it seems to be completely broken on 'regular' opera for android. The mini version works, although I've seen some ads, but not nearly as many as the other version. I honestly don't think regular version of opera for android blocks -any- ads at all

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I can't see where @cl007 said anything about "porting the desktop version of Opera on Android..."?
Actually, @cl007's hypothesis is pretty much correct, as I have extensions loaded on a browser built from opera dev source.
I have the duckduckgo extension, and a chromium Sample Context Menus API extension loaded, and working.
The majority of Chrome extensions are cross platform, so the "desktop version of Opera on Android...?" statement has no substance.
From my browser:
chrome://flags
Extensions on browser:// URLs Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS, Android
Enables running extensions on browser:// URLs, where extensions explicitly request this permission. #extensions-on-chrome-urls
So why "flame" the suggestion that Opera for Android could run Opera extensions, when it can?
Nice.

Thank you. I am glad someone understood what I was trying to say

Strange. I just tested both opera AND mini, and both are showing ads. Really disappointed in opera. It is the browser I wish I could like, but constantly falls short.

Not related to ads but I wish they'd just merge both mini and 'regular' mobile versions. Mini has a handful of useful features absent from regular opera, but the ui is different in mini.

If not merge, then at the very least incorporate all those features found in mini into regular opera mobile

Edit: opera mini doesn't show ads from all the same sites as regular opera, but take yahoo mail mobile site for example. Ads show up in the top of both regular and mini

The simple thing would be to allow extensions from opera desktop to be used on opers mobile. Then we could use 3rd party adblock. They're both chrome-based, so not sure why desktop allows extensions/addons/whatever, and opera mobile does not

Unlock is pretty darn good. Opera in comparison is just awful. (And yes the checkbox is checked)

Seems like another case of change for the sake of change.

Starting to wonder if the opera ad block is like that corrupt ad-block plus (where companies could buy their way past their ad block). B/c many, many times on various websites I've seen ads when using the latest opera mobile. Meanwhile Firefox for android blocks 100% of the ads.

I mean, they ARE called extensions, aren't they? You go here https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/ and says "These extensions and themes are made for the Opera browser"

although the url does have addons in it, so that seems awfully convoluted. And yet, the little extensions icon is located on the left side of opera, and and clicking on that puzzle piece leads you to the screenshot I posted above... which says... extensions. So why would opera make it so convoluted to get extensions (or is it now addons?), if those extensions (or addons) were not actually the extensions, but something else?

maybe what they REALLY meant was that was to "manage extensions" and yet that word is missing. One is lead to believe that is actually where and how you go to get extensions, or whatever they are called. Why would managing extensions be displayed prominently on the left hand side? seems like someone would first need to add SOME extensions first, but some reason that aspect is buried away somewhere else.

anyway, I thought I'd give opera another try, but it just fails at simplicity and ease of use compared to other browsers. Not to mention lacking extensions I use with other browsers.

whats the difference between extensions and addons?

searching for extensions within opera desktop browser seems to be broken. For example if I search "ublock" nothing comes up http://i.imgur.com/KhB0Yp7.jpg
but when I search ublock opera extension in google, I get a result