The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 could get Android 7.0 Nougat software update as early as October this year.
It is very likely that Google will launch and release its 2016 Nexus phones, code-named Marlin and Sailfish, in October. These devices will be the first ones to come running on Android 7.0 Nougat.
Google normally releases its latest mobile operating system to other Nexus devices. The update is then rolled out to international models of smartphones followed by devices on individual carriers.
Koh Dong-jin, the president of Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics, has disclosed that beta testing of Android 7.0 Nougat for the Galaxy Note 7 will begin soon.
"It is very important for us to offer up-to-date information with the new OS, but what's more crucial is to build a stable and seamless platform for users," said Koh. "That's why we are planning to do enough beta testing before any OS updates."
Market experts believe that Samsung will roll out Android 7.0 Nougat for the international variant of the Galaxy Note 7 in Korea during the software's early rollout stage.
The Galaxy Note 7 in other regions including the United States may have to wait longer, probably until 2017, to receive the software update.
Some customers in the United States may also have to wait even longer as some carriers release software updates swiftly while others take their time. For instance, the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ were launched in August 2015 running on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Although Google released Android 6.0 Marshmallow in October 2015, AT&T customers who have those smartphone models had to wait until June this year to receive the update.
Sprint and Verizon Wireless rolled out Android 6.0 Marshmallow to its Galaxy Note 5 a bit earlier in March.
Meanwhile, Android 7.0 Nougat is expected to bring a number of new features to the table. Customers will be able to install apps faster on their devices running on the OS. Users will also find better battery management features in the software.
New security patches will be automatically downloaded silently in the background and they will be ready to use when the device is restarted.
Samsung has many smartphones that are expected to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update, but the company has not confirmed the rollout date for the software. The Galaxy Note 7 being the latest handset should be one of the first Samsung phones to get Google's upcoming update.
At this point, it remains to be seen how swiftly Android 7.0 Nougat makes its way to the Galaxy Note 7 and other Samsung devices.
