Android N is now officially Android Nougat

Google surprised everyone with the spontaneous announcement of the Android N Developer Preview in March. This early version of Android 7.0, due to be released later in the year, features some significant changes over Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Now, the fourth and final preview build has landed.

Android N Developer Preview 3 is out now. / © EnTech

Android N name

Following an online fielding of ideas from the public, Google has revealed the official name of the next version of Android: Nougat. The ceremony took place over Snapchat.

The name Android Nougat was a firm favorite from the beginning, alongside Nutella, so not too much of a surprise, but it's nice to have a solid sobriquet to attach to the new firmware.

Introducing #AndroidNougat. Thank you, world, for all your sweet name ideas! 

#AndroidNReveal pic.twitter.com/7lIfDBwyBE

— Android (@Android) June 30, 2016

Android N release date

At the Google I/O 2016 keynote on May 18, Google announced the release of a beta-quality Android N release. This third developer preview focuses on three areas: performance, security and productivity. Native VR support has now also been confirmed, with a new VR platform called Daydream.

The name of the new Android OS was not presented during the keynote. Instead, Google announced that it will take suggestions for the name via an online submission form. See the 'Android N name' later in this article for details.

How will the final N build compare to Marshmallow? / © EnTech

Android N Developer Preview 4

That's it. The final Android N SDK has arrived, along with the final APIs. Developers can now compile apps to API Level 24, which for us, means Android N apps finally hitting the Play Store. 

Known apps with beta programs include WhatsApp, Facebook, Nova Launcher and Spotify: if you're an Android N user, be sure to send us early screenshots if you spot any new features.

In the announcement press release that EnTech received, Google reaffirmed the summer release of the final software build, which we expect to drop in the next eight weeks.

If you're enrolled in the Android Beta Program, you should receive a notification to download the update shortly. If you want to flash the Android N Developer Preview 4 on your device manually, head to the Android Developer Preview download page.

Android N's 'Night Mode' competes with iOS 9's screen-dimming features. / © EnTech

Android N Developer Preview 3

The new build promises increased stability, to the extent that Google is encouraging developers, and even casual users, to install it on their primary devices. It now works with Android Pay, making it much more functional. The build number is NPD35K.

Google has also added "platform support and optimizations for a new VR mode" intended for developers to begin building apps for the baked in VR support, allowing for access to such things as intelligent head tracking and stereo notifications.

You can read over the full changelog at the Google Developers blog. This update should roll out to your device OTA if you're part of the Android Beta Program, otherwise you can download and flash it manually by grabbing the image from Google. 

Performance

Google began by talking about the Vulkan graphics API. We already saw this in the Android N Developer Preview 2,

A new JIT compiler means that apps should install up to 75 percent faster, and compiler code should be reduced by 50 percent. The irritating Android is starting... dialogue box will be gone for good, thanks to this new compiler, as well.

App size reduced by 50 percent, making for 75 percent faster installs. / © Google

Security

Google stressed improvements in security through file-based encryption, media framework hardening and seamless updates. In particular, these 'Seamless updates' mean that your phone will download new software images in the background and prepare them for the next time you restart your device. Thanks to the file-based encryption, you also won't need to enter your device password upon restarting.

Productivity

Productivity is also now a focus. Google says that most people only use their seven most recent apps from the recent app drawer, so the wheel will be limited to these. There is also going to be a Clear all button, which received a rush of applause for a grateful I/O audience.

By double-tapping the recent apps button, you can quickly switch to the previous app, although, on many devices, this feature was already available via a long press on the same button.

The new multi-window mode: picture in picture. / © Google

Multi-window mode sees two uses folded in: the standard, split-screen view, and picture-in-picture, designed for Android TV. This latter mode lets you shrink what's on the screen to a small box in the corner of the screen and do something else in the dominant, full-screen window.

Elsewhere, replying from within notifications was covered, as well as notification visibility, letting you quickly block or hide similar notifications in the future via a long press, and support for Unicode 9.0 Emoji, all features we've already looked at below.

Android VR

Native support for VR was also formally introduced. Daydream, a platform for mobile VR was announced, which comes with a set of specs phones have to meet in order to be compatible. Many manufacturers are making Daydream-compatible devices, including Samsung, HTC, LG, Xiaomi and Huawei.

Daydream is the new Google VR platform. / © Google

For more on Google's VR-related announcements, and other news from Google I/O, check out our dedicated page that gives you all the info you need on the events.

Android N Developer Preview: new features

Available on some Nexus devices (Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Pixel C, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player), the Android N Developer Preview is a test version of the new Android software, primarily intended for developers. Like previous Developer Preview versions (such as Android M, which later became Android Marshmallow), the first version of this software does not contain all the new features of the next version of Android, but only parts. 

The first update to the Developer Preview was released on March 17. The factory images are available for the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9 and Nexus 9 LTE.  If you're signed up to the Android Beta Program, you can expect to see the update arrive over the air very soon.

Developer Preview 2

Developer Preview 2 was released on April 13. The latest version adds the ability for apps to define intent shortcuts, meaning users can use launchers to create shortcuts, like adding a memo to the calendar, with just one press.

Emoji Unicode 9 support is now incorporated, and a variety of APIs see inclusion, including Vulkan, which is intended primarily to improve gaming performance.

The Android N dev preview has a lot of features. / © EnTech

Menu between the system settings

A hamburger menu button (the icon with three lines) has now been embedded into the system settings. When a user is in the Bluetooth menu, for example, they can quickly jump to the other system options using this left side menu. This menu is already a standard in other Google applications.

The Hamburger menu has been integrated into Android N. / © EnTech

Reply to messages from the notifications bar

Of the new additions, this is possibly the feature which most resembles Apple iOS. Messages can now be answered from the notification itself. With this, the user will not need to leave an app to answer a message or even unlock their phone.

Multi-window mode

As we saw in the Android M developer preview, Google has been working hard to bring a native and efficient multitasking system to Android. Although the function was eventually omitted from Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with Android N, Google now seems ready to make the leap.

The image below shows the multi-window feature, which works on both tablets and phones and mirrors what you can currently get on some Samsung and LG devices.

Like most major platform changes, developers will have to opt in for the split screen mode to allow their apps to run smoothly. This can be done by adding a new attribute called: resizableActivity.

Multi-window is now native in Android N. / © EnTech

This attribute allows developers to specify the minimum size the app can be resized to and to determine whether resizing will be immediate or the application needs to restart with the required dimensions.

New Notifications panel

The notification panel has been completely redesigned, perfectly aligning with what we had seen in earlier leaks. Icons above the notification shade are now more prominent, and on the far right there is a drop-down toggle to expand the panel.

It is now possible to respond to messages directly from within a notification, a feature that uses the same RemoteInput API that Android Wear makes use of.

This is the new notifications panel Android N. / © EnTech

Notifications can now also be 'stacked', optimizing the space in the notification area.

Developers can choose to stack notifications from the same application in a single line. These can then be expanded using the expansion button or a two-fingered gesture.

With Developer Preview 2, notifications can be set manually at any one of six levels of importance for each app: 

• Blocked - never show notifications
• Min importance - silently show at the bottom of the notification list
• Low importance - silently show notifications in chronological order
• Normal importance - allow these notifications to play sounds
• High importance - peek onto the screen and play sounds

Urgent importance - show at the top of the notifications list, peek onto the screen and play sounds

To access these, you need to bring down the notification shade and long press on the gear icon to activate the System UI Tuner in the Settings menu. Then enter said menu, go to Other and enable Show full importance settings.

Now, when you go to Settings > apps and select any app and press on Notifications, you will see a slider that allows you to change the importance.

There are now six levels of importance for notifications. / © EnTech

Enhanced Doze mode

The energy saving mode Doze has been improved in Android N. Previously, the feature had only worked when the phone had remained completely undisturbed for a long time, i.e. when you're sleeping, but now Google says Doze will also save battery any time the screen is turned off. We will have to test the new system more thoroughly to find out what impact it has on energy consumption.

