All about ColorOS 13, Oppo’s mobile interface

Oppo continues to roll out the software interface dedicated to its smartphones year after year. This is the 12th version of the Android overlay (ColorOS 4 does not exist, this figure being a bad omen in China), which marks the 9th year of existence of ColorOS, since the first version dates back to 2013. 2023 is therefore likely to be a pivotal year for the interface, which may explain why ColorOS 13 does not establish itself as a major update.

ColorOS 13 has been available in beta since October 2022 on the brand’s latest high-end devices, and the end of the year marked the arrival of the final version on the Find X5 Pro and other flagships of the Chinese manufacturer. . The rollout schedule is quite hectic, and many models are eligible for an upgrade.

The Made by Oppo interface is intended to be more and more neutral and close to what is called a “stock” version of Android, a refined version without too many incursions of unwanted applications. A phenomenon that can still be observed with some manufacturers, including Samsung – even if the latter has made efforts in the right direction with the last two versions of One UI.

An update under the sign of productivity

Part already well underway last year with ColorOS 12, the new version pushes productivity a little further. The Muti-Screen Connect functionality, inaugurated in 2022 on smartphones, is now available on tablets. Thus, you will be able to open several applications from your phone on your computer or tablet. Multitasking is greatly facilitated between these different devices, as is copying and pasting. An increasingly popular option on Android over the past two years. Oppo specifies that this functionality is not reserved for its most recent terminals, which is good news for owners of older models.

ColorOS 13 also introduces an intelligent assistant that activates when it detects that you are in a meeting via your smartphone. Artificial intelligence will take care of making the distribution of your notifications more discreet (with alerts displayed in smaller characters, for example), or of silencing certain alerts. Once the feature is activated, a floating taskbar can deploy to allow you to access quick note taking, important documents or even the calculator.

The Always-on is refined with this new version of the interface. It becomes a little smarter by adopting real-time notifications, the operation of which is identical to the Live Activities present in iOS 16. When ColorOS 13 is launched, Oppo indicates that Spotify is already a customer of the option and that other entities should use the feature. Difficult to say that Uber and consorts will not be fond of this type of novelty. Just like on OxygenOS (OnePlus), Bitmoji and Insight are coming to Oppo’s interface. Two new additions to Omoji launched with ColorOS 12.

An ocean-inspired design

If aesthetics is not the workhorse of ColorOS 13, Oppo still improves this component. This year, place to an aquatic inspiration. Blue becomes the predominant color; we note an ocean blue, with warm tones and with some reflections reproducing the variations of the water. Using what it calls an aquamorphic design, Oppo has revamped the lines of its typography and the layout of settings in the settings app, adding smooth effects for certain animations. This is the case for charging or unlocking by fingerprint.

New illustrations also find their place. More modern and inclusive, they will be placed in previously empty places in previous versions of the interface. Each serves a function and is therefore not placed there by chance.

An OS to support the hardware

This year, Oppo has chosen to focus primarily on the performance of its smartphones that can support the 13th version of the interface. Thus, the firm explains that a Find X5 Pro under ColorOS 13 can enjoy better autonomy – without indicating the gain in use. The CPU load seems to have also been reviewed, the firm specifying that it is possible to have more applications open in the background.

Google had its magic eraser, Oppo also wants its little flagship feature. With ColorOS 13 appears the automatic pixelation of confidential information. The software manages to detect names, surnames or profile photos in your screenshots. If you want to avoid compromising one of your sources or just hide your contacts, Auto Pixelate will hide all of that.