GoKawiilI really hoped the Android world had quickly gotten over Apple’s clearly style-over-substance Liquid Glass UX redesign. We’re nearly universally agreed that it looks like something scraped from 2007-era Microsoft, and that’s before we even get to the accessibility headaches. So imagine my surprise when I booted up the new OPPO Find X9 Ultra and was greeted by an almost carbon-copy of the latest iPhones.
What’s more bizarre is that, while there’s undeniably been a touch of Apple-inspired design in recent versions of ColorOS on devices like the OnePlus 15 or OPPO Find X9 Pro, earlier builds mostly avoided this excessive glassy sheen. Pill-shaped elements and overly squircle quick settings might not be to my taste, but they’re at least defensible as aesthetic choices. I don’t even mind a bit of transparency.
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
But somewhere between ColorOS version 16.0.5 and 16.0.7 with my Ultra review unit, OPPO seems to have flipped the switch on a full-glass effect. Worst of all, I can’t find a way to turn it off. It’s also telling that many of ColorOS’ own apps — Photos, Video, Weather — haven’t been updated to match. This feels less like a cohesive redesign and more like a rushed layer slapped over the top, without much deeper integration outside of a few specific cases.
But what really hurts my head is that OPPO and OnePlus have already invested heavily in building something distinctive with ColorOS. I’m not alone in enjoying recent iterations for their tasteful design and genuinely useful features. It’s often struck a nice balance between Google’s gaudier Material 3 Expressive and a more practical, grounded UX. The camera app is a perfect example: simple enough for a quick snap, but with advanced controls just a toggle away. Now, by borrowing Apple’s design language, there are fewer options visible at any one time.
OPPO Find X9 Ultra OPPO Find X9 Ultra OPPO Find X9 Ultra OPPO Find X9 Pro OPPO Find X9 Pro OPPO Find X9 Pro
Worse still, the Find X9 Ultra is a phone with a strong identity of its own. It positions itself as a powerhouse for gamers and multitaskers, thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip rather than the MediaTek silicon in the rest of the Find X9 lineup. OPPO has also gone big on camera hardware, with a 3x zoom 200MP sensor and a 10x 50MP periscope lens that make for a genuinely compelling photography package. It’s even leaned into its Hasselblad partnership to reinforce those flagship credentials. In short, this is a device that goes well beyond the mainstream.
Why spend the time building amazing hardware only to plaster it with someone else's UI?
Where Liquid Glass fits into that philosophy is beyond me; if anything, it actively detracts from what the phone does so well. I should be talking about the cameras, the snappy performance, and the premium build. Instead, I’m stuck harping on about Apple-inspired UI choices. Yes, looking like Apple might turn heads and even help brands occupy that same premium mindshare that Ultra handsets demand to occupy.
But once again, I’m left wondering why major Android brands producing genuinely world-class hardware don’t seem to have the same confidence in their ability to design equally compelling software. They’re not copying Apple’s approach to cameras or chassis design, so why follow on UI?
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