[OPPO Find X5 Pro General] retal_to:
Hello Everyone,

The second part of the review is this thread.

The first one is here.

The second is this thread

The third one is here.

ColorOS and Connectivity

So ColorOS… ColorOS… ColorOS

A new UI for me. Pixel and Stock OS have been my best friend for years now, including Oxygen OS up to 11. After seeing its direction, I used MIUI for a long time and got fed up with it.

So, first boot: Android 12 of the box with ColorOS 12.1 + a D1 OTA/February Patch.

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It's themed like many OEMs. However, you can see the Android 12 base behind the curtains and sometimes even Android itself with no customization.

However, OPPO made many customizations in their system when you dig into it. Launcher, notifications, Icons, settings, smart sidebar, their own privacy sub-menu, including the Android functionalities. They have tons of their applications such as OPPO Share, Omoji, gallery, video, even the clock, files app, O Relax (?) and so many apps like App cloner, App Enhancement, App services or others OPPO in-home system apk. Not mentioned on top of the Android Framework, you will also find an OPPO/OPlus framework to make all these works together (surely necessary for the Phone Manager that looks like the security center in MIUI).

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We are on Google App for Android for the Phone Dialer and SMS/Messages APP. No OPPO system apps for that. And I like that. So, no debate here.

At first glance, all these apps are just giving the users some native functionalities Android already integrates into Android 12. And give the impression that they are reminiscence of a China firmware variant without Google services in this local market. But lots of them are marked as EU APK variants. And many system apps can't be uninstalled (disable only). And all of them are not available on the Google Play store as they should be if we follow Android Guidelines.

I said earlier, no biases. I have to get it a try…. And it was hard at first.

It gives the impression that OPPO has integrated Android 12 functionalities made by Google, added theirs on top to expand them, and managed to balance it somehow.

But... But… It's weird. It's a heavily customized UI based on Android, with the flavor of a Fork and a clean OS (which is not).

Let's start with the launcher. It's fast, allows many options, got the discover/at glance functionality, and you can add widgets (works well with OPPO widgets, less with 3rd party apps/Google widgets), change the layout of the home screens, change the shape or even colors of the icons, notification shade icons. So, you will say Material You. Nope. It seems an OPPO solution, including a wallpaper's colors picker.

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And it's the same for many things. Notification shades are a struggle for me. Too many operations to have a global view and enter the app. I have many email accounts and receive many emails. You can all the notifications grouped for each inbox; that's great. You can unfold them and see each notification for each mail. Great. But when it's folded, clicking on the shade, you should get you in the inbox with all read and unread mail. Here, you need to unfold, select an email, go into the email in the app, go back, and then be in your inbox.

And the system is still responsive, the battery is good, and no drain due to these additions, and you customized the X5 to get a closer look at a Pixel/Stock OS. Some options or functionality will pop, giving you more of this feel… or the opposite.

I choose the US region on the phone, meaning lots of functionalities are deactivated to comply with local regulations… No Omoji, Themes, or way to customize the OS. Usually, when these options are free (like themes), the product is you (and your data). The X5 doesn't have Air Gestures functionality like its big brother, the X5 Pro. It can be a nice touch; for me, it's just a gimmick, like a quick ball, smart bar. I tried them. I understand the addiction, but it's not for me. At least the goal of Android, personalize it for your own usage. And it was the same for O Relax. It allows you to relax with a mix of music and video for a time duration you have decided. Zen attitude. Yeps, great for those who need, nope for me.

For Privacy, OPPO stated, "User privacy is about transparency. OPPO has been improving data compliance through storage and process. With servers deployed in multiple locations worldwide, OPPO guarantees that user data stays in the nearby servers, saved in a non-plain text transmitted using a proprietary protocol."

ColorOS 12 comes with Private System, Private Safe, App Lock, and more security features with Android 12 Privacy Dashboards. However, on the phone, their privacy notice is outdated from November 2020. It seems the servers are in Germany for EU users, so OPPO complies with GPDR.

