ColorOS stopped feeling like a compromise once I actually lived with 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 on the surface, it felt lovely and fluid, but the lack of customization compared to One UI and a few software quirks meant I never seriously considered using it long term.

The big one was lock screen notifications. On many Chinese operating systems, once you receive a notification on the lock screen and then unlock the phone, the system treats that notification as read and hides it from the lock screen when you lock the phone again. The notification is still in the status bar and notification panel, but it no longer sits on the lock screen.

That used to be a dealbreaker for me because I depend on reminders staying visible. If a reminder disappears from the lock screen, I am far more likely to forget the thing I was being reminded to do. But while I was testing my own reminder app, my developer switched the notification system to ongoing notifications, which kept those reminders on the lock screen even after unlocking the Oppo Find N6.

Once that one critical use case was solved, my whole view of the notification behavior changed. I realized reminders were basically the only notifications I genuinely needed to persist on the lock screen. Everything else started to feel less like a missing feature and more like a security and digital well-being benefit.

Before using the Oppo Find N6 full time, semi-important notifications would sit on my lock screen as a constant little guilt trip. I would often deal with them sooner than I should, and that could easily turn into a short doom scrolling session. It also meant private notifications could be visible if my phone was sitting on a table around friends, unless I snoozed them or awkwardly turned the phone over.

ColorOS is not as locked down as I expected

One of my biggest assumptions was that ColorOS would be super locked down and restricted, similar to how I feel about Xiaomi's HyperOS. That assumption was wrong. ColorOS does not have the same crazy accessibility issues, it does not have super aggressive battery optimization issues, and it does not block you from using third-party launchers and gestures at the same time.

That was a huge relief once I was using ColorOS full time. I was not constantly fighting the system, and the interface itself felt more refined and better looking than I expected. The software still has its own way of doing things, but it no longer felt like a skin I was tolerating for the sake of the hardware.

One UI still wins on customization, but ColorOS feels much better

There is still a lot to love about Samsung phones, and at least at the time of making the video, Samsung is unmatched when it comes to customization. I thought those customization options were enough to keep me on One UI. They were not.

After using the Oppo Find N6, going back to Samsung for a hidden tricks video made One UI feel choppy and unfinished in comparison. That was the point where I realized the software feel mattered more to me than I expected. I can recreate a lot of my favorite setups and features elsewhere, but I cannot make Samsung phones feel as fluid as ColorOS.

That is really what it comes down to. I can still use KWGT to create my favorite home screen setup on the Oppo Find N6. I can use apps like Standby Mode, Ambient Music Mod, or Essentials to recreate favorite features from other operating systems. The one thing I cannot replicate on Samsung phones is the fluidity ColorOS gives me.

Yes, ColorOS has taken a lot of design inspiration from iOS's liquid glass, and I know plenty of people will complain that it should look more unique. But I think it looks flipping good. It also does not seem to suffer from the performance issues I have seen with iOS 26.

The Oppo Find N6 hardware makes the switch feel obvious

The software is the reason I have not switched back, but the hardware is what makes the Oppo Find N6 such a simple option to keep using. For me, this is easily the most feature-packed, uncompromising foldable phone on the market right now.

• The camera configuration has been great and very reliable.
• The build quality is excellent, with an elegant design.
• The phone does not wobble when used flat on a table.
• Both displays are fantastic in everyday use.
• Battery life has been really good.
• Wired and wireless charging are both fast.
• The stylus is powerful if I want to use it.
• Opening the phone turns it into a mini tablet whenever I want.

That combination is what got me. ColorOS has become my favorite version of Android by a long margin, and the Oppo Find N6 pairs that software with the kind of foldable hardware that makes me want to keep using it every day.

Why I am no longer using Samsung phones

Samsung phones are still excellent, and One UI still has customization depth that ColorOS does not match right now. But when I combine the hardware of the Oppo Find N6 with what is, for me, the best software experience on a phone, the decision becomes pretty straightforward.

I did not expect ColorOS to change my mind this much. I went in thinking I would have to work around the quirks. Instead, I learned which ones were actually useful, solved the one that mattered most to me, and ended up with a phone I have not wanted to put down.

From Sam Beckman