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ColorOS 13 brings Android 13, pixelated screenshots, and design changes to Oppo phones
The new ColorOS 13 software will arrive on the Oppo Find X5 series first
Oppo has revealed its upcoming ColorOS 13 update that brings the best parts of Android 13 to phones from the company along with Oppo’s own unique design and features. There aren’t any game-changing upgrades here, and this is a reworking of the software you’ve seen launch as part of Android 13. Oppo has changed a few key elements of its own ColorOS look, and we now know everything about the software after a launch event.
Oppo’s ColorOS 13, based on Android 13, will launch on August 18th
The company has teased its update, and it will bring many of Android 13's key features
Oppo’s next big operating system update will be based on Android 13, and the company has confirmed we’ll be learning about how it differs from Google’s base software on August 18th. A new teaser from the company confirms it is hosting a global launch event for the new version of its software that will begin at 7 am ET.
Oppo's ready to launch ColorOS 13, showing us how it totally isn't like OxygenOS 13
The Reno 8 series will be one of the first handsets to run it
It's fair to say that ColorOS is a lot more important to a lot more people now since it not only powers Oppo phones, but also shares its code base with OnePlus's OxygenOS skin. What started off as subtle changes on OnePlus devices, as we saw on the Nord 2, went on to become a much more homogenous software experience between the two sister brands with the current latest versions of ColorOS and OxygenOS sharing more elements than ever. While this means that the OxygenOS 13 launch from last week may have unintentionally provided clues as to what to expect with ColorOS 13 already, you won't have to wait to see the full thing for much longer now that Oppo has a game plan.
OnePlus calls off merger between OxygenOS and ColorOS, but they'll still share a codebase
Fans of the former OxygenOS may have room to breathe
This far, and no farther: plans for Oppo and subsidiary OnePlus devices to sport a unified Android-based UI have fallen through as both intend to continue developing their own treatments of ColorOS and OxygenOS, respectively.
The road towards OnePlus and Oppo's unified operating system has been a rocky one so far. After the former company was basically relegated to a sub-brand of the latter, OnePlus users who were worried about the fate of OxygenOS were told that it would be merging with ColorOS, with the resulting unified OS coming in a future flagship. Recent rumors suggested that this new platform be landing with Android 13 later this year, presumably taking the place of the OxygenOS 13 we'd otherwise expect. But now OnePlus is holding an online event to speak with users about... OxygenOS 13?
Unified OnePlus and Oppo smartphone software sounds like it's still on the menu for later this year
Once Android 13 comes around
It's been some time now since OnePlus and Oppo announced that they would both finally stop pretending they're totally different things. OnePlus is now essentially acting as a sub-brand of Oppo, and those worried about what would become of OxygenOS were treated to a potentially concerning piece of news — it's going to be merged with ColorOS, with the resulting operating system being used on future phones. The OxygenOS 12 update we've seen roll out on the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro already took heavy inspiration from ColorOS, but this fully merged operating system is still in the pipeline. We might have to wait a bit before it launches, though, and the latest rumor suggests it could land sometime in the latter half of 2022.
Oppo's unified OS now rumored to skip OnePlus 10 Pro
OxygenOS sticks around for another year, at least in name
Recent changes at OnePlus and its parent Oppo have made it clear that consolidation is the name of the game going forward. That includes the intent of combining OxygenOS and ColorOS Android skins into a new, unified user interface. But there's new intelligence implying that we won't see its debut as soon as we first thought.
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As a part of its ongoing Oppo-ficiation, OnePlus planned to ditch the old OxygenOS on its devices to switch to a new unified OS that shares its underpinnings with ColorOS, seemingly starting with the recent (and poorly recieved) OxygenOS 12 update. Though OxygenOS and ColorOS now share a lot of code, they still have separate names, and who knows what the OnePlus 10 series might bring when it comes to the US. A trademark filing might indicate change is coming — or it could just be a bit of housekeeping.
OnePlus is pulling its OxygenOS 12 update for the OP 9 and 9 Pro
Hopefully a bug-free release will be out soon
Delivering a big platform update for your flagship phones is never a small task, and that's doubly true when you're dealing with a major codebase change like OnePlus faced with ColorOS integration. As a result, all eyes were on the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro as their manufacturer released its Android 12-based update for the phones earlier this week. Unfortunately, the reception's been overwhelmingly negative, and now OnePlus is taking the extraordinary step of suspending the update's distribution.
OxygenOS 12 beta hands-on: The new OnePlus software is ColorOS in all but name
You’ll have to learn to live with the Oppo-fication of OnePlus phones
Two things that propelled OnePlus into the mainstream back in the day were its ultra-aggressive pricing and well-balanced, near-stock software experience. While it's not been as competitive on pricing for a few years now, it’s also on the verge of dropping the ball on the software front as well. With the OxygenOS 12 beta, OnePlus is walking on a thin line, trying to balance its recent merger with Oppo’s ColorOS and a passionate user community that doesn't want OxygenOS to lose its spark. The upcoming version of OxygenOS, based on Android 12, takes heavy inspiration from its Oppo counterpart, but I'll let you be the judge of whether OnePlus has strayed too far from its roots.
