ColorOS 14, Realme UI 5, OxygenOS 14 (Android 14) Review

ColorOS 14, Realme UI 5, OxygenOS 14 (Android 14) Review

Although Oppo, Realme and OnePlus call their Android skins differently, all three interfaces look similar and offer similar features and a similar user experience, leaving long-time OnePlus users still bemoaning some of their shortcomings. . OxygenOS.

No matter what brand your phone comes from, you'll get a smooth, feature-rich experience.

Compared to the older ColorOS 13/OxygenOS 13/Realme UI 4.0, the new Android 14-based version ColorOS 14/OxygenOS 14/Realme UI 5.0 offers a few user-oriented changes. We will resolve this over time.

Lock screen, home screen, always on screen

If you've ever used any of these three operating systems, you'll feel right at home. There are no significant changes to the way you navigate or the look of your interface. You get a standard app drawer and a familiar Quick Toggle notification shade by default.

Front viewNotification shadeRecent apps menu.
Home screen • Notification shade • Recent apps menu.

Many interface elements can be customized: fonts, icons, accent colors, and the shape of keyboard shortcuts around the ad.

User interface customization optionsUser interface customization optionsUser interface customization options
User interface customization options

The always-on display feature also offers extensive customization options.

Always visibleAlways visible
Always visible

A popular feature these days is the ability to launch apps by long-pressing the fingerprint reader while unlocking. A context menu will open with the application you selected. Oppo/OnePlus/Realme pioneered this feature and we're glad it's still here.

Quick start fingerprint functionQuick start fingerprint function
Quick start fingerprint function

movement and navigation

Navigation is very standard. You can choose between symbol and soft keys. Gesture navigation can be customized according to your preferences. Rear gesture sensitivity with separate left and right edges control, hide gesture guide bar and more.

System navigation optionsSystem navigation options
System navigation options

There are a few more gestures, too: an off-screen gesture to open apps, draw letters on the lock screen, raise the phone to your ear to answer, and automatically connect to a headset when connected via Bluetooth. With some Realme/OnePlus/Oppo devices, often high-end phones, you can remotely control the phone using air signals.

Turn off signs and air signs on the screenTurn off signs and air signs on the screenTurn off signs and air signs on the screen
Turn off signs and air signs on the screen

Multitasking and productivity features

Like most Android skins these days, all three have plenty of features that are perfect for multitasking. They have standard split view (opens two apps on the screen at the same time), dynamic window (opens apps in small interactive windows, you can open multiple apps at the same time) and smart sidebar (selects your apps and preferred tools). So you can start.) lifting the rod from the side edge).

Multi-function optionMulti-function optionMulti-function option
Multi-function option

The sidebar gets the new functionality. Now you can store all kinds of files in File Dock and access them anytime. There is also a list of recently used files.

Finally, the Smart Touch feature lets you extract images and text from screenshots, and it appears to only be available on high-end devices. However, the built-in Google Lens feature can make it even if your Oppo/Realme/OnePlus phone doesn't support Smart Touch.

The notification functions are standard and simple, although there are exceptions. For example, Smart Hide Notifications is a great privacy feature available on most Realme/Opo/Oneplus devices, even with a high budget. When you enable Face Unlock, the system uses your facial data to personalize your notifications. For example, if the front camera detects someone else looking at your phone, the content of the notification banner will be hidden.

Notification related features and customizationsNotification related features and customizations
Notification related features and customizations

If we talk about wallpapers, the system gives you a few quick pop-up actions that you can select directly from the notification in the notification shade.

Smart suggestions are pop-up banners that can stay in the notification shade just like regular notifications. They provide real time information as per the situation. For example, you will receive information about food delivery, ride sharing services, etc. You can also allow on lock screen and always on screen.

A smart suggestion
A smart suggestion

Unfortunately, the system does not support all smart suggestions from all apps, so your experience may vary.

Similar to Apple's Dynamic Islands, Oppo has implemented pop-up bubbles. Oppo calls it Aqua Dynamics and it works with some system apps like Voice Recorder. A small bubble will appear in the status bar to indicate that the recorder is active. However, we couldn't get it to work with the Music app, which is a shame because it comes into its own when used with media.

And if you own a OnePlus or Oppo Find N3 device, you can quickly switch between ring mode, vibrate mode and silent mode using the alert slider.

Multi-screen connection

This is not a new feature, but it offers many features that you can get by connecting your PC and phone or any other Oppo/Realme/Oneplus device. You can check transfers, share files and multitask. But we found the connection process quite tedious as there were a lot of entries and glitches when connecting the Realme to an Oppo smartphone, and you can't use it on a desktop if you don't have a Wi-Fi adapter. This is a strange limitation given. that all devices are on the same network. This is certainly not an easy process and is a far cry from Samsung DeX or Motorola Ready For Solution.

Patel

Although the ColorOS/OxygenOS/Realme UI is smooth and feature-rich, it lags behind in implementing the latest Android changes and trending features. There are a few changes to how you use these three Android skins, and no significant new features. While Samsung and Google are integrating AI-based features into the Android 14 version and Xiaomi is updating MIUI 14 to HyperOS, Oppo, OnePlus and Realme are taking a slightly more outdated approach.

ColorOS 14: