Following Google’s official announcement of the next-generation’s Android 12 OS, OPPO was among the first OEMs to unveil it’s new Android 12-based custom UI that will be rolled out in Beta version to select OPPO smartphones starting this month.
Aside from the visual refinements that we typically expect to see in each major OS update, OPPO’s ColorOS 12 also brings along a host of new features that aim to deliver a better entertainment and productivity on OPPO smartphones.
After spending more than two weeks with the new ColorOS 12, we’d rounded up some of the new features that we really love in the new operating system. Without further ado, let’s check out these features!
A Customizable Dark Mode
Dark mode in ColorOS 12 is not like anything we’ve seen far. That’s because the new Dark Mode in ColorOS 12 actually allows you to pick from three different Dark Mode options with varying contrast level.
For instance, selecting an Enhanced Dark Mode will lead you to a black-colored background like what we tend to see among the usual Dark Modes. On the other hand, picking Medium or Gentle Dark Mode will result in a slightly more greyish background instead.
Have fun with Omoji!
Memoji is perhaps one of the most enjoyable aspect of Apple’s iPhone messaging system. However, OPPO smartphone users will soon be able to enjoy the same with OPPO’s own Memoji feature which allows users to create custom face emoji that matches his/ her personality and style.
These cute animated emojis can then be shared to your friends via various messaging platforms. However, this feature is not yet available in the current ColorOS 12 Beta, and will only be pushed out on a later date.
Background Streaming Made Easy
If you’re an OPPO smartphone user, then you should be pretty familiar with the Smart Sidebar feature which has been around since ColorOS 5.2.
In ColorOS 12, OPPO has added a new feature dubbed as BackGround Streaming that allows you to literally stream music from any compatible apps like YouTube on the background while you’re working on other apps.
This basically means you wouldn’t need to even subscribe to YouTube Premium in order to enjoy background streaming on your smartphone!
Translate With A Single Tap
Last year, OPPO brought in a new feature known as the Three-Finger Gesture translation that allows you to easily translate onscreen texts by dragging three fingers down the screen.
In ColorOS 12 however, onscreen translation can be easily carried out by simply tapping on the screen translate button within the Smart Sidebar. This is definitely a more convenient way to translate texts especially when you’re using your phone with one hand.
Keeping Your Actual Location Private
Although we’re more than happy to share our exact location with apps that require it for normal functioning like Google Map for instance, but I believe we all dislike the idea of sharing our actual location with apps that use our location for other purposes.
On that count, OPPO has introduced a new feature in ColorOS 12 that actually gives you the option to share your approximate location rather than the precise location. Of course, you can still choose to deny any form of location details if the app doesn’t appears trustworthy enough.
More Control Over Cameras & Mic
To further enhance user’s privacy, apps which have access to your cameras and microphone now have a tiny indicator on the upper right corner of the screen which shows up as green whenever an app is accessing your cameras, and orange when it accesses your microphone.
On top of that, ColorOS 12 also added additional toggles within the quick settings section that allows you to enable or disable access to these features with just a single tap.
Connect Seamlessly To Your PC
What I love about my Huawei MatePad Pro (Review) tablet is the ability to seamlessly transfer files over to my laptops via the multi-screen collaboration feature.
Now, it appears that ColorOS 12 will have a rather similar feature dubbed as PC Connect that allows you to interact with your phone’s interface through your PC, and subsequently drag-and-drop files across the devices.
Just like the Omoji feature, PC Connect is expected to arrive slightly later in ColorOS 12.1, and will work only if the companion app is downloaded on a Windows-based PC. Sad to say, this feature doesn’t support Macintosh and Linux at the moment.
ColorOS 12 Beta Rollout Date
OPPO has officially confirmed that more than 50 OPPO smartphone models will be eligible for the ColorOS 12 Beta update which is currently underway for certain models including the OPPO Find X3 Pro 5G (Review). For the tentative rollout schedule, you can refer to the official timeline published by OPPO above.
