Android Lollipop
is now out in the open and it includes a smorgasbord of new features, a
visual overhaul and numerous under-the-hood improvements to make if
faster, more efficient and lighter on your battery.
While it's now
been launched by Google it's down to individual manufacturers to port
it to their devices, so chances are you're still waiting to get it on
your phone and tablet (unless you've gone full Nexus already) and some
companies haven't yet been all that forthcoming with details of when
they'll bring it to their phones and tablets.
But we do know some
things and we can take educated guesses at others, so read on for all
the information and theories on when you might see Android Lollipop on
your device
Latest update:We've
got more news on when HTC One M8 owners can expect the update, along
with a video showing us what to expect. The update is also rolling out
to Samsung Galaxy S5 devices, Motorola is promising the update soon and
OnePlus has released its own bloat-free version.
Google
During the launch of the Nexus 6, Android Lollipop was officially confirmed as the name for Android 5.0.
The Nexus 6 and Nexus 9
are Google's first devices to come with Android Lollipop, but these
aren't the only Nexus products which will get the latest sweet treat. A recent announcement by the official Android Twitter account revealed that the Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade is now being rolled out to the Nexus 5, Nexus 7 Wi-Fi (both the 2012 and 2013 versions) and the Nexus 10.
The
rolling out of the update will be done in waves, which will take around
three weeks to reach every customer, so by this point everyone should
have it.
Asus has announced that Android 5.0 Lollipop will be available right now for both generations of its Nexus 7 tablets, though just the Wi-Fi only models for now.
The
Nexus 4 has also now been updated, but the roll out has not yet begun
for the cellular versions of the Nexus 7 2012 and 2013. Those tablets
should see an update later on, though Google has not indicated when this
will be.
Any Nexus devices older than the ones we've already mentioned are all but guaranteed not to get it, meaning that Nexus S owners are plum out of luck. Google has also confirmed that the Galaxy Nexus will not receive the update.
HTC
HTC
has been more forthcoming with its update plans than most manufacturers
and it's no surprise given how quickly it plans to bring the update to
users. In a statement the company originally said:
"HTC is excited
about the new features in Android Lollipop and we can't wait to share
them with our customers. We are committed to updating our flagship HTC
One family as fast as possible. "We will begin rolling out updates to the HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7)
in regions worldwide within 90 days of receiving final software from
Google, followed shortly thereafter by other One family members and
select devices."
Sure enough, on November 4 HTC's Twitter account
announced that it has now got the Android 5.0 Lollipop code and that it
will make good on its promise to update the HTC One M8 and HTC One M7
within 90 days. Doing
the mathematics that means the company's most recent two flagships
should get Android Lollipop at least before February of next year.
On January 13 HTC product management vice-president Mo Versi tweeted that international and unlocked versions of the HTC One M8 will now be receiving the Android 5.0 Lollipop update over the air. Along with the Lollipop update a new version of HTC's custom interface, HTC Sense 6, will also be included. A video of an HTC One M8 running Android 5.0 Lollipop was also leaked on to the internet so if you can't wait to see what it looks like check out the video below.
But
they won't be the first HTC devices to get Lollipop, as the Google Play
Edition of the HTC One M7 has already received the update.
If you
don't have an unlocked HTC One M8, and instead got the handset from
your network carrier, then you'll have to wait a little longer for the
update.
We're going to go ahead and assume that most other HTC
handsets released in the last year or so will also get the update at
some point.
As a general rule the more recent and high profile a device is the more likely it is to get an update, so the HTC Desire Eye will almost certainly be near the front of the line. Indeed according to LlabTooFeR the HTC Desire Eye and HTC One E8 will both get updated sometime in January-March.
The HTC One Mini 2, and perhaps the HTC One Mini and HTC One Max
and some of the other recent Desire handsets are likely to get the
update too, though probably not until sometime after the One M7 and the
One M8. According to one leak,
the One Mini 2 and Desire 816 will get Lollipop sometime in March or
April, while the One Max, One Mini and Butterfly S have an expected
Android 5.0 rollout of March-May.