Power Saving Mode has been enhanced in Android N. / © EnTech

A system like this that comes into effect every time the phone's display turns off might not be something everyone is keen on, but we'll have to see how it works in practice. It is possible that a less extreme version of Doze mode, one that monitors the energy consumption of apps without impairing the usability and notifications, might be worked out.

Android Beta Program

Another new addition from Google is a way to receive preview builds and updates over-the-air, avoiding the need for flashing factory images. Anyone with a compatible device is able to sign up for the Android Beta Program and receive these preview builds automatically.

These are just some of the new features of Android 7.0, and many other improvements are yet to be implemented or previewed. Some features we may even have to wait for the final build to find out about. For now the app drawer still remains, although rumors suggest that it may disappear in the future.

The Android Beta Program. / © EnTech

Svelte design

Google says it has been hard at work on Project Svelte, a set of tweaks that make Android more able to run on aging and less-powerful devices. This project originates from Android KitKat but we don't know much about it yet. More details should follow with the full release of Android N.

VR Mode

We saw the first hint of what many suspected early on: native support for VR in Android N. The hint to what Google is working on appears in a menu in the new Android system. By going to Settings > Apps > Configure apps > Special access > VR helper, you can find a menu screen waiting to be filled by a list of apps that are making use of an API designed for VR apps.

There's also something called 'Sustained performance mode' referenced, that is almost certainly intended to help devices run this demanding VR mode for longer periods of time. As anyone who has used a Gear VR will know, the phone quickly becomes very hot and boots the user out of the VR software, a problem that Google will need to overcome if VR is to become more widespread.

No apps using VR helper services yet, but expect some soon. / © EnTech

3D Touch support

Apple's iPhone 6s launched with a pressure-sensitive screen that allowed users to make use of shortcuts by pressing either lightly or heavily on the screen. Now, it looks as though Google won't put 3D Touch in its Android OS. 

The new feature, called Force Touch or 3D Touch was first mentioned in the Android N Developer Preview documents but sources now say this won't be included in the launch of Android N. Take a look at our full report on 3D Touch in the link below.

Enhancements to Google Now Launcher

In Android N Developer Preview 2, Google made two improvements to its Google Now Launcher. You can use a pinch gesture on the home screen to bring up the overview page, where, at the bottom, options for wallpapers, widgets and settings appear. And, at last, app options when dragging apps from the home screen and the app drawer are consistent. The options are now Remove / Cancel, Uninstall and App info. A minor but very welcome change.

How to download Android N

If you are a developer or just want to test the preview version of Android 7.0, you can download images of the new OS directly from Google. Remember that this version is unstable and contains many bugs.

Note: Only the Nexus line of devices can receive the preview build of Android N.

Android Authority picked up on the findings of an eagle-eyed Reddit user who spotted something hidden in the HTML code of the Android N Preview page, suggesting that Google might be planning to make the Developer Preview available on non-Nexus devices. The code in question states, "more supported devices from OEM partners".

Evidence of this has mounted, with proof a OnePlus 3 running Android N appearing in a leaked screenshot. However, the problems with this becoming a reality are manifold. It takes manufacturers a long time to release updates for a reason: OEM interfaces like TouchWiz and EMUI incorporate features that are otherwise not supported by stock Android.

What could Android N be called? Stay tuned, we'll find out soon. / © EnTech

What would you like to see in Android N? What do you think the Android N name will be? Let us know in the comments.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 Release Date, Price, Specs, Features

The future of the Samsung Galaxy Note series has already provided some surprises thanks to a host of rumors about the upcoming Galaxy Note 6, or what might be called the Galaxy Note 7. The latest of these suggests once again that only a curved display variant will be released. Find out what else we know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date, price, specs and rumors here.

