Pat PilcherWitchdoctor’s gadget guru PAT PILCHER gets in a lather about Oppo’s cool new upgrades.
While US sanctions continue to bite Huawei, Oppo is wasting no time. They’re one of the first OEMs to announce an Android 12 upgrade, which they’ve customised and are calling ColorOS 12.
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Where previous ColorOS versions had been skinned by Oppo to closely resemble iOS, Oppo’s press blurb says that they’re aiming for an experience that’s closer to stock Android 12. That’s not to say they’ll be offering Vanilla Android though: ColorOS 12 is packed with oodles of vitamin Oppo goodness. Oppo says these will help create smoother performance, delivering greater productivity and a better work-life balance. Me, I just want to play Bejewelled, listen to music and do email.
So, what’s the big deal with this new upgrade? Oppo says ColorOS 12 will aim to reduce performance deterioration after prolonged usage, thanks to AI-based anti-fragmentation and system resource allocation. This should (in theory) lead to a low 2.75% system ageing rate over three years, 30% lower memory occupation and a 20% improvement in battery consumption.
They’ve also added the Quantum Animation Engine. Oppo says its got 300 improved animations and effects that imitate resistance, inertia and rebound to make interacting with the ColorOS 12 UI smoother, more realistic, and intuitive.
Fancy pant graphics aside, Oppo added a bunch of practical features too. These include PC Connect (so Oppo users can sync photos/see notifications while using PCs), a Google Translate sidebar, FlexDrop (for file sharing) and Phone Manager.
Privacy also plays a key role with ColorOS 12. It comes with all the security/privacy features of Android 12 (eg, Privacy Dashboards, Approximate Location Sharing, Microphone and Camera Indicators). There will also be what Oppo calls Private System, Private Safe, App Lock and other privacy-focused capabilities. A nifty touch is what Oppo calls Anti-peeping technology. It uses AI to detect faces watching your screen and hide notifications.
Oppo also recognises security isn’t just about the data on your phone, but how the data from your phone is stored and transmitted. Data shared with Oppo in the Cloud is stored using servers in multiple locations globally. That data is also saved in a non-plain text format and transmitted using proprietary protocols.
These features are all rolled into a slick-looking interface. Oppo users have a lot to look forward to. There is, however, a small gotcha. That comes in the form of the New Zealand roll-out timeframes. While most recent model Oppo phones will get the update, there’s a 2-3 month wait as Oppo and telcos localise the upgrade for release to Kiwi Oppo users. More affordable and older models will also get a taste of upgrade goodness in the second half of 2022. We can’t wait.
https://www.oppo.com/en/coloros12/
