Will Android O be featured on Samsung Galaxy Note 8? Upcoming Operating System May Not Make It in Time for Phablet Launch
Hopes for the Android O possibly being featured on highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is wishful thinking at this point, according to the latest leaked information about the upcoming phablet.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is coming on the heels of its predecessor's tragic failures last year and is, therefore, expected to pull out all the stops with better specs and features. And although it may not feature the up-and-coming Android O, it is still expected to run on a refined operating system, more specifically the Android 7.1.1 for which it is now reportedly tested, according to sources communicating with tech website, Galaxy Club.
But why won't the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which has much to prove after the Note 7's fiasco, be equipped with the newest Android operating system? According to the Intentional Business Times, the Android O will not be released in time for the Note 8's expected launch date. The Google's beta timeline indicates that the Android O will most likely be released around the third quarter of the year, sometime between July and September.
On the other hand, the latest speculated timeframes for a Note 8 launch are mid-August, which is around the same time that the Note 7 was released last year, and September at the IFA tradeshow happening in Berlin. These potential release dates will not be giving Samsung enough time to make Android O viable for the Note 8.
However, Note 8 may still be among the first to update to Android O once the operating system becomes available, owing to Google's Project Treble initiative aimed at solving some of Android's major fragmentation issues. So even though the upcoming phablet may not be shipping with Android O, it may still be the first Samsung device to get updated to the said operating system post-launch.
Other rumored features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 include a 6.4-inch screen with a QHD+OLED display, minimal bezels, and possibly a foldable screen, dual lens camera with 3x optical zoom, and a powerful 3GHz+octa-core processor.