We were wooed by the Note 5. Samsung will need to go big to do the same with the next Note. / © EnTech

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date

The Samsung Galaxy Note 6 could be called the Galaxy Note 7. This would mean the smartphone giant would skip 6 entirely, at least numerically. The phone wouldn't skip a generation, just the numbering. It's kind of like going from the 12th floor to the 14th.

This could be a good move and could prove to be important in Samsung's branding. The company just released the seventh generation of their flagship devices, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. But if it releases the phablet version it would be the Note 6 and that is confusing.

This name change could help Samsung in its battle with Apple. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be released later this year and a Note 7 would compete better than a Note 6, at least in the brand perception game. It's good for Samsung to release a device that could level the playing field with the iPhone 7 Plus.

A Note 7 could compete better with Apple. / © EnTech

As we previously reported, an anonymous source from Samsung released information to reporters from TechRadar and Forbes and stated that the Note 6 will launch in August in the UK.

A leak from Evan Blass gave us a specific release date of August 15 in the United States. This is contrary to previous rumors about a UK launch, but does substantiate earlier predictions by EnTech that it will be an August release.

Blass followed this up on June 2, tweeting that the Note 6 will launch "almost exactly two months" from now, meaning early August.

All evidence does seem to be converging on an early August launch, with a mid-month release, but there's still no official word from Samsung.

Galaxy Note 6/7 launch event is almost exactly two months away.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 2, 2016

A European model edged closer to reality when SamMobile posted a list of Galaxy Note 6 model numbers on Twitter, including this one: SM-N930F. The final 'F' is the letter Samsung uses to designate its European models. Although rumors of a European release remain unsubstantiated, it is beginning to look very likely that Europe will not be deprived of the new Note as it was with the Note 5.

Hi #GalaxyNote6 Codename: Grace. SM-N930A, SM-N930T, SM-N930U, SM-N930L, SM-N930K, SM-N930S, SM-N930I, SM-N930H, SM-N930F, SM-N9300

— SamMobile (@SamMobiles) March 31, 2016

On April 15, the Chinese leak site Weibo posted more model numbers for the Note 6. The leaks confirm previous reports from EnTech that the European market will be receiving the device instead of getting the shaft like last year. Although Weibo covered the actual model number for the European number with its watermark, we can see it listed on the chart.

You can see the European model listed at the bottom. / © Weibo

Another interesting tidbit from this chart is the model numbers for the US carriers. Note the five that are listed: US Cellular, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T. Now look at the model numbers, all of them start with SM-N930U_NA. This is similar to what Samsung did with the S7 and S7 Edge with keeping the model the same for all unlocked devices. This takes it one step further.

The same model number means that updates for the device can be rolled out much faster and more efficiently. This is addressing update problems from Samsung that we're all too familiar with. This chart also confirms other EnTech speculations that Samsung's codename for the device is Grace.

The source also said there will be no S7 Edge+. Both of these statements were in the context of the UK market, so it is possible that it could be different in other markets.

In mid-March, a rumor from Korean website The Bell suggested that Samsung will release the Note 6 in July, earlier than expected, and it will come running Android N, which Google does plan to have finished by the summer. The Note 6 is also reportedly codenamed Grace.

The successor to the Galaxy Note 5 (above) in July? Unlikely. / © EnTech

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 design

We've got a better idea of how the Note 6 (or Note 7) will look thanks to a new @OnLeaks render dump. His tweet, which hit the internet yesterday, shows us quality mock-ups of what the next Galaxy Note will almost certainly look like. Check out one of them right here:

This is probably what the Note 7 will look like. / © @OnLeaks

We can see a couple of interesting features in this image. The first is that it has curved edges on the front and back. Whether the curved on the front are as large as those found on the Galaxy S7 Edge, we'll have to wait and see. The other feature is a USB Type-C port on the bottom. If the Note 6/7 does come with a Type-C port, this would be an interesting development. That's because the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were released this year with the older micro-USB format.