Oppo's Color OS 12 knows exactly what it wants to be — and that's not a Pixel
It's not for me, but if you don't like Google's changes in Android 12 for Pixels, it might be for you
Most of the time, when we talk about a new version of Android, it’s an image that is sort of tainted by our first experience of it on Google’s Pixels. It’s key to remember that Google’s vision is not what most customers will actually experience, and Pixels account for an almost ignorable tiny part of the market. Oppo, though, consumes a relatively large share of it, just not here in the US. Still, I was curious what ColorOS 12 will mean for its customers and the impact it might have on OnePlus. I’ll be honest, even though ColorOS has come far, The latest beta version is still not my favorite flavor of Android. But, I think a lot of customers that have grown disillusioned with Google’s vision might actually like ColorOS 12 better than Android 12 on a Pixel.
The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are getting a new Android 12 Developer Preview
The OxygenOS/ColorOS merger is going through
The merger of OxygenOS and ColorOS, as part of OnePlus becoming essentially a subbrand of Oppo, has been coming for some time, and the merged OS should begin arriving for all supported smartphones with the upcoming Android 12 release. If you're currently enrolled in the OnePlus Developer Preview program on your 9 or 9 Pro, you can get an early look with a new release now arriving for your phone.
OnePlus details how it's going to merge OxygenOS and Oppo's ColorOS
And there won't be a OnePlus 9T this year
OnePlus has long announced that it's going to merge its OxygenOS with Oppo's ColorOS following the shocking reveal of its secret partnership with Oppo that was neither secret nor shocking. While a few new OnePlus devices are already running a ColorOS-based version of Android with an OxygenOS skin on top of it, OnePlus hasn't officially revealed how exactly it will transition all of its currently supported devices to ColorOS. Well, you've got to wonder no more — the OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has laid out a roadmap, detailing how things will progress from here.
Earlier this week, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau finally announced an integration with Oppo, a move that had been rumored since he took over product responsibilities for both companies. Although his initial forum post confirmed the two companies would remain separate entities, a few questions went unanswered. Luckily, we have a confirmation on one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the move.Although Lau has mostly been silent in the follow-up thread to his original post, he did respond to one question wondering whether either company would move to a new operating system (via 9to5Google). Outside of China, OnePlus devices will continue to use OxygenOS in the future. That's great news for pre-existing owners and anyone interested in picking up a OnePlus 9 or — eventually — a OnePlus 9T if and when that launches this fall.
You might know that OnePlus is an Oppo subdivision, with many of its devices sharing the same design and internals as Oppo products. While OnePlus tried to deny its close ties to Oppo in the early years, the business is increasingly more open about its relationship with its parent company. That becomes even more apparent now that OnePlus has announced that it will use a custom version of Oppo's ColorOS in China in favor of its own China-only HydrogenOS.
Yesterday, Oppo tweeted a pair of ads for ColorOS, the company's take on Android, that were absolutely fascinating. The low-budget English-language spots saw users of Oppo phones waxing poetic over ColorOS, talking about it like a romantic partner — an already uncomfortable premise amplified by just how poorly crafted the videos were. This morning, the videos were deleted — but you can bet your bottom dollar we saved them.
If you've got a Find 7 or Find 7a phone from OPPO and you're itching for an official Lollipop ROM, head on over to the company's user forums. A beta version of Color OS 2.1, running on top of Android 5.0 code, has been posted for you to download. At the moment this edition of the software is not available via an over-the-air update, though that should be coming soon enough.
Towards the end of 2014, Oppo released an update for the Find 5 that bumped the Jelly Bean-running device up to KitKat. It wasn't a quality piece of work, but it was something. Now we know that for the Find 5, along with the N1 and the R819, things won't get any better. No additional ColorOS updates are on the way. None of these devices will see Android Lollipop.
Remember back in the days of "dumb" phones when everyone wanted them to be as tiny as possible? Then the original RAZR hit, and it was all about thinness, even to the point of absurdity? That second trend is still going strong, but a contender for the next one is phones (and laptops and TVs and what have you) with the least amount of screen bezel possible. Behold, a new Oppo phone that gives the oddball Sharp Aquos Crystal a run for its money, at least on the left and right sides.
Since it was unveiled in February 2013, Oppo’s Find 5 has been running versions of their ColorOS based on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The release of KitKat in October of 2013 has had Find 5 owners waiting anxiously for a 4.4-based version of ColorOS on their devices. The presence of ColorOS 2.0, based on KitKat, running on newer Oppo devices like the N3 and R5 has only increased their anticipation. Still, when users saw Oppo announce a ColorOS 2.0 build based on Android 4.4 for the Find 5, they were quickly disappointed by a bug-filled experience.