OPPO Kenya recently refreshed its Reno series with the launch of the OPPO Reno11 5G and Reno11 Pro 5G smartphones. The new phones introduce several notable features, including OPPO’s latest ColorOS 14 software based on Android 14.
ColorOS is OPPO’s customized Android interface. I first tested it last year on the OPPO Reno10 and came away impressed with its user-friendliness and customizability. ColorOS 13 especially stood out for its “aquamorphic” design language that mimicked the natural flow of water.
Building on the strengths of ColorOS 13, version 14, brings further refinements. In this article, we will highlight some of the most useful additions that ColorOS 14 brings to the table.
These include improvements to personalization options, smart efficiency features, privacy controls, and more.
With a smooth, intuitive interface that lets users tweak the software to their liking, ColorOS continues to be a key selling point for OPPO’s Reno series.
ColorOS 14: Availability
For those eager to experience ColorOS 14 firsthand, OPPO has thoughtfully released a rollout timeline indicating when certain devices will receive the update. However, buying the recently announced Reno11 series of phones provides instant access.
The Reno11 and Reno11 Pro 5G handsets come pre-loaded with ColorOS 14 out of the box. Both models can be purchased in OPPO-branded stores across Kenya or via leading e-commerce partners like Jumia and Kilimall. Pricing starts at KES 67,999 for the standard Reno11 5G, while the higher-end Reno11 Pro 5G costs KES 85,999.
These affordable-yet-capable new releases, coupled with the standout features found in ColorOS 14 make the Reno11 series an extremely compelling option in the competitive mid-range smartphone market segment.
Early adopters get to immediately enjoy a slick new interface and smart upgrades spanning improved efficiency, customization, and privacy controls – key pillars important to discerning modern consumers.
Aquamorphic Design Evolves With Expanded Personalization Options
As earlier stated, ColorOS 13 introduced an appealing “aquamorphic” design that mimicked the fluidity of water. But with ColorOS 14, OPPO has taken things even further. This latest iteration expands on 13’s strengths while implementing thoughtful refinements across the board.
The aquamorphic aesthetics now dynamically respond to different scenarios, adjusting background colors and theming based on factors like the time of day. This creates a more immersive, integrated experience that reflects your real-world surroundings.
ColorOS 14 also applies “aquadynamics” to improve system elements using the principles of solids, liquids, and gases. For instance, the screen recording notification minimizes itself intelligently, then enlarges when tapped so you can control the recording.
This adaptive behavior is similar to Apple’s dynamic island and extends to timers, calls, connected devices, and more.
But this aquamorphic theme doesn’t just stop the looks and feel of the OS. It also transitions nicely to the sound. That’s right, ColorOS 14 gives you new sound styles that match the aquamorphic theme.
Within the system settings, under Sound & Vibration, you can find a whole new section of aquamorphic sounds for your ringtones, alarms, and notifications.
And what’s even more impressive is that OPPO collaborated with professional music academics and renowned sound design powerhouses like Sonic Minds and Epic Sound to craft these aquamorphic sounds.
New Go Green AOD Animations
Another standout addition is the evolution of the Always-On display, building upon ColorOS 13’s acclaimed Homeland animations, which dynamically portrayed animals in their natural habitats being affected by daily temperature fluctuations.
In a creative effort to raise awareness about climate change, ColorOS 14 introduces the innovative “Go! Green” Always-On display theme. These animations depict one of three distinct environments—an earth landscape, a lush forest, or a deserted island—that visually transform through five progressive stages.
The positive changes shown seek to inspire and encourage users to walk more each day to reduce their carbon footprint. Essentially, the ambient displays aim to motivate greener transportation choices by vividly showcasing the direct environmental impacts of pollution while promoting healthier daily movement habits.
Smarter Software Boosts Efficiency
While the redesigned interface catches the eye, much of ColorOS 14’s magic lies under the hood. The built-in Trinity Engine, for example, leverages advanced optimization technology to dynamically allocate device resources.
The goal? Maintain silky smooth, snappy system performance even after years of accumulated digital clutter and lag-inducing fragmentation.
Specific components contributing to this next-gen efficiency include ROM Vitalization to aggressively compress rarely-accessed apps and data, RAM Vitalization to accelerate memory allocation and access, and CPU Vitalization to balance raw speed with battery life longevity.
The feature list also incorporates multiple additions aimed at boosting productivity for busy professionals. A couple highlights include the ability to set per-app display refresh rates rather than a single global setting for all use cases.
For example, mapping and navigation apps may work sufficiently at 60 Hz, while your web browser demands smoother 90 or 120 Hz performance.
An AI-powered Smart Touch tool introduces the ability to conveniently extract text snippets, full paragraphs, images, and other media directly from local screenshots, useful for quickly capturing vital info displayed in apps lacking native export options.
The edited content gets stored in the integrated notes app but can also be transferred to other destinations.
Speaking of AI assistance, an advanced Image Matting mode allows lifting multiple background-less subjects out of photos for easy compositing and manipulation. Most tools only support extracting a single focused element.
Beefed-Up Privacy Protection with Granular Control
While power users rightfully get excited about productivity enhancements enabled by AI and optimized software code, privacy and security also rank high on their priority lists.
On this front, ColorOS 14 again delivers system-wide upgrades, giving citizens of the digital world more control over their personal data.
Users now gain more granular control over app access privileges on a case-by-case basis. For example, instead of allowing complete access or none at all, you can approve requests to only view or utilize specific image folders rather than entire galleries. These thoughtful privacy guards limit exposure.
Built-in redaction capabilities provide additional protection when archiving potentially sensitive screenshots. The integrated editing tools make hiding usernames, avatars, contact info, or other identifiers before sharing a breeze. This occurs entirely on-device for peace of mind versus risky cloud processing.
The Bottom Line
The thoughtful refinements packed into ColorOS 14 indicate why OPPO’s customized Android skin earns high marks for its usability, flexibility, and performance.
It retains the foundational strengths of earlier builds while introducing smarter software optimization, workflow-boosting AI assistant features, and more granular privacy controls.