If you're keen to see what
Android 5.0 Lollipop will look like running on the HTC One M8 with HTC's
own Sense 6.0 interface, then a recent batch of screenshots leaked by the LlabTooFeR Twitter account could satisfy your needs. Source: @LlabTooFeRAs
well as a fresh coat of paint, complete with new animations and a new
multitasking and notifications screen, the update to Android 5.0
Lollipop brings new features to HTC's devices according to LlabTooFeR, including an 'Easy Mode', which simplifies the interface.
It
does this by putting core functions front and centre as well as upping
the font and icon size, which could be handy for those new to
smartphones or anyone with poor eyesight or dexterity.
It looks
like the update is also adding new accessibility options, such as colour
inversion, colour correction and high contrast text.
Samsung
Samsung
has been slow to officially shed any light on when it will be bringing
Android Lollipop to its phones, but there are sources saying it will be
sooner rather than later. Sam Mobile claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S5
could be in for an Android Lollipop release in December 2014. That date
came and went, so it looked like we'd have to wait until January 2015.
Sure enough, on 13 January, owners of the Samsung Galaxy S5 were informed that the update is heading towards their devices, with Samsung promising that the update will be rolled out as quickly as possible.
The
roll out will be done gradually, so it might take a few days for the
update to arrive. However most Samsung Galaxy S5 owners should be able
to download the update by the time you read this.
This coincides with the news that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Note 4, and Galaxy S4 will be getting the update to Android 5.0 Lollipop at some point in early 2015.
To
further stoke the flames of the rumours that the Android 5.0 Lollipop
update is coming imminently to the Galaxy Note 4, Samsung recently
updated the user manual for the handset to include the various changes
and new features that the upgrade will bring.
To whet your appetite before it lands it looks like photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 running Android 5.0 Lollipop have leaked on to the internet. The Galaxy Alpha
is also likely to get the update very shortly after it launches,
probably within the same sort of several month timeframe as HTC is
operating under. In fact Danny Dorresteijn, the co-founder of SamMobile,
tweeted that the Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 would all get Lollipop in the first quarter of 2015.
He got even more specific about the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, claiming that Android 5.0 will land on it in February. None of this is official of course but as unofficial sources go he's fairly reliable.
In fact both the Galaxy Note Edge and the Galaxy Note 4 might skip Android 5.0 and jump straight to Android 5.0.1, as SamMobile has spotted the devices running the newer OS version. Sources close to SamMobile
also suggest that Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S4 will be
getting an update to Android 5.0 Lollipop, with the Exynos variant
(GT-I9500), which runs Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa SoC, getting the
update first.
Other Samsung handsets may have to wait a little
longer, however we'd expect that most high profile devices released in
the last 18 months to 2 years will get the update, including the Galaxy S4 Mini and the Galaxy S5 Mini.
SamMobile
has also released a video showing how Android 5.0 will look running on a
Samsung Galaxy S4, effectively confirming that the latest version of
Android will come to Samsung's older flagship handset.
We doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S3
or anything older will get Android Lollipop. It's a device that's
already over two years old and some versions of it didn't even get
Android 4.4.
Samsung doesn't seem great at updating its tablets either. There's a good chance recent slates like its Note Pro and Tab S ranges and even the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 will get Android Lollipop but anything older or low end is iffy.
Sony
Sony has openly declared that it will be "bringing Android 5.0 Lollipop to the entire Xperia Z Series."
It's even published a full list of handsets which are in line for Android Lollipop, so here we go... Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z2 Tablet, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3v, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. The
Sony Xperia Z Ultra Google Play Edition has already received the
update. As to when Sony will start rolling out the update to its main
line of devices, the manufacturer has said "we're looking forward to
bringing Android 5.0; Lollipop to the entire Xperia Z Series starting
from the early part of 2015… so stay tuned for the latest!"
Since then it's followed that up with a tweet
saying "We'll start the upgrade at beginning of 2015 for the core
Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2 series", which presumably means the Xperia Z2,
Xperia Z2 Tablet, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet
Compact.
At the CES 2015
convention in January, COO of Sony Electronics Michael Fasulo announced
that it will be rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop update to its
Xperia Z3 range starting in February.
No further details were
given about the time frame Xperia Z3 owners can expect to see the
update, but it is roughly in line with Sony's earlier promises to update
Xperia Z devices to Android 5.0 Lollipop at the beginning of 2015.
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