PhoneArena got its hands on what is believed to be an official teaser image of the Galaxy Note 7, which all-but confirms its use of a curved display. The promo shot features the text "write on the edge of something great" with what appears to be a stylus pointing towards the edge of a smartphone display.

It's still just a rumor but it's looking increasingly likely that the Galaxy Note 7 will arrive with a curved display. If this promo image is legit, it's also likely that 'edge' will be included in the device name.

What do you think? Is this the real deal? / © PhonearenaFo

Following the PhoneArena speculation above, the KoreaHerald has picked up a rumor that the Note 6 (or Note 7) will arrive with a curved screen, and that a flat screen variant will not be available. Its source is Munhwa Ilbo, a Souther Korean daily newspaper, who cited 'industry sources'. At this point, it looks like an edge version of the Note 6 is going to appear, whether it's accompanied by a flat screen version or not.

Laptop dock

The earliest rumblings about the Galaxy Note 6 specs were very intriguing. Patently Mobile dug up a Samsung patent that shows the Note 6 phablet sitting in a laptop dock, where it acts not only as a touchpad but also as the laptop's processor and memory.

For Samsung to pull this off, the Note 6 will need to be a powerful machine indeed

The patents appear to show Windows software running once the Note 6 is docked. It would seem that Samsung is thinking of having the Note 6 run Android in its standard setup as a tablet, and switching over to Windows when it is set into the laptop.

For Samsung to pull this off, the Note 6 will need to be a powerful machine indeed. The Note series has always focused on multi-tasking and productivity, and packed a lot of power to handle the strain, but nonetheless, this is a big step up.

The Samsung patent showing the docking area and main system (ie the Note 6). / © Patently Mobile

Unsubstantiated reporting from Tech Times backed this theory up, with talk of a 16-core processor and 8 GB RAM. Their story provides no sources, however, so the claims are difficult to take seriously.

S Pen stand

The Note 6 could come with a Galaxy Note Pen that doubles as a stand. This comes from Patently Mobile, who released a patent application from Samsung. The idea is that the pen could be pulled out halfway from its holder and locked, to prop the Note 6 upright to let you watch video and other media more easily. As seen in the leaked designs below, the pen-stand could be locked back in two different ways.

Specs rumor one

On February 15, a Weibo leakster posted a set of specs for the Galaxy Note 6. The list is impressive to the point of being unbelievable. The device will reportedly see an increase in screen size to 5.8 inches, and the screen will be a slim RGB AMOLED display, something we haven't seen on a Galaxy since the S2.

The Note 6 was also said to bear 6 GB RAM, which would be the most RAM of any smartphone ever. This is an impressive figure, but with devices commonly now packing 3 or 4 GB RAM, it doesn't seem ludicrously far-fetched.

Some of the information given in the leak is a bit confusing, however. For example, a pressure-sensitive screen with 1,024 pressure points is listed, even though the Note 4 and 5 both had twice as many points as that.

While we're sat around waiting on more specs to begin to leak, we couldn't resist having a think about the features we'd like to see on the Note 6. Given that we hold the Note 5 in incredibly high esteem here in the EnTech offices, our hopes are high for Samsung's follow-up.

We could expect improvements on the Note 5 with the Note 6. / © EnTech

Specs rumor two

On April 12, the Chinese social network and leak site Weibo was at it again with more specifications rumors for the Note 6. Its user, HQ_Vision, leaked specifications that were spotted by SamMobile.

The most significant of the specs leaks is the report that the Note 6 will have an advanced version of the Qualcomm processor, Snapdragon 823. This is the first chipset rumor for the device and if it's true would represent an improvement over the Note 5's Exynos 7420 processor.

Another important bit from the leak is the rumor that the Note 6 could have 8 GB of RAM. This is twice that of its predecessor and larger than our previous reports of 6 GB RAM. The Note 5 had two versions, 32 GB and 64 GB but the fresh rumors show just one version with 64 GB of internal memory.

The leak also shows a 25 MP camera, which is certainly a whopping number and we hope it's not a whopper because it would be quite powerful. But we need to remain cautious because these rumors are yet unsubstantiated. You can view the full post below.

