Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge’s Official Android Nougat Update Arriving Early January?

It will definitely be a good start of the year for Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge users to finally experience Google’s latest mobile software version, the Android Nougat. And based on recent news, it seems like Android Nougat’s final release for the 2016 Samsung Galaxy flagship models is already on the horizon.

Now that Samsung’s Android Nougat beta program for select Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge has already ended, the next thing to look forward to is the official rollout of the firmware update. According to GSM Arena, with the recent conclusion of the Galaxy Beta Program, “it’d now be reasonable to assume that the final roll out will begin sometime early January.” But if this release speculation does not pan out, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge users can still expect it to arrive in the latter part of the month as the tech manufacturer revealed that it targets to roll out the consumer version this January.

“We would do our best to distribute the official version in January as soon as possible.”

The message sent to the participants of the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge’s Android Nougat beta program also noted the following.

“We would like to thank you for the interest and affection shown during this time. We will try to apply most of the useful opinions shared by all of you in official Nougat OS version.”

Aside from the culmination of the Galaxy Beta program of Android 7.0 Nougat update, another reason that could convince S7 and S7 Edge owners that the official release is already on the way is the publication of the official User Manual which shows all the OS changes, according to Galaxy Club. The guide, now available in servers, are particularly available for Samsung Galaxy S7 bearing the model numbers SM-G930F and SM-G930FD, and for Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge variants SM-G935F and SM-G935FD.

Cited in a separate GSM Arena’s report are some of the improvements to find once the Android Nougat update has been installed in the Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge units. For instance, camera’s user interface is showing a smoother appearance and control scheme.

“The camera can now lock focus on one spot of the viewfinder and then get the expose settings from a different one,” the post added.

The update will also bring in the actionable style lock screen notifications first seen in the discontinued Galaxy Note 7. Although Smart Manager may be referred to as Device Maintenance after the Nougat update, it is still uncertain if it will bring in any functionality changes.

The upcoming update will also add the blue light filter to Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge devices. According to the manual, this feature, which is already available in Pixel phones and Apple iPhone, lessens “eye strain by limiting the amount of blue light emitted by the screen.” The blue light filter can be easily activated in the smartphone’s Settings menu, specifically from the Display and Home Screen option.

Another major Android Nougat changes expected to see in the upcoming firmware update is the multi-window support. Android Central explained that the multi-window feature has already been available to Samsung devices even before, but being supported at the platform level via the Android Nougat update, it will allow Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge users to utilize split screen and pop-up view options not only in limited apps but in more selection of mobile applications. S7 and S7 Edge users can also expect certain changes in the multi-window UI as it will look like “sort of hybrid between the stock Android way and the Samsung way,” the post explained.

With Android Nougat, Samsung is also providing easier ways to manage the phone’s battery usage. For instance, there is the new Performance Mode, which lets the users choose from four presets, namely the Normal, Game Mode, Entertainment Mode and High Performance.

Make sure to read the new Samsung Galaxy S7’s and S7 Edge’s user manuals in PDF that were linked above to better understand the changes coming to these smartphones once you installed the highly-anticipated official version of the Android Nougat update.

[Featured Image by David Ramos/Getty Images]