Detailed review of ColorOS 11

Back in September 2020, OPPO presented its new ColorOS 11 shell, based on Android 11. In October, the first beta versions for flagships were launched. And since December the first stable builds for the global market appeared. In this article, we will conduct the most detailed review of ColorOS 11, on the example of smartphone OPPO Reno3 Pro.

I will talk in detail about all the innovations that have appeared with the release of ColorOS 11. The update came to my phone at the end of February 2021. I have in my hands the Reno 3 Pro 12/256 for the global market (firmware for the region of Ukraine).

You can follow the release schedule of the stable version of ColorOS 11 for your model on the official page at Twitter.

Overview of ColorOS 11 and Android 11 on the OPPO

Ниже будут расположены все изменения которые принесло новое обновление. Также статья разбита на 2 условных части: визуальная и техническая. В конце страницы будет наш видео-обзор.

Structure of the settings

Changed the structure of settings. We added and removed some items. Some of these items were moved to submenus. Now the main settings look more logical.

Appearance of the notification curtain

Изменена шторка уведомлений. Теперь часы, дата и погода отображаются на размытом прозрачном фоне. Из новых иконок здесь только режим суперэнергосбережения. Также можно изменять форму и цвет иконок. Делается это в меню Персонализации.

All applications menu

In the list of all apps, we removed the 4 predicted apps (that is, the ones we used most often) and added sorting across the entire menu:

• by name;
• installation date;
• frequency of use

Также добавили возможность быстро делится APK файлом приложения. Это работает только со сторонними приложениями, со стандартными не работает.

Desktop

Improved the functionality of the desktop:

1. We made the layout more convenient. Now you can choose the number of rows and columns. Previously there were only two choices.
2. Improved the principle of changing the application icons. Now there are more variations for customization.
3. Added the ability to combine two folders with applications into one.
4. Also, now you can delete a folder without having to manually drag and drop all the applications from the folder, and the applications from the folder will just appear on the same screen.

Personalization

We have added a personalization menu. Here we have conveniently arranged all the elements responsible for setting up the visual part of OPPO smartphones.

1. The first item is Themes. Menus for the global region are not relevant.
2. Немного изменили выбор обоев: доступны статические и анимированные.
3. AOD has been significantly improved. There are a lot of new settings to customize the always-on screen.
4. In addition, the style of the icons and desktop layout are set in this menu.
5. Стиль отпечатка пальца (если он в экране телефона) вынесли с пункта добавления отпечатков в меню персонализации. Новых анимаций не добавили.
6. We have added the ability to change the color of icons for system elements. For example, this works on: notification panel icons, settings icons, and system app icons.
7. Размер шрифта и настройка экрана остались те же, просто эту настройку вынесли в это меню.
8. Появилась возможность смены формы для иконок на панели уведомлений.
9. Added settings for incoming calls and notifications to the edge of the display.

New Always On Display

Always On Display, that is, Always On Display for models with AMOLED screen has improved significantly.

1. Added 3 display options: Power Save, Scheduled, and All Day.
2. All created topics are saved at the top of the list and you can easily switch between them
3. Теперь можно создавать собственный шаблон для включенного экрана. Можно выбрать из множества настроек нужные и увидеть сразу какая будет готовая анимация.
4. There is also the option of creating your own text inscription.
5. There is an option to create a theme with your own image and text.
6. Several types of digital and analog clocks were added to the classic options.

New Dark Mode

The dimming mode has been significantly improved. They made the switch like in iOS. When you turn on a dark mode, its settings appear. They added three styles:

• saturated (that is, completely black);
• medium (slightly lighter);
• faded (light gray) .

Added a setting where you can enable dimming for wallpaper and icons. There is an option to reduce contrast when night mode is enabled and support for third-party applications.

Improved screenshot and photo editor

Slightly improved built-in ability to create screenshots. The created screenshot can be quickly shared and make a long screenshot for a large page.

В фото редакторе добавили 3 шаблона для обрезки: квадрат, круг и свободное выделение. Также появилась функция быстрого перевода с помощью Объектива Гугл. Добавили больше настроек для редактирования картинок: обрезка, повороты, фильтры, мозаика, улучшение лица, новые стикеры, размытие и так далее.

