In case you have been sleeping all week, then you know that Google has had its annual I/O developers conference, and they used it to really show off Android N, the next version of their own Android operating system. In addition to showing off the many new features, and they even gave it a release date. What wasn't revealed was the new Nexus devices for 2016 which will serve as the flagships, but this is what is known about the release date of Android N, its flagship devices on Nexus, and its new features.
Granted the actual release date was pretty vague with it being "sometime later this summer", according to Phone Arena. That does mean that users will be able to get a hold of the newest version of Android sooner rather than later. Of course, it is possible to receive a beta quality developer preview of Android N via Over The Air (OTA) upgrade on your newer Nexus device or if you have a Pixel C tablet.
So what kind of features can be expected for Android N? The answer is quite a lot, and one of them is multitasking. This feature is achieved by holding down the task-switching button, which The Verge calls "the Alt-Tab for Android."
Another feature is notifications, which have been given a full-width design and smaller icons to make better use of space. The Settings menu has also been redone, bringing relevant information on your menu and giving suggestions for what you can do with your phone. Speaking of customization, there has also been an addition of many keyboard themes and new emojis.
Also, Android N has adopted a new graphics API known as Vulkan, which is being used in PC gaming. This is going to give Android N some great visual performance, and there is also going to be a JIT compiler so apps can run 50 percent smaller and install 75 percent faster. Then there is the VR function, which we are planning on covering in a separate article with Daydream.
So, now that Android N is at least starting to get underway, what about the flagship devices that will receive it first? Google usually has a few devices lined up for that, like it did with last year's Nexus 5X and 6P.
Tech Advisor states that there are rumors that HTC is working on two new Nexus phones that have been dubbed internally as the M1 and S1. Considering that the Nexus 5X and 6P were announced in September of last year, one would think that these two new smart devices with the Nexus label would be released at the same time this year. However, with the early preview and subsequent release date of Android N, these new Nexus devices could appear sooner than later.
As far as when non-Nexus Android devices like the ones from Samsung, Sony, HTC, Motorola, and LG are concerned, you probably know how this works. Generally, the rollout begins in the fall and then goes very slowly, spilling out to the newest devices first. It would not surprise me if devices like the Galaxy S7 and the LG G5 have it by the end of the year, but it would also no surprise me if Android N didn't show up until next year.
