Near-stock Android experience comes to the OPPO R7s via Project Spectrum

There are some interesting things going on when it comes to UIs lately. Samsung released Good Lock, it’s advanced alternative UI for the Galaxy S7 and LG back-tracked on removing the app drawer in UX 5.0. Now, OPPO has announced a near-stock Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow ROM called Project Spectrum beta which delivers an alternative to ColorOS for the OPPO R7s.

Project Spectrum beta is actually not a new idea, having previously been made available for the Find 7, R7 and R9. It aims to take the most popular features of ColorOS and bake them into stock Android, similar to the way Motorola handled its UI when it existed under the Google umbrella. The 6.0.1 beta is already available for the OPPO R7s and it will be made available for the OPPO R7 Plus on May 13.

Besides Marshmallow staples like Doze Mode and Google Now on Tap, Project Spectrum adds popular ColorOS features like off-screen gestures, support for VOOC Flash Charge and OPPO’s custom camera app. Just as stock Android is pulling more and more features from custom ROMs and manufacturer skins, OEMs are increasingly beginning to use stock features (like the Quick Settings) in their official UIs.

OPPO’s reasoning behind offering a near-stock alternative to its default ROM is that it wants to bring greater choice to users. While skeptics might consider this, like Samsung’s Good Lock, to be more about testing the waters for a possible future UI switch, there’s a lot to be said for offering two versions of a UI. It allows OPPO to appeal to both stock Android fans as well as those that prefer more customization.

While ColorOS will continue to be the default OS for OPPO devices out of the box, Project Spectrum offers an enticing alternative for those that aren’t into heavily skinned versions of Android. The Project Spectrum beta can be downloaded from the OPPO community forum and flashing it will not affect your warranty if you bought your device through oppostyle.com or Amazon in Europe.

Do you like the idea of dual ROMs for one device? Do you prefer heavy skins or stock Android?