Oppo Find N6 Review: Why I Stopped Using Samsung
The Oppo Find N6 review I did not expect to write is the one where it replaced Samsung as my main everyday phone. The surprise was not just the foldable hardware, although that plays a huge part. It was ColorOS, a software experience I used to avoid long term, becoming the reason I have not wanted to switch back.
ColorOS fixed the one thing that used to stop me using it
For the longest time, ColorOS sat in the same mental category as a lot of other Chinese Android skins for me. It looked great, it felt fluid, but the customization gap compared with One UI and a few software quirks meant I never really considered living with it properly.
The big dealbreaker was lock-screen notifications. On many Chinese OSs, once a notification appears on the lock screen and you unlock the phone, the system treats that notification as read and hides it from the lock screen when you relock the device. The notification still exists in the status bar and notification panel, but it is no longer sitting there where I usually expect to see it.
That used to be a hard no for me because I rely on reminders being visible on the lock screen. If a reminder disappears after I unlock my phone, there is a very real chance I just forget to do the thing I was being reminded about.
What changed was simple: my reminder app switched to ongoing notifications. That keeps those reminders on the lock screen even after the phone has been unlocked, and that one change removed the specific problem that actually mattered to me day to day.
The notification quirk became a privacy and wellbeing feature
Once reminders were handled, I started seeing the lock-screen behavior differently. What I had labelled as an annoying quirk started to feel more like a security and digital wellbeing feature.
Before switching, any semi-important notification could sit on my lock screen as a constant reminder that I needed to address it. I hated that looming feeling, so I would usually deal with the notification sooner rather than later, and that would often turn into a short doom-scrolling session.
There was also the privacy side. If my phone was sitting on a table around friends and a slightly private notification came in, I would either have to snooze it away or awkwardly turn the screen over so no one could read it. ColorOS removing previously seen lock-screen notifications made that situation less of a problem.
I still think this should be an option that can be configured manually, ideally app by app, instead of being forced. But it is no longer a dealbreaker for me. Not even slightly.
ColorOS is not as locked down as I assumed
I had also assumed ColorOS would feel super locked down and restricted, especially in the way Xiaomi's HyperOS can. That was wrong. ColorOS does not have the same accessibility issues I associate with HyperOS, it does not have super aggressive battery optimization issues, and it does not block third-party launchers and gestures from working at the same time.
That was a huge relief once the Oppo Find N6 became my full-time phone. I was not just tolerating the software because the hardware was good. I was actually finding that ColorOS was more refined, better looking, and much easier to settle into than I expected.
Color OS has officially become my favorite version of Android to use by a long margin.
— Sam BeckmanColorOS fluidity is the reason One UI lost me
Once I adjusted to the notification behavior, the two things I already liked about ColorOS became impossible to ignore: the aesthetics and the fluidity. Those are the real reasons I have not been able to switch back to One UI.
When I went back to Samsung software to make a hidden tricks video, I was genuinely thrown by how choppy and unfinished the experience felt in comparison. I thought One UI's customization features would be enough to keep me using Samsung phones, but that has not been the case.
The key difference is that I can recreate a lot of my favorite setup pieces on the Oppo Find N6. I can use KWGT for my home screen setup, and I can use apps like Standby Mode, Ambient Music Mod, or Essentials to bring over favorite features from other operating systems. The Find N6 also has its own fairly extensive customization options.
What I cannot replicate on Samsung phones is the fluidity of ColorOS. That is the part that changes the daily feel of the phone every single time I swipe, open something, or move around the interface.
Yes, ColorOS looks inspired by iOS, but I like it
I know some people will complain that ColorOS has taken a lot of design inspiration from iOS's liquid glass. I get that argument. It could look more unique.
But honestly, it looks flipping good. More importantly, it feels incredibly fluid, and it does not seem to suffer from the performance issues I have seen with iOS 26. For me, the way the software looks and moves is a massive part of why the Oppo Find N6 has stuck.
The Oppo Find N6 hardware makes the switch easier
The software is the biggest surprise, but the hardware is what makes the whole thing feel like a no-brainer. The Oppo Find N6 is, for me, the most feature-packed and uncompromising foldable phone on the market right now.
The camera configuration has been great and very reliable. The build quality is excellent, and the design is elegant enough that it does not wobble when used flat on a table. The phone also gives me two fantastic displays, really good battery life, fast wired and wireless charging, and a powerful stylus if I want to use one.
Then there is the obvious foldable advantage: I can open the phone and turn it into a mini tablet whenever I feel like it. That combination of daily phone and mini tablet is a big part of why the Find N6 has hooked me.
Samsung still wins customization, but that is not enough for me
I do not want this to sound like there is nothing left to love about Samsung phones. There is still a lot to like, and at the time of making the video, Samsung remains unmatched when it comes to customization.
But for my day-to-day use, customization was not enough to outweigh the difference in fluidity. The Oppo Find N6 gives me excellent hardware and, for me, the best software experience available on a phone right now. Put those together, and it is pretty obvious why I am no longer using Samsung phones.
From Sam Beckman
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New tech reviews, deals, and honest setups every week.
