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ZDNET key takeaways
- If you’re a fan of Windows 11, there’s an Android launcher for you.
- HyperDroid looks and feels just like the Windows UI.
- HyperDroid is free to use and install, but is best suited for tablets.
Have you ever wondered why a developer hasn’t bothered to create an Android launcher that transforms the UI into that of, say, Windows 11? Well, wonder no more, because the unthinkable is now not only thinkable, but also a reality.
Thanks to HyperDroid, you can transform your Android phone into something quite desktop-like. I didn’t believe it until I witnessed it. Upon installing HyperDroid, I launched it and was immediately taken aback.
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Wow, the developer nailed it: the look, the feel — my Pixel 9 Pro looked like it waltzed off the Microsoft campus, ready for action.
Outstanding performance
OK, I can’t lie: I’m not a fan of the Windows UI (even though I did give it the old college try), but if you’ve followed me long enough, you know that. Even so, this is impressive. You have a taskbar, desktop menu, desktop launchers, search, system tray, and pretty much everything you’d expect from a desktop environment, all while running on an Android phone.
I took this one step further and installed HyperDroid on a Nubia Pad Pro tablet to see how well it played out on a slightly larger display, and I was all the more impressed. You can add apps to the desktop for quick access, add widgets, theme the UI, and access quick settings from the system tray.
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There are some features that don’t seem to function as expected, such as the widgets.
For some reason, every widget claims there is no access to the internet, and eventually, no matter what widget I attempted to add, it seemed to think it was either AP News or Reuters. The solution was to kill HyperDroid and restart it. In fact, every time I added a new widget to the Widget pane, I had to restart HyperDroid.
The developer even nailed the blur effect.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Outside of that issue, HyperDroid ran very well: Performance was outstanding, animations were smooth, and everything was straightforward. If you’ve used Windows 11 or nearly any desktop UI, HyperDroid will make perfect sense. In fact, if you have a distaste for mobile launchers in general, HyperDroid might be the cure for all that ails you with typical Android launchers.
How to install HyperDroid
There is no trick to installing HyperDroid. Just head over to the Google Play Store, search for HyperDroid, tap Install, and let the magic happen.
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Once installed, you can tap the HyperDroid launcher to open the app and test it out.
If you decide you want to make HyperDroid your default launcher, don’t go the usual route. Instead, open the HyperDroid Settings app (gear icon on the panel), and then go to Settings > System > Default Launcher, tap the On/Off slider for “Enable as a launcher,” tap “Choose as default,” and then select HyperDroid from the list.
You have to first enable HyperDroid as a launcher before you can make it the default.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
I found HyperDroid to be much more at home as a launcher for a tablet than a phone. On a phone, the display is slightly too small, and you can’t use HyperDroid in portrait mode. Those two issues alone make HyperDroid a slight challenge on the smaller screen.
However, as a tablet UI, HyperDroid is great. If your preference is a traditional PC desktop, then HyperDroid will be a welcome addition to your Android tablet. Again, my only complaint about HyperDroid was the issue with the Widget pane; aside from that, it was as smooth sailing as any experience I’ve ever had with Windows 11.
Now, if only someone would recreate the KDE Plasma or COSMIC desktops for Android, I would be one giddy user.
One thing to keep in mind
HyperDroid does not convert your Android device into a Windows machine. You won’t magically be able to install and run Windows apps, or connect all of those peripherals to your phone or tablet. This is simply a home screen launcher that allows you to interact with Android in a way that’s more like using Windows 11, and that’s it.
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If Windows 11 is your jam, but Android is your mobile OS of choice, I would highly recommend you give HyperDroid a try and see if it doesn’t wind up being your launcher of choice.