Notification management

Added more settings for managing notifications:

• Selects the types of icons to display.
• We have added a notification log. This displays the entire list of notifications for the last 24 hours.
• Also in beta test now is the ability to hide icons (network, battery, NFC, and so on)

Screen Broadcast

Улучшили встроенную возможность трансляции экрана. Теперь телефоны OPPO смогут транслировать изображение на большее количество моделей телевизоров. Ранее поддерживались в основном ТВ от Samsung. Также улучшилось качество сигнала, стало меньше обрывов и отставаний звука от картинки.

Floating windows

Improved the mini window, floating window, and split screen functions. More applications and system settings are now supported. When you close an application, it can immediately become a small or mini window.

You can also now drag and drop small chunks of text from any floating window without copying (from the browser to Telegram, for example). The calculator in the floating window is now much more convenient to use.

OPPO Relax

The relaxation app is now called O Relax. Its structure has been completely redesigned and many new features have been added.

1. Added new background sounds, music and other backgrounds.
2. Now you can create your own sound background with a variety of choices.
3. There is a function of bursting bubbles.
4. The "breathing" function has also been transferred to this app.
5. They added an active color background with a melody.
6. A foggy picture has appeared. It needs to be cleaned.
7. There are several cities to explore. After downloading the data, some information about this or that city and their background sounds will be added.

Game Mode

In version 4.0, the games menu was redrawn. Now it looks a little different. Before launching a game, the memory is cleared much better than it was in ColorOS 7. No new features were added. In OPPO smartphones FPS is still limited to 60 frames.

Super Energy Saving Mode

We added a new power saving mode. It takes us to a new stripped down version, without wallpaper, animations, etc. You can select up to 6 applications. A limited number of features are also available by options. Face recognition is turned off, fingerprint remains.

Power button control

In Android 11, it is now possible to add controls for the smart home system. That is, you press the power button, and on the left side of the screen appears the choice of action. In my case, for example, it is the control from Mi Home for the smart table lamp. In this way, you can simply set up buttons for quick control of smart home items.

Sound Amplifier

They added a sound amplifier app (like in iOS), which was available earlier on Android 10, but only now it has reached OPPO smartphones. It works with wired and wireless headphones. The app uses your smartphone to capture ambient sound, turning up the volume and then sending it to your headphones. It can be used as a hearing aid and to amplify sound.

Camera enhancements

They added new camera modes (using my OPPO Reno 3 Pro as an example):

• ExtraHD mode is now available. With the help of algorithms, a picture of 48 megapixels is converted into 108. In fact, there is less noise and clearer elements in the frame.
• They added night shooting for video.
• The Live HDR function is now available. In video mode, it records HDR video in real time with 10-bit color depth.
• They made a smooth zoom for video, the so-called inertial scaling.
• Changed the shooting mode of the film.
• Added a setting for portrait photography. The AI makes the photo clearer and distortion-free.
• They have added contamination detection on the lens to the settings.

Small changes

This item is a list of all the minor changes that have been added to ColorOS 11:

• New system sounds: charging, screenshot, fingerprint unlocking, etc.
• App icons appeared in the list of recent apps.
• New animations for weather conditions. The structure of the weather display and operation has not changed.
• Added the ability to share your Wi-Fi network password via QR code.
• Connected headphones are now displayed in the notification menu and on the locked screen. Now you can quickly switch between playback modes.
• We have added a night charging mode. The smartphone will analyze the time and duration of daily charges and use them to create a schedule of optimal night charging.
• The player has added an HQ icon for music tracks with High Quality sound quality.
• It is now possible to use 2 WiFi networks for signal acceleration. You can also now view Wi-Fi traffic.
• Added quick access for Android Auto app features and settings.
• There is an interesting feature of creating an abstract wallpaper from the color palette of any photo/screenshot.

Helpful information on upgrading

• The system takes up 13.9gb (Android 11 + ColorOS 11).
• The weight of the update, which comes by air, is 3.04gb.
• You cannot uninstall system applications. You can only disable them via the PC.
• On models with 4 and 6gb the system takes on average about 2.
• The autonomy has improved dramatically.
• The system itself now works more smoothly.
• Completely cut out the theme store.
• System cloning was cut out on the global stable version.
• Gesture "Back" from the edge of the screen on the keyboard now does not work. You need to make the gesture above the keyboard edge.

Video review

This concludes the text review. For a more detailed review we recommend to pay attention to the video above.