Google surprised many when it came in with an Android N developer preview version for Sony’s Xperia Z3. Since then, talk of the new OS coming to other partner OEMs such as LG, Samsung and HTC has been all over, but nothing has yet to materialize.
What this means is that a lot of people out there are still unaware if or when the new Android N will come to their devices. One thing that can be guaranteed is that the OS will be here by Q4 2016. At the moment, the Android N version available is still in beta and as such, it is only available to a limited set of Google Nexus mobile devices, the Pixel C as well as Nexus Player. Sony is the first OEM to test Google’s new OS on a non-Google device.
Based on the tests that have been going on, it seems Android N is already loved by many around the world. As a result, the Google is making dates official as far as the release of the final version of this OS is concerned.
At the moment, the OS is in its second beta version and according to Google’s schedule, the next beta will be out this May, probably during the upcoming Google I/O Developers Conference to be held a few days from now. Later in June, another beta version will follow and it will include SDK and APIs and the following month, a near-final version of Android N will be here. In short, the stable version of this seventh instalment of Android OS should be here in August or September.
Usually, Google rolls out Android software updates to its devices first. So, make sure you get yourself a compatible Google Nexus smartphone or tablet in order to be among the first people to get the OS. Otherwise, you may have to wait until late in the year or early 2017 to get the OS. In fact, Android 6.0 Marshmallow is still rolling out, yet it was released half a year ago.
For other OEMs, here are the expected Android N release dates.
Samsung Galaxy Android N update
At the time of this writing, not all eligible Samsung Galaxy smartphones have been updated with the latest Android Marshmallow. While the Korean tech giant has been working on improving the time frame for rolling out software updates, we might see a repeat of this year’s case where Samsung Galaxy devices might have to wait for up to five months before finally receiving Android N.
HTC Android N release date
HTC began rolling out Marshmallow updates quite early and we expect to see the same happen with the new OS, especially that it is rumored the Taiwanese company will be tasked with making the Google Nexus 2016 phones. If this is true, it is possible the HTC 10 might be running on Android N by the time 2017 is here.
LG Android N release date
LG’s latest smartphone is the G5 and there is no doubt that it will be updated to the latest Android N. With some of the company’s devices such as the LG G4 being among the first devices to receive Android M, we expect the same to repeat with Android N with respect to the LG G5. However, other LG devices including the LG G4 and LG V10 might see the update in early 2017.