Oppo has confirmed that ColorOS 16.1 will arrive April 16, 2026just a few days before the presentation of the Oppo Find X9 Ultra. The update brings notable visual changes to the lock screen, but what stands out the most is a design decision that is difficult to ignore: Oppo has incorporated a pill shaped bar at the bottom of the screen to group notifications and Live Activities. Anyone who has seen the Samsung Now Bar You'll know what we're talking about.
The inspiration is more than evident. Samsung introduced the Now Bar with One UI 7and Oppo has replicated the concept almost to the letter, moving Live Activities from the punch-hole area to that lower pill. In addition, the lock screen media player receives an iOS redesign: the album art is separated from the playback control, and support appears for viewing the song lyrics directly into the lock. In short, Oppo has looked at Samsung and Apple at the same time to build this update.
The Find X9 Ultra, the first to release ColorOS 16.1
He Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Find X9s Pro will be the first devices to leave the factory with ColorOS 16.1 preinstalled. The Find X9 Ultra is also Oppo's most ambitious model in years: it incorporates an optical system with five prism structure which allows for 10x optical zoom and 20x optical quality zoom, something unprecedented in the industry. It competes directly with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which remains at 10x quality optical zoom.
ColorOS 16.1 also includes new artificial intelligence featuresimproved animations and general performance adjustments. Live Activities will now show information about current calls, voice recorder, timers, flashlight and maps, all from that bottom bar. Deployment in China begins April 16, with global expansion planned for May. Older Find X9 devices should receive it shortly after.
Oppo borrowing ideas from Samsung or Apple isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as the execution is good, but the resemblance to the Now Bar is so direct that it's hard to call it “inspiration.” Where is the line between leveraging what works and simply copying the competition?