Possible specifications for the Note 6. / © Weibo

Specs rumor three

A CPU-Z screenshot surfaced revealing specs for the Galaxy Note 6. This screenshot was sent to Phone Arena from an individual who claimed to be a Samsung employee. Although we doubt its authenticity, and Phone Arena suspects them to be fake, most of the specs mirror many rumors previously reported by EnTech.

The possible leaked specs include a QHD display that is 5.77 inches and 1440 x 2560 (480 ppi). This is nearly the same as the rumors we previously reported. The processor could be an Exynos 8890 backed with 6 GB RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. Again, these are similar to some of the rumors we've had before.

Android Marshmallow has already been confirmed for the Note 5. The leaker revealed that the Note 6 could be running Android N but only if it is available by that time. The tipster said that Samsung and Google are currently in talks to see if that's a possibility. The CPU-Z screenshot can be viewed below.

Possible specs leaked by reported Samsung employee. / © Phone Arena

Specs rumor four

We've already seen specs leaks that overlap and this May 4 rumor is no different. But it also contains some new leaks that blow previous rumors right out of the water. These were spotted on the serial Chinese leak site Weibo by GizmoChina.

The leak shows a screen size of 5.8 inches, which is the same as previous display rumors EnTech reported. We've seen three different processor rumors so far but the newest rumor shows the Note 6 could come with the Snapdragon 823 backed with 6 GB RAM. Given the S7 had different processor versions, more than one of the speculations could be correct. Although we've seen rumors of 8 GB RAM, the 6 GB rumors are more frequent and more likely.

We've seen some powerful specs and features for the Galaxy Note 6 leaked and if they are true it would necessitate a large battery to keep it running. The latest leak shows the device could come with a 4,200 mAh battery. That's 600 mAh larger than the S7 Edge and 1,200 mAh bigger than the Note 5.

The Galaxy Note 5 was disappointing in its internal memory capacity with two versions – 32 GB and 64 GB – and no option to expand. The latest leaks show the Note 6 with a whopping 256 GB internal storage. Even if Samsung doesn't offer expandable memory on the device, it probably won't be missed if the rumors are true.

The Note 5 didn't provide expandable memory but the Note 6 might not need it. / © EnTech

Camera sensor

A rumor surfaced on PhotoRumors on April 18 suggesting that Samsung is working on a new camera sensor with an even wider aperture than the Galaxy S7's. The sensor is said to have an f / 1.4 aperture (The S7's is f / 1.7) and to be more compact, coming in at 1/2.3". The sensor is said to be intended to have a resolution as high as 24 MP.

In the lead up to the Galaxy S7, there were scores of rumors about the camera, very few of which proved true, so remain skeptical. It would be welcome news, however, to hear that Samsung is continuing to take its smartphone cameras very seriously. The rumor also comes with the suggestion that Samsung is moving people from its NX camera division over to its smartphone division, which, if true, indicates that they are taking the technology more seriously than ever.

USB Type-C

SamMobile reports that the Note 6 will be the first Samsung device to support USB Type-C. It seems high time that Samsung adopted the new standard, which offers greater convenience and faster charging speeds, as well as the possibility of HDMI and Display Port compatibility.

Given that the current Gear VR headset works off microUSB, if this Type-C rumor proves true, we can expect also to see a new Gear VR released prior to, or simultaneously with, the Note 6.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 price

The Note 5 has been spied with a price tag as high as US$850. The line has always been high-end, and the Note 6 seems unlikely to change that. Given that the patent suggests Samsung plans to build a phone powerful enough to function as a laptop, it will need a specs boost – and you can expect the price to rise accordingly.

The Note 5 is pricey, but it's one of the best phones in the world. We expect the Note 6 to be even better. / © EnTech

Would you consider buying a Galaxy Note that doubled as a laptop? What else would you like to see from the Galaxy Note 6? Let us know in the comments.