Android 11 is the flavor of the season, even though it may not be a dessert anymore on the outside. While Google lifted the wraps off the new base for Android and its own take on the Google Pixel series, other OEMs have also unveiled the changes that are coming to their own UX skins as part of this yearly rebase. After pushing the first round of beta releases to the OPPO Find X2 series, OPPO has now formally announced the new ColorOS 11 update.

All Android 11 News on XDA

If you're perplexed on the versioning, especially since the previous update was ColorOS 7 and OPPO teased the upcoming betas as ColorOS 7.2, the jump up to ColorOS 11 aligns the UX skin versioning with the base Android version of 11, making it easier to follow for everyone. Along with Android 11 and its changes, the new ColorOS 11 update comes with its own set of changes building upon the “Make Life Flow” concept. ColorOS goes forward in UI customizations, allowing users to create their own Always-On Display (on AMOLED phones), theme, wallpaper, fonts, icons, ringtones, and more.

With Color OS 11, users also have the choice of enhancing stock Android's Dark Mode with three color schemes and levels of contrast, to better suit their own taste and comfort.

OPPO ColorOS 11 based on Android 11 Customizable Dark Mode

OPPO Relax 2.0 lets users create their own white noise mix from an extensive collection of ambient sounds.

OPPO ColorOS 11 based on Android 11 Oppo Relax 2.0

OPPO is also co-creating a feature with Google. Called Three-Finger Translate, this feature is powered by Google Lens and it allows users to capture and translate text through a simple screenshot taken with a three-finger gesture.

Another new feature to look forward to in ColorOS 11 is Flexdrop. Flexdrop focuses on making it easier to multi-task, allowing you to resize any app into a small floating window or an even smaller mini-window. So when you are watching videos, playing a game, or doing other tasks that occupy the full screen, you can still choose to keep track of activities on other apps. This feature isn't live just yet though, and is expected to be rolled out next month, hopefully.

There's also a new Super Power Saving Mode, which kicks in when you have low-battery, but also giving you the option to select up to six apps that you can still run. The Battery Guard feature also empowers users to prolong their battery life if they habitually charge their phone through the night, by pausing charging once it reaches 80% and then resuming it again later to achieve a full charge by the time the user usually wakes up.

While all the feature additions do make for a tangible experience, there are a few changes under the hood too that help out in the overall experience. OPPO claims that it has introduced UI First 2.0 with ColorOS 11, combining its propreitary lag-reducing engine with "Quantum Animation", claiming to boost RAM utilization by 45%, improving the response rate by 32%, and the frame rate by 17%. AI App Preloading will also learn user behavior to preload the most-used apps and reduce their loading time. SuperTouch, on the other hand, claims to identify user scenarios and optimize the touch response speed and improve system fluency.

ColorOS 11 also focused on user security and privacy, by building up on the changes that Google has already undertaken on Android 11. For instance, the new feature called Private System creates a separate "system" where you can run a second version of apps and store other data independent of the original. All of this would be accessible only via a separate fingerprint scan or password. You can use it for storing content that you do not want spilled over onto your regular phone profile, which can come in handy for other use-cases such as work-life balance. This feature is expected to arrive in November 2020, hopefully.

Further, App Lock is now getting a new shortcut to enable users to lock apps through a password, fingerprint, or facial verification. The permissions system is also getting changes with temporary permissions that reset the camera, microphone, and location access when the app is closed, in line with the changes in Android 11.

ColorOS 11 will be rolling out to several OPPO smartphones over the months. The rollout will begin with the Find X2 Series and Reno 3 series, and will then expand to over twenty-eight other phone models, including devices from series like Find, Reno, F, K, and A.


What are your thoughts on OPPO's ColorOS 11 update? Let us know in the comments below!