This could be 2026’s best smartphone, if only it didn’t rip off Apple’s Liquid Glass

https://www.androidauthority.com/oppo-shameless-iphone-copying-3658552/

Publish Date: 2026-04-22 06:10:00

I 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.

Worse still, the Find X9 Ultra is a phone with a strong identity of its own. It positions…

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