Oppo Find N6 Review: Why I Stopped Using Samsung
The Oppo Find N6 review I did not expect to write is the one where it replaced Samsung as my main everyday phone. The surprise was not just the foldable hardware, although that plays a huge part. It was ColorOS, a software experience I used to avoid long term, becoming the reason I have not wanted to switch back.
ColorOS fixed the one thing that used to stop me using it
For the longest time, ColorOS sat in the same mental category as a lot of other Chinese Android skins for me. It looked great, it felt fluid, but the customization gap compared with One UI and a few software quirks meant I never really considered living with it properly.
The big dealbreaker was lock-screen notifications. On many Chinese OSs, once a notification appears on the lock screen and you unlock the phone, the system treats that notification as read and hides it from the lock screen when you relock the device. The notification still exists in the status bar and notification panel, but it is no longer sitting there where I usually expect to see it.
That used to be a hard no for me because I rely on reminders being visible on the lock screen. If a reminder disappears after I unlock my phone, there is a very real chance I just forget to do the thing I was being reminded about.
What changed was simple: my reminder app switched to ongoing notifications. That keeps those reminders on the lock screen even after the phone has been unlocked, and that one change removed the specific problem that actually mattered to me day to day.
The notification quirk became a privacy and wellbeing feature
Once reminders were handled, I started seeing the lock-screen behavior differently. What I had labelled as an annoying quirk started to feel more like a security and digital wellbeing feature.
Before switching, any semi-important notification could sit on my lock screen as a constant reminder that I needed to address it. I hated that looming feeling, so I would usually deal with the notification sooner rather than later, and that would often turn into a short doom-scrolling session.
There was also the privacy side. If my phone was sitting on a table around friends and a slightly private notification came in, I would either have to snooze it away or awkwardly turn the screen over so no one could read it. ColorOS removing previously seen lock-screen notifications made that situation less of a problem.
I still think this should be an option that can be configured manually, ideally app by app, instead of being forced. But it is no longer a dealbreaker for me. Not even slightly.
ColorOS is not as locked down as I assumed
I had also assumed ColorOS would feel super locked down and restricted, especially in the way Xiaomi's HyperOS can. That was wrong. ColorOS does not have the same accessibility issues I associate with HyperOS, it does not have super aggressive battery optimization issues, and it does not block third-party launchers and gestures from working at the same time.
That was a huge relief once the Oppo Find N6 became my full-time phone. I was not just tolerating the software because the hardware was good. I was actually finding that ColorOS was more refined, better looking, and much easier to settle into than I expected.
Color OS has officially become my favorite version of Android to use by a long margin.
— Sam BeckmanColorOS fluidity is the reason One UI lost me
Once I adjusted to the notification behavior, the two things I already liked about ColorOS became impossible to ignore: the aesthetics and the fluidity. Those are the real reasons I have not been able to switch back to One UI.
When I went back to Samsung software to make a hidden tricks video, I was genuinely thrown by how choppy and unfinished the experience felt in comparison. I thought One UI's customization features would be enough to keep me using Samsung phones, but that has not been the case.
The key difference is that I can recreate a lot of my favorite setup pieces on the Oppo Find N6. I can use KWGT for my home screen setup, and I can use apps like Standby Mode, Ambient Music Mod, or Essentials to bring over favorite features from other operating systems. The Find N6 also has its own fairly extensive customization options.
What I cannot replicate on Samsung phones is the fluidity of ColorOS. That is the part that changes the daily feel of the phone every single time I swipe, open something, or move around the interface.
Yes, ColorOS looks inspired by iOS, but I like it
I know some people will complain that ColorOS has taken a lot of design inspiration from iOS's liquid glass. I get that argument. It could look more unique.
But honestly, it looks flipping good. More importantly, it feels incredibly fluid, and it does not seem to suffer from the performance issues I have seen with iOS 26. For me, the way the software looks and moves is a massive part of why the Oppo Find N6 has stuck.
The Oppo Find N6 hardware makes the switch easier
The software is the biggest surprise, but the hardware is what makes the whole thing feel like a no-brainer. The Oppo Find N6 is, for me, the most feature-packed and uncompromising foldable phone on the market right now.
The camera configuration has been great and very reliable. The build quality is excellent, and the design is elegant enough that it does not wobble when used flat on a table. The phone also gives me two fantastic displays, really good battery life, fast wired and wireless charging, and a powerful stylus if I want to use one.
Then there is the obvious foldable advantage: I can open the phone and turn it into a mini tablet whenever I feel like it. That combination of daily phone and mini tablet is a big part of why the Find N6 has hooked me.
Samsung still wins customization, but that is not enough for me
I do not want this to sound like there is nothing left to love about Samsung phones. There is still a lot to like, and at the time of making the video, Samsung remains unmatched when it comes to customization.
But for my day-to-day use, customization was not enough to outweigh the difference in fluidity. The Oppo Find N6 gives me excellent hardware and, for me, the best software experience available on a phone right now. Put those together, and it is pretty obvious why I am no longer using Samsung phones.
From Sam Beckman
Subscribe to Sam Beckman
New tech reviews, deals, and honest setups every week.