Samsung's Android Nougat update for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge has reportedly graduated from its beta build, with a commercial version poised for a rumored January release.
As the world awaits the rollout, more details about the firmware have emerged through the handsets' support documents, which are getting circulated in Samsung's regional websites.
The manual, which is constituted by several PDF files, is interesting for tech watchers out there since