Okay, user data are safe and encrypted. ColorOS even integrates the new A12 guidelines as permissions of apps to use the camera, microphone, localization (approximate or precise), the data used, and the green dot to indicate whether an app uses a microphone or camera.

Anti-peeping feature is also included, and the system will recognize if it's the viewer looking at the screen, so the notification or content can be hidden if tuned this way.

So, with the integration of Android 12 Features, OPPO custom-made additions, a new 3D engine for rendering, the wallpaper-based theming stuff, the smart sidebar, the nearby share integration, the quick return bubble, and all the animations On, what about the battery?

Surprisingly… Good. 3 Gmail accounts + 2 Exchange ones + photography + not a great network as fewer frequencies available here in the US with an EU variant + YouTube + some casual games here and there… You are good to go for the day. As usual, I turned my smartphone by restricting apps I don't use, and I need to refresh when I go inside them (and believe me, it makes a massive difference as ColorOs allows Foreground Activity, Background Activity, and Auto Launch options to enable or disable.

And if there is an issue, you can activate the Super power-saving mode making your smartphone a feature phone. You can add 3 apps on top of the clock, dialer and messaging apps. It will help you be reachable until you find a way to recharge your phone.

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Like many OEMs, OPPO integrates the virtual RAM gimmick, adding virtual memory using your storage as paginated space for the less used apps still in memory and the multitasking mode. So, you will have from 2Gb to 5Gb more than the 8Gb RAM available in this variant. With UFS 3.1, the less used in-memory apps, no slowdown with that… but again, a gimmick to avoid pushing a 12Gb variant as the 101 available variants for a flagship.

Floating windows, flexible windows… all these kinds of things are available under Android 12 with PIP mode, and obviously, they are also present in the X5.

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Except for the split-screen functionality, the others I don't use … on a smartphone. The screen is too small; Bingo is on a tablet, but here, again, not my usage. It's functional; animations are great, nothing to add. Some OEMs have an issue implementing on top of their framework, but this is not the case here. If you're a fan of it, you will have it with the X5 series.

ColorOS also integrates all you need for casting your screen. From Miracast to Chromecast, wirelessly to a wired way from TV to your computer screen.

You have your TV or Android or Google or whatever Box up to date, and you should have the opportunity to share your screen and the Audio.

To share your screen on your computer, you will need to download an app, PC Connect client for Mac or Windows, allowing the connection with your phone… And that's it. You will have a floating window on your desktop mirroring your OPPO screen. Fast and easy. Sharing clipboard functionality is also available.

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The wired connection is working via USB-C to HDMI cable; gaming and YouTube are okay, but I had an issue with streaming apps like Prime Video or Netflix where I don't have any with other brands. Maybe it's up to these apps to allow or integrate this new model. The issue is a no go from the apps to decrypt protected content.

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Speaking of updates, this Find series should usually receive 3 years of Major OS upgrades and 4 years of security updates (per month or as required…)

Something I didn't see a lot in OPPO communication is the O-Haptics functionality. I like it, and it gives a little punch to the notification or when you are using the smartphone. And you can finetune the intensity and synchronize it with the tones. The demonstration video is convincing, and I am waiting for a third-party app using the API/Library.

Another exciting thing is that the product has 2 IMEI, 2 SIM cards trays, and the eSIM option. I will bet the eSIM will deactivate the SIM 2 port if active. But saying eSIM is finally live is a great thing.

The Wi-Fi 6 is 2.4Gbps compatible in the Connectivity part, so easy to reach these numbers. With my GB internet plan, I reach 1.4Gbps on download, with the Wi-Fi meaning with got here the 2x80Mhz bandwidth instead of only 1x80 or 2x40Mhz for some competitors and blocked you only at 1.2Gbps.

For LTE, LTE-A, LTE NR, SA, NSA, 5G, or whatever, sorry, EU variant, and I am in the US, so that it won't be representative.

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Let's go for Part 3 and the Final Thoughts

Again, thank you OPPO and @OPPO Ambassador Team for this opportunity.​