With Nexus devices rumored to get the Android 5.0 Lollipop update as early as next week during the launch of the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, all eyes are on Samsung to see if the Korean manufacturer will follow close behind or wait until later next year to adopt the operating system update.
Android 5.0 Lollipop is already being called Google's most ambitious operating system version to date. It features an improved design, more efficient battery usage, support for a new runtime engine and 64-bit processors, and much more.
Android is currently the world's most widely used OS in the world. That stretches beyond just mobile operating systems; the Android platform outsells Windows, iOS, and Mac OS X combined.
So it would only make sense that companies who utilize the Android OS on their devices would want to get that newest update as soon as possible. Samsung has been notoriously slow with Android updates, but the size and importance of Lollipop may change the company's mind.
The Samsung Galaxy S4, Note 3, and Note 2 only just received the Android 4.4 software in June of this year -- seven months after the update's release. The most recent 4.4.4 Kitkat upgrade was only just installed on the latest Samsung devices last month.
The reason for this isn't anything malicious. Samsung, just like all manufacturers using custom Android set-ups, has to update its TouchWiz UI before releasing the newest update to the wild. This involves design, development, testing, and the appropriate carrier-specific review process for each device and network possibility.
Right now, insiders are targeting late November or December for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5 to receive the Lollipop update.
SamMobile teased a preview of Lollipop and the new material Design in a video featuring the Samsung Galaxy S5. While the tech news site showed off the newest features, they also admitted that what they had wasn't quite ready for primetime.
But Samsung itself teased Lollipop on its newest flagship tablet, the Galaxy Note 4. "Anyway you look at it, the #GALAXYNote4 Quad HD Super AMOLED display is pretty sweet. #NoteTheDifference," a tweet from last week read.
There is still no official word on Android 5.0 Lollipop's availability on last year's Samsung devices, but a handy chart compiled by The Android Soul shows release predictions based on the company's release history.
