Android 7 on Samsung

The Android Nougat update has officially started rolling out to smartphones making 2017 a strict competition between two major OS, Android Nougat 7.0 and the Apple iOS. The Microsoft Windows 10 OS, however, did not make too much of a headline coming into 2017. However, there have been many speculations as regards when the normal and average smartphones are expected to get the update as only a few devices have been served with the update asides those other devices which rolled into the market with the out of the box OS.

In the absence of the Nougat update, the previous OS releases, KitKat and the Marshmallow OS have predominated the Android market as many yearn to upgrade the devices to enjoy the newer features loaded onto the OS update.

The Nougat update boasts of impressive and new features including the VR mode. Speaking at the unveiling of the OS, Google disclosed that there are well over 250 new features on the latest OS. The major improvements include the VR Mode. Google further noted that all steps essential in making the OS a big thing in the Android community had been well taken care of  before its release especially in order to give the best consumer Virtual Reality experience.

The Nougat OS upgrade also comes with some more powerful, productive and of course, top notch security features which according to the developers include the brand new JIT/AOT compiler to improve software performance. The compiler also increases the speed of application and reduces the storage space taken up by applications on mobile devices. Added to this is  the Android Nougat’s support for Vulkan which is a low-overhead, cross-platform API for high-performance and 3D graphics. The OS also allows user to run multiple windows on their smartphone at the same time and Direct Reply which allows users reply directly from the notification hub without having to open the application.

The Android Nougat which debuted on Google’s Pixel series smartphone has however made its way to top brand smartphones including the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge devices. The program which hit the devices first in select regions came with the G930FXXU1ZPK1 model number. The Nougat update for the Samsung S6 was however spotted on benchmarking website, GFXBench, and Geekbench which means the update is about to make its way officially into the smartphones and pretty soon too. The Galaxy Note 5 has also been spotted on the GFXBench listing which means that the smartphone will be updated to the discontinued Galaxy Note 7’s new “Grace UI.” Along with the updates, the smartphone is about to become one of the best phablets available in the market.

The Galaxy S7 Edge and the Unlocked version of the device have however since late January started receiving updates of the Nougat OS. The update was first suggested in a leaked screenshot which appeared in Spanish but pointed to the S7 would be getting the Nougat release for its Galaxy S7 Edge (SM-G935F), the Europe variant as from January 17. However, reports have indicated that the unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have started receiving updates of the Android N. The update with the with the build number XXU1DPLT weighs about 1.2 – 1.5 GB and rolls out for the SM-G930F and SM-G935F models. Sadly, the update is that of the Nougat 7.0.1 instead of the 7.1.1 build. The 7.1.1 build, however, contains several updates including optimization for the Samsung interface, bug fixes, security features and other improvements. Samsung also took the liberty of tweaking the Always On Display features,  the notifications, quick toggles, of course, enhanced battery performance.

Other updates are expected to roll out as the year goes by with the average Smartphones receiving its updates latest in the second quarter of the year.