (gram).
Android 11 based dot OS 5.0 on POCO M2 Pro: Performance and Benchmarks
For those who are into benchmark figures, the POCO M2 Pro running Android 11 based dot OS 5.0 scored 2476 points in the single-core test and 5863 points in the multi-core test in Geekbench 4. In Geekbench 5 test, it managed to get 555 points in the single-core test and 1531 points in the multi-core test.
Coming to the real-world performance, the POCO M2 Pro with Dot OS 5.0 performed well in day-to-day tasks. We didn’t encounter any issue, whatsoever, in our 3 weeks usage with the Dot OS. We occasionally played Call of Duty, and it ran just fine on dot OS 5.0
Android 11 based dot OS 5.0 on POCO M2 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro, and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max: Software, UI, and Customizations
Android 11 based dot OS is based on AOSP, and it offers a clean bloat-free experience. There are a total of 17 essential apps pre-installed such as Calculator, Calendar, Chrome, Contacts, Messages, Phone, Photos, Play Store, etc. Most of these pre-installed apps can be either uninstalled or disabled.
The stock launcher also shows app suggestions on the bottom row of the home screen as well as in the app drawer, which can be simply turned off under the Home settings.
Android 11 based dot OS runs February Android security patch. Though, the developers say that a dot OS 5.0.1 will be released soon with April Android security patch, and some new features. The system occupies around 17GB of storage out of 64GB of internal storage.
The developers have designed most of the UI elements, and it looks quite unique, and clean. Take a look at the screenshots below,
dot OS has a dedicated Customization section, that lets you customize various UI elements. Users have an option to customize the Status Bar, Quick Settings, and System. Everything in the customization section appears as a card.
Inside the Status Bar section, users can customize Battery Style, Battery Percentage, Clock Position, Time Format, Traffic Indicators, and a lot more.
Inside the Quick Settings sections, UI aspects such as the number of rows, numbers of columns can be customized as per user preference. dot OS also offers features such as double-tap anywhere on the lock screen to sleep, and double tap on the status bar to sleep. It also supports three-finger screenshot gesture, and also provides an option to adjust the width of Navbar Pill.
Under the Themes section, users can customize Accent Color, Font, Icon Pack, and Icon Shape. Users also have an option to enable/disable notification panel transparency.
The Theme engine creates a new palette of colors based on the newly applied wallpaper, then replaces the accent color and creates different shades of it to be later used in the UI. (2/6)
— dotOS (@dotosofficial) March 28, 2021
dot OS team have also announced that they managed to build a Monet like feature, that made its debut with Andorid 12 Developer Preview. To those unaware, the Monet feature changes the accent color, and other parts of UI based on the wallpaper.
Applock Just Getting better!!
Native Applock with scheduling feature is under Work!Huge thanks for @paranoidaospa#DroidOnTime #DotOS #Android #AOSP pic.twitter.com/jP0tM1kpHF
— dotOS (@dotosofficial) March 18, 2021
The team has also managed to bring an App Lock feature to the dot OS. These new features will probably be rolled out with dot OS 5.0.1 which is expected to be released soon with April Android security patch.
Android 11 based dot OS 5.0 on POCO M2 Pro: Battery Life
We found the battery life on the dot OS good enough to last for an entire day. Most of the days, I ended up with about 50% battery remaining with around 3-3:30 hours of screen on time. My usage mostly involved scrolling through social media, YouTube, and phone calls.
As can be seen in the screenshots above, I managed to get over 7 hours of screen on time including one hour of Call of Duty session, over a period of two working days. At this point, we would like to mention that everybody has a different usage pattern, so battery stats might differ from person to person.
Android 11 based dot OS 5.0 offers an Adaptive Battery feature that limits battery for frequently used apps. It also offers a Battery Saver feature that enables dark mode and can extend the battery life by restricting background activities.
Android 11 based dot OS 5.0 on POCO M2 Pro: Security
During our usage, the fingerprint worked flawlessly on Dot OS 5.0 The fingerprint response felt fast, and accurate, the device even unlocked with a very short tap during our usage. Also, the user data, by default, is encrypted on Android 11 based Dot OS 5.0.
Should you try Android 11 based dot OS 5.0 on POCO M2 Pro?
Absolutely! dot OS is a breath of a fresh air in a world full of custom ROMs trying to embrace and mimick Pixel-like experience. If you own any of the below-mentioned devices, it’s worth flashing is all I can say.
Android 11 based dot OS 5.0: Compatible Devices
Dot OS 5.0, based on Android 11, is available for a host of popular devices including OnePlus 3/3T, OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2, Mi 9T Pro, Mi 9T, Mi 8, Mi A2, POCO F1, POCO M2 Pro, Redmi K20 Pro, Redmi K20, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 9S, Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 8T, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 4, Redmi 5 Plus, Redmi Y2, Redmi 5A, Redmi 4A, realme XT, realme 5 Pro, realme 6/6i/6s, and more.
Requirements:
- POCO M2 Pro with an unlocked bootloader – To unlock the bootloader of your device, apply here.
- OrangeFox recovery for Miatoll – Click here to download.
- dot OS 5.0 for Miatoll – Click here to download.
- ADB software (For Windows) / Android zip file (For Mac)
If you are on a Mac you need to
- Extract the Android zip and place the folder on your Desktop.
- Open Terminal
- Type cd Desktop/Android
- Enter ./ADB-Install-Mac.sh
How to flash Android 11 based dot OS 5.0 on your POCO M2 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro, and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max?
- Switch off the phone and boot it into fastboot mode by long pressing Power and Volume down buttons simultaneously.
- Connect your phone to PC by a USB cable, open the command prompt on your PC, and navigate to the folder where you have saved Orangefox img file.
- Type the following command in the command prompt and check if the device is detected by the system.
fastboot devices - If the system detects the phone, type another command (given below) and hit enter. This process will be completed within 10 seconds.
fastboot flash recovery_filename.img - Now long-press the Volume up and Power Button to boot the phone in recovery mode.
- Go to Menu section, and select Manage Partitions. Now, select Data and click the button that appears on the bottom right of the screen.
- Click on Format Data, and type Yes.
- Now, go to Wipe, select the following options then swipe towards the right to Wipe.
- Dalvik / ART Cache
- Cache
- Data
- Internal Storage (Optional)
- Also, remember to Mount (under Menu) USB Storage or MicroSD depending on what you’re using.
- Go back and click File, navigate to the location where you have stored the required zip file, it’s better to keep these zip files on SD Card or USB OTG drives. Select the ROM zip, and then swipe towards the right to flash.
- Click on Reboot System, and within 10 minutes device will boot with dot OS 5.0
You can also join POCO M2 Pro Updates, Redmi Note 9 Pro, and dot OS channels on telegram.
Credits: We would like to acknowledge the efforts of Shreehari Vaasishta towards developing Dot OS 5.0, and DarthJabba9 for the development of Orangefox recovery for the device.
Warning Disclaimer: Bootloader unlocking and flashing ROM may void the warranty of your device, FoneArena is not responsible for any damage or loss caused to your device.