With the support of the Computing Power Model, whenever the phone needs to render a game environment or open a camera application, the CPU only needs to perform the role of an “assistant”, rather than dedicating the focus of its resources to this one task. This can avoid excessive resource requests and the need to repeatedly test resource allocation efficiency, reducing power consumption and extending battery life in the process.
A look at data from the OPPO Find X5 Pro shows just how much the Computing Power Model can improve power efficiency. According to data from OPPO Lab, once upgraded to ColorOS 13, a Find X5 Pro can be used to communicate via WhatsApp for 19 hours, play PUBG for 9 hours, view YouTube videos for 22 hours, or take WhatsApp video calls for 8 hours. While these are unlikely scenarios for the everyday person, simulations also show that the average battery life of the Find X5 Pro can reach 34 hours during typically use.
- Parallel Computing: ensuring a smooth experience under heavy loads and multitasking
Just as instruction level resource scheduling strikes a balance between performance and power consumption, parallel computing is a valuable tool in solving memory allocation conflicts.
Android uses a serial memory allocation system that works on a first come, first served basis. However, given the complexity of real-life smartphone applications, this serial nature has significant drawbacks. For example, when the user suddenly needs to perform another high priority task, they may find that the phone’s memory is occupied by other processes and cannot be released in time. This resulting lag or freezing of the app is an all too familiar experience for most smartphone users, and one which might cause some to wonder why such a well-known problem has not yet been solved. One of the primary reasons is that these memory locks are caused by a phenomenon in the computer architecture called “lock contention”. In fact, research undertaken on ColorOS has shown that “lock contention” is responsible for as many as 30% of the lag or freezing issues encountered when using a smartphone.
To get around this, ColorOS adopts an advanced microkernel design that executes key operations such as memory allocation and memory reclaim in parallel so that high priority tasks do not have to wait in line to have access to these resources. By splitting the locked memory into smaller blocks, CPU threads have to wait less time for the current thread to finish working on that specific block of memory, resulting in less lag or pause time. This improvement is critical to the smooth experience that ColorOS users will enjoy during multitasking, enabling them to open multiple apps at the same time and switch between them smoothly.
A smoother experience in ColorOS 13
Thanks to the foundations provided by the Dynamic Computing Engine, ColorOS 13 delivers a whole variety of smoother and smarter experiences.
When it comes to productivity, ColorOS 13 features an upgraded Multi-Screen Connect that now supports seamless connection between smartphones and OPPO Pad Air, and between smartphones and PCs. With the OPPO Share function, the upgraded Multi-Screen Connect also makes file transfer between devices faster and more convenient, providing support for transfer between OPPO smartphones and OPPO tablets, or OPPO smartphones to PC, without using any mobile data. Most major file types are supported, meaning you can seamlessly and quickly transfer documents and switch between smartphone, PC, or OPPO tablet depending on which device works best for any given task.
In terms of interactive experience, ColorOS’s Quantum Animation Engine improves the realism of animated effects by adding extra details and an advanced physical motion model that makes interactions in ColorOS closely reflect the laws of physics. Following in-depth research and analysis of user feedback, the ColorOS team has optimized 61 motion effects and introduced Behavioral Prediction into Quantum Animation Engine. Behavioral Prediction can recognize and predict a user’s intended input when two touchscreen gestures are made one after the other. For example, when an app is opened and the user suddenly decides to open the second page to the right of the home screen, usually the user have to slide up from the bottom of the display and wait for the home screen to appear before swiping onto the second page. But if user swipe right after sliding up, ColorOS 13 will know the ultimate goal is to get to the second page and will take user directly there. This prevents conflict between the two operations and provides users with smoother, more intuitive interaction.
Another feature in ColorOS 13 that minimizes power consumption through close integration of hardware and software is LTPO 2.0 technology. LTPO 2.0 can reduce the refresh rate of the Always-On Display to only 1Hz, leading to a reduction in power consumption of up to 30% in certain applications. This creates more possibilities for users to personalize their Always-On Display without having to worry about how it will impact the battery life of the phone. The Always-On Display in ColorOS 13 provides options to monitor daily smartphone usage with Insight Always-On Display or create a digital Bitmoji avatar that syncs up with their real self. The Smart Always-On Display can even be used to control Spotify music play or receive information on food delivery orders from apps such as Swiggy and Zomato without unlocking the screen.
In terms of privacy and security, ColorOS 13’s Auto Pixelate can automatically blur profile pictures and usernames in chat screenshots using a device-side algorithm, allowing users to conveniently share screenshots of their conversations without worrying about their privacy. ColorOS 13 also includes an updated Private Safe feature that employs industry-standard AES file encryption to store files in a local private directory for enhanced security and privacy.
