So, you happen to own a Samsung device that runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but are already itching to see whether Android 7.0 Nougat would arrive on your beloved handset or not. What are you to do? Well, apart from playing the patience card, there is not much else for you left, apart from checking out just which particular Samsung handset would get what.
With Android 7.0 Nougat being available for selected Nexus devices, including the recently introduced Pixel and Pixel XL handsets, not to mention LG’s V20 that came with it right out of the box, what of Samsung’s galaxy of smartphones? Well, Android 7.0 Nougat has already been confirmed for the Galaxy series of devices, which will certainly include the flagship Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, the Galaxy Note 6, and its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 4, among others.
While the Android 7.0 Nougat for Samsung’s handsets are still being developed to cater to the individual handsets, we have a rough idea on what to expect before it rolls out. According to the folks over at XDA-Developers, there were Android 7.0 Nougat hints dropped on Samsung’s Developer site, and we would not be surprised if stylus support was improved after installing the update -- hopefully no battery issues will crop up as it did with the Nexus 6P after installation though. The very same page also did mention Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy S6 edge were two devices mentioned, in addition to the Samsung S Pen that is a stylus which would accompany the Samsung Galaxy Note range.
Other whispers on the street point out that Samsung would be working on a complete overhaul of the TouchWiz UI, and might feature an optional app drawer in the future. This change has already been spotted in the Galaxy beta software program that runs on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, so the final roll out could cement such a change. Do take note that such a beta is available only to Galaxy Note 5 owners in China and its home country, South Korea, which means the Android 7.0 Nougat update could come with region-specific features as well.
Not only that, another report outsourced from China gives a nod to the Grace UX, the same user interface found on the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which ought to arrive on the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge as well, with the Galaxy Note 7’s Always on Display also making a belated appearance on the early 2016 flagship devices.
So far, no official release date for Samsung’s Galaxy devices have been announced yet where the Android 7.0 Nougat update is concerned, although some rumors point to Q4 2016 being the time frame -- and we have at least November and December to hope in, at least according to the Korea Times.
We do know that GFXBench has yielded results of Android 7.0 Nougat being tested on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, although it would not be out of place to know that the other devices in Samsung’s Galaxy stable: Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, and Galaxy Note 5 will be the first ones to rock to the Android 7.0 Nougat update when it arrives.
Even T-Mobile has placed some of the above mentioned handsets under the category of “Manufacturer Development”, which confirmed the availability of Android 7.0 Nougat when the update is finally released.
