When AI stops showing off and starts working for you: OPPO’s Fan Mo speaks about ColorOS

When discussing AI implementation in smartphones, many treat it more as a marketing ploy than a real technology changing the smartphone industry today. This is due to an overflow of promises that often exceed what is possible. But on the other hand, some companies are taking on a different approach: instead of generating hype, they are building real-world products.

One company doing that is OPPO, and in an exclusive interview, Fan Mo, Senior Software Product Manager at OPPO Global, shared what she considers when developing AI products and how she envisions AI changing smartphone software and experience.

How does ColorOS 16 redefine the user experience specifically for the new Reno15 Series, and what was the core philosophy behind its development?

ColorOS 16 redefines the Reno15 user experience by making intelligence feel natural, not technical.

Our core philosophy is simple: technology serves you best when it feels like a natural extension of you. At OPPO, we don’t see intelligence as a list of features. We see it as a harmony, one that understands your needs and blends seamlessly into how you think, create, and live.

This philosophy has guided us since ColorOS 14. With ColorOS 16 on the Reno15 Series, we take that thinking further by delivering an experience that is more thoughtful, more effortless, and more reliable in everyday use. AI works quietly in the background, reducing friction, simplifying actions, and supporting creativity and productivity without demanding attention.

For Reno15 users, this means a smoother, more intuitive experience where the phone adapts to them, not the other way around. The technology feels less like a tool and more like a natural part of how they express themselves and capture every meaningful moment.

OPPO Reno15 lineup

ColorOS introduces features like AI Mind Space. Can you elaborate on how these directly translate into tangible daily benefits and enhanced creativity for Reno15 Series users?

AI Mind Space translates AI from something impressive into something genuinely useful in daily life.

With a simple three-finger swipe, users can save anything on their screen, articles, images, messages, or web pages, into one unified space. Mind Space automatically organizes this content, turning scattered information into a clear, structured hub for ideas, plans, and inspiration.

To unlock AI Mind Space’s full potential, OPPO has partnered with Google to connect the app Mind Space with Gemini. This now allows Gemini to pull information and help users take action on content from Mind Space. For example, a user planning a trip can save travel notes and articles to Mind Space, then ask Gemini to create a personalized itinerary using the saved content.

This is especially relevant in markets like the UAE, where life moves fast. Many professionals here juggle multiple responsibilities at work while also managing family and social commitments. AI Mind Space acts like a quiet personal assistant in the background—helping users stay organized, reduce mental load, and free up time and energy for creativity and what truly matters.

Ultimately, AI Mind Space empowers OPPO users to think less about managing information and more about creating, deciding, and living in the moment.

⁠Are there any specific optimizations, localizations, or AI features within ColorOS 16 that were developed with the unique usage patterns or cultural nuances of users in this region in mind?

Yes, absolutely. Beyond AI Mind Space, many ColorOS 16 features were designed with the real-life usage patterns of Middle Eastern users in mind.

The UAE is one of the most globalized markets in the world, with people from many nationalities interacting daily across languages. That’s why we’ve significantly enhanced AI Translate. It’s fully integrated at the system level, allowing users to translate conversations, images, and text instantly with a single tap. Whether it’s a work discussion, a restaurant menu, or on-screen content, communication becomes faster and more seamless.

We also looked closely at local lighting conditions and lifestyle. In the UAE, evenings and nights are when people are most socially active, whether it’s city walks, family gatherings, or Ramadan dinners. As people capture these beautiful moments with their phones, AI Portrait Glow steps in to enhance poorly lit portraits with a single tap. It’s designed to recognize varying lighting conditions and automatically select the most suitable solution to ensure natural, flattering portraits in every scenario.

This is how we approach localization with ColorOS 16: making AI practical, culturally relevant, and genuinely helpful in everyday life.

Beyond the exciting AI features, ColorOS 16 emphasizes performance with the Trinity Engine and advanced resource scheduling. How do these technical innovations work in harmony with the Reno15’s hardware to deliver a consistently smooth and responsive user experience?

The All-New Trinity Engine acts as the system’s intelligent coordinator. It dynamically manages resources at the chip level based on user behavior for lasting performance and efficiency.

On the Reno15 Series, this works closely with the selected chipsets to ensure consistent responsiveness, whether users are gaming, shooting high-resolution photos, editing videos, or multitasking.

Many users will be upgrading from previous ColorOS versions. What are the most transformative differences in ColorOS 16 that they will immediately notice and appreciate, beyond just incremental updates?

Users upgrading to ColorOS 16 will notice the difference almost immediately. It feels smoother, smarter, and more intuitive from the very first interaction.

Beyond the new AI capabilities, the most noticeable upgrade is system fluidity. With the All-New Luminous Rendering Engine, animations and transitions across the system feel noticeably more natural and responsive. Whether you’re opening apps from the home screen or App Drawer, switching between apps with a gesture, or jumping between widgets, every action is smoother, with no visual interruptions. Everything feels more connected and refined.

Overall, ColorOS 16 doesn’t feel like a long list of new features. It feels like a more thoughtful and evolved version of the system users already trust—one that responds better, works smarter, and stays out of the way while getting things done.

Looking beyond the Reno15 Series, how does ColorOS 16 pave the way for future AI innovations and a more integrated, intelligent OPPO ecosystem?

Great products are about the combination of great hardware and a great software experience. OPPO is committed to providing users with a smarter and more secure AI experience through ColorOS.

ColorOS 16 is more than just a software update; it’s a foundational step toward a more connected and intelligent OPPO ecosystem. It sets the stage for future AI innovation by enabling deeper integration across devices and everyday experiences.

As AI becomes more embedded in daily life, privacy must be a core principle. That’s why OPPO and Google have engineered a solution centered on user privacy. We leverage the OPPO AI Private Computing Cloud (PCC), built on Google Cloud’s confidential computing services, to ensure secure AI processing and protect user data while delivering smarter experiences.