Much awaited version 8.0 of Android, also known as Android Oreo, has finally showed up during Eclipse this week. The release done by Google introduced numerous new features to its smartphone operating system. At first the update does not bring any huge changes in looks in comparison to Nougat but dig deeper and there it comes up with several highly important improvements in Performance, Battery Life and Security. There’s a lot to know about the new features and their impact.
Performance improvements
Google claims that the phone has become 2 times faster in launching apps and takes far less time to boot up. Users have really observed a drop in their boot time on the Google Pixel devices. The speed has been achieved by making several tweaks in the core management system of Android.
The new strict limitations introduced for the background apps have allowed the OS to control the RAM usage by the apps when sitting ideally in the background. Though, app developers would have to now abide by the new rules to keep their app services in memory.
A Nexus 5X user has reported that his phone was sluggish before installation of Android Oreo. The user experienced lesser application launch time, almost no application crash failure and the device feels like new. The phone is prevented from crawling by the new improvements in CMS.
Cache management has also improved in Oreo that automatically deletes cache data from apps if performance is about to slow.
Altogether, every Android update claims to have done performance enhancements but Oreo update really does feel faster and brings Android closer to the iOS polish.
Battery Life
This is one of the most sought improvements needed by everyone in today’s lifestyle. Don’t worry; Oreo does not disappoint us here too. The new improvements in Core Management System and stricter rules for background applications have not only raised the performance but added to the battery life as well.
As mentioned above Oreo has more control on the background apps but not only by the OS but user also gets the real time data about persistent apps in the notification shade. Oreo limits the things apps can do when they are idling in the background by –cutting off broadcasts, background services and location updates.
The end result is more efficient, longer lasting devices. A Google Pixel XL user reported that he has observed a 10-20% improvement in the battery life.
New Features
While the above two are the most crucial upgrades in Oreo, the OS has caught up new features that are certainly going to win our hearts.
- Picture-in-Picture allows the users to use a pop-out of an app to run, hovering over other apps. This feature was previously available in Samsung and SONY devices.
- Notification Channels allow users to group the notifications into channels and now the notifications can be snoozed. Notification Dots is the indication of unread notifications on the app icon itself, just like in iOS. Long press on these dots shows a preview and swiping on them dismisses them.
- Camera has also witnessed changes in the UI with dedicated photo/video toggle buttons. Double tapping jumps you to 50% digital zoom.
- Smart Text Selection brings content appropriate apps to selected text. For example you will see Google Maps besides a highlighted address.
- AAudio is a new API that will help Android match up the sound quality of iOS. Google has also added Sony’s LDAC high bandwidth Bluetooth streaming protocol to deliver quality audio over Bluetooth.
- Project Treble is a special feature that makes Android more modular via separating third party maker’s customization from CMS.
- The new Autofill APIs will allow third party apps like Twitter and Facebook to get passwords from your saved passwords in Chrome (via your Phone or PC).
- Adaptive Icons allows the manufacturer to customize the shape of application icons.
- Oreo has redesigned the Settings page and have grouped settings in categories. It looks more modular.
Final Verdict
Finally, Google is able to bring an iOS level polish to its Android OS. The new update is undoubtedly faster, more intuitive and improves battery life. The new notifications take over iOS in the redesigned update. The changes are not quite visible but at the depth a lot has changed. Oreo is what Android needed for a long time. If you are a frequent mobile buyer and willing to save more on purchase, use Amazon gift card on Zingoy. It provides good coupons and cashback offers along with gift cards and vouchers on discounted rate.
