Android 13 is finally making its way to more phones, and Oppo not to be left behind have released it under their custom UI, dubbed ColorOS 13. The significant change is that the company has adopted a new design style called “Aquamorphic” as it has taken inspiration from water.
This translates to new themes, colour palettes and even icon shapes getting colours that consist of blueish undertones.
In terms of what is different from the previous version, ColorOS 13 adds a new larger app folder option to make it possible for users to view and activate apps directly without having to open the folder first. Turning on expanded mode has also been made to be a little simpler, you only need to long press the smaller standard folder.
While the Quick Settings was only working in portrait mode, it has now been updated to be also usable in landscape mode, with the usual options on the left of the screen and the media controls placed on the right.
Digital Trends who have been experimenting with the ColorOS13 beta say that if you have an Oppo Pad Air tablet, the new OS version introduces a copy and paste feature to exchange basic information between it and your ColorOS13 phone. However, the copy and paste feature does not support file transfers.
If you are a fan of always-on-screen options, ColorOS 13 brings more into the fray, including the Insight screen from OnePlus’ Oxygen OS, a Bitmoji screen and one that has Spotify integration.
Digital Trends experimented with Blossom, which is a new wallpaper that provides information on how much screen time you have recorded, as well as a timer to help you keep track of the hours.
To make their custom OS more accessible and inclusive, Oppo has fine-tuned features like the one-handed mode and the split-screen multitasking mode for those who want to elevate their productivity on their mobile devices.
There is also a new feature, the Smart Sidebar, which is a small window containing apps that can be swiped in from the edge of the screen. It makes it easy to quickly launch an app, check on one or two things, close it and go back to what you were doing.
As always, with most custom skins, preinstalled apps are always a bother. In this case, Digital Trends explain their handset had a few games, a live-streaming app, LinkedIn, Amazon and a plethora of Oppo’s own apps.
What apps are preinstalled might change depending on the market, but I expect a fair few of the same apps to be seen in the Kenyan market once devices running ColorOS 13 out of the box get to our shores.
For the already released Oppo phones, Oppo Find X5 and X5 Pro are first on the list to get the update closely followed by the Oppo Find N. In September, the Find X3 Pro and the Reno 8 Pro are scheduled for the update then followed by the likes of the Reno 8, Reno 7 and 7 Pro as well as the A77, A76 and F21 Pro.
Oppo says this ColorOS 13 rollout will be their largest ever software update rollout, and they will do so to more devices, with the schedule lining up into early next year for the Oppo Pad Air tablet as well as other F series smartphones.
