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Software
- ColorOS7.2 based on Android 10
- Android 11 in November
With Color OS 7, Oppo redefined the user experience. Now, with two iterations and fine-tuning, we now have the Color OS 7.2 which is cleaner and simpler. This is by far the biggest leap by Oppo with regards to UI. The most commonly used menu options are now easy to find and have cleaner UI representation. There are very few apps that come pre-installed and most of them are even uninstallable easily.
For those, who like customization, with Color 7.2, you get a ton of options for each setting. For someone who is coming from cleaner/stock Android, the UI will feel overwhelming. Firstly, with the home screen, you can now access Google Discover. The home screen settings give you the option to change icon size, animations, widgets, wallpapers, pull down, speed, theme, and also icon style. To take advantage of the AMOLED screen, you get system-wide dark mode which also turns all the supported apps to dark mode with just a single tap, which looks great.
The toggles in the notification bar are also extremely customizable. You can add over 35 toggles including dark mode, screen recording, eye comfort, DND, calculator, Google Assistant, and more. The overall system animation is also pretty fluid and responsive. Apps do open quickly and touch response is also pretty accurate. For navigation, you get three options - side swipe gesture, virtual buttons, and swipe-up gestures. For even more convenience, the Oppo has baked in an Assistive button which overlays on the screen all the time. This can function as a single home button or you can have it as a menu option. Furthermore, you also get a Quick return bubble for games, Smart slider that brings five apps/options with a quick slide.
In our experience, we did not receive any spam notifications from any apps except for the time when the built-in browser pushed some random bank-related message a couple of times. Color OS 7.2 has also included several privacy features such as app lock which works with face unlock too. There is Kid space, private safe, secure keyboard, and other security features like preventing screen capture, recording and voice recording. Also, a safe environment is created when you open banking apps like Google Pay. The top of the screen will turn blue and let you know that you are in a secured environment.
For a person who came from Oxygen OS, the Color OS did not disappoint me. I was pretty happy with the design, animations, and overall system usability. Oppo has really trimmed and chopped down the unwanted apps and options from the OS. Lastly, Oppo has also said that the Android 11 will be rolled out to the device in November.
Call quality and Audio
We were using the phone with Jio network all the time and had no issues with network reception. For calling we tested with VoWiFi as well as regular calling. We faced a bit of an issue with VowiFi calling a couple of times but that's nothing to do with the device as is a problem in itself. The regular call went on fine and we had no issues communicating with people on the other end. The voices on each end were very clear too.
The Oppo F17 Pro opts for a single bottom-firing speaker which is just average at best. The output is loud and clear. But muffled up at the max volume. While using in landscape mode, your will completely block the sound and it blocks more than 90%. The phone also bundles a 3.5mm headphone jack and also a pair of wired earphones in the box itself, which is pretty decent. The audio streaming via Bluetooth 5.0 was also pretty good. You can also use the Type-C port for audio listening with OTG turned on.
Verdict
Buy it if...
Don’t buy if...
