Earlier today, Google announced its new Pixel and Pixel XL phones, which will launch with the next version of Android, 7.1 Nougat. If you pre-order the devices now, the Google Store says that they'll ship in 2-3 weeks; however, a report from Android Police says that Nexus users won't see a Developer Preview for Android 7.1 until closer to the end of the year.
Unfortunately, some of the features of Android 7.1 will be limited to the handsets that Google announced today. Here is the full changelog (via Android Police):
Pixel only
Pixel Launcher - swipe up for all apps, new Search Box, date/weather header on home
Google Assistant
Unlimited original quality photo/video backup to Google Photos
Smart Storage - when storage is full, automatically removes old backed up photos/videos
Phone/Chat support (new support tab in settings), screen-share functionality
Quick switch adapter for wired setup from Android or iPhone
Pixel Camera:
Electronic Image Stabilization (“video stabilization”) 2.0
Pro Features
White Balance Presets
Exposure Compensation
AE/AF Locking
Viewfinder grid modes
HW-accelerated (on Qualcomm Hexagon coprocessor) HDR+ image processing
Smartburst
Sensor Hub processor with tightly integrated sensors (accel, gyro, mag) + connectivity (Wi-Fi, Cell, GPS)
Cosmetic
Solid navbar icons with home affordance for Assistant
SysUI accent color theming
Wallpaper picker with new wallpapers and sounds
New setup look and feel
Dynamic calendar date icon
Android 7.1 Nougat
Night Light
Touch/display performance improvements
Moves (Fingerprint swipe down gesture - opt-in)
Seamless A/B system updates
Daydream VR mode
Developer features:
App shortcuts / shortcut manager APIs
Circular app icons support
Keyboard image insertion
Fingerprint sensor gesture to open/close notification shade
Manual storage manager Intent for apps
Improved VR thread scheduling
Enhanced wallpaper metadata
Multi-endpoint call support
Support for various MNO requirements
PCDMA voice privacy property
Source type support for Visual Voicemail
Carrier config options for managing video telephony
Manual storage manager - identifies apps and files and apps using storage
The changelog provided here by Android Police does seem a bit peculiar. There doesn't seem to be any reason that Google Assistant would be exclusive to the new Pixel devices, unless the company is holding it back as a differentiator.
It also seems odd that Daydream VR and seamless updates aren't exclusive to the Pixels. After all, we know that these are features that certainly won't be supported by all devices.
Google still hasn't updated its Android Developers site with information about the new OS update, so we'll likely find out more when it does.
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