ColorOS has always focused on simple design language to make for an easier-to-use interface, and with this latest version, that idea has been taken even further.
Home screen
The Home Screen looks fresher, and improvements have been made to personalisation. For instance, there's the Shelf, which is a feature we've seen previously on OxygenOS. It offers a quick glance at information through widgets with just a quick swipe down on the Home Screen.
Apart from this, you also get the live Blossom wallpaper. It shows a plant design that blossoms and then withers over time once you cross your daily screen-time limit.
App Icons
The app icons on ColorOS 13 have been tweaked to offer more contrast, that Oppo says should increase visibility for folks with visual impairments. Some icons also feature slightly different designs compared to the previous generation, so that's a nice touch.
But that's not all you can do with the icons, because ColorOS 13 brings themed icons, that can be customised to match colours with whatever wallpaper you set for the Home Screen.
But perhaps the most helpful upgrade with the icons is Enlarged Folders, which means you can open apps that sit in folders on the Home Screen directly, without first having to open the folder itself.
It takes a bit more space, sure, but it's still nice to have the option to toggle this feature on or off.
Also watch: Oppo Reno 8 review: Style with substance?
Control Center
Now, the Shelf isn't the only new feature when you swipe down, because the Control Center also sees some changes.
For instance, you'll notice that the toggles for Wi-Fi, Mobile Data and Media Playback are larger, allowing for quicker access to them. This means that if you want to do things like change what Wi-Fi network you're on, you can do it with one swipe, as compared to the two swipes that were needed on the previous generation.
Plus, the Control Center works even better now in landscape mode, because it pushes all the toggles to the left hand side, and your notifications to the right hand side--it's a really intuitive design.
Multi-screen Connect/PC Connect
Connecting your Oppo smartphone to a Windows PC is something that's also new with ColorOS 13.
Simply download the Multi-screen connect program from https://connect.oppo.com, and bippity-boppity-boo you have your smartphone screen on your computer. Apart from browsing your entire smartphone's interface wirelessly, you can also use the program to transfer files and media quite quickly. That's not all, Multi-screen Connect also lets you display three windows from the phone at once, which is pretty good for on-the-go productivity.
Now, all of this wireless wizardry doesn't use any mobile data at all, but you do need a PC that supports Wi-Fi direct and Bluetooth 4.1 or higher, so that's worth keeping in mind if you plan to use this feature a lot.
Always-On Display
Another upgrade to ColorOS 13 has come in the form of the Always-on Display function for smartphones that support it.
New AOD options include Spotify, which is really cool and lets you control music playback without having to turn on your device at all. Sure, it might suck up a bit more battery, but it's still a pretty nifty feature to have.
Oppo has also said that users in India will have access to AODs for food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato.
You also get this 'Home' AOD that shows you the impact of climate change, with animated graphics of either polar bears, penguins or this clown fish.
However, apart from all that, one AOD that keen users of previous OnePlus phones might notice in ColorOS 13 is Insight AOD. Yes, it has made it's way to Oppo now, and like before, it's a cool way of seeing how you interact with your smartphone on a daily basis.
Security & Privacy
One of my favourite functional features on ColorOS 13 is the Auto-pixelation feature, which makes sending screenshots of chats in WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger a much safer experience.
Now, previous generations of ColorOS did still have the 'Mosaic' feature in the photo editor, but there's now an 'Auto' function, that does it for you.
Apart from this, ColorOS 13 comes with Private Safe, that can encrypt select files using AES encryption and store them in a private directory.
Kid Space
Kid Space is yet another neat addition to ColorOS 13, that makes it easier to hand over your phone to a child without being too worried.
It can, for instance, remind a child user to correct their posture if it detects them tilting their heads or lying down. It can also alert the child to view the phone from an appropriate distance if it thinks they're too close to the screen. Apart from these healthy screen time habits, Kid Space lets you customise the Home Screen experience so that children can only access the apps that you want them to, without the need for physical supervision.
Also watch: Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review: The best Reno phone ever?
Oppo Android 13 Beta Update Rollout
If you're wondering when your Oppo device will receive the ColorOS 13 Beta update, here's the tentative roll-out plan for devices sold in India:
From September 2022:
Reno8 Pro 5G
From October 2022:
Reno8 5G, Reno7 Pro 5G, Reno7 5G, Reno6 5G, F21 Pro, K10 5G, A76
From November 2022:
Reno6 Pro 5G, Reno 6 Pro 5G Diwali Edition, Reno5 Pro 5G, F21 Pro 5G, F19 Pro+, K10, A96
From December 2022:
Find X2, A74 5G
From H1 2023:
OPPO Pad Air, F19 Pro, F19, F19s, A77, A57, A55, A53s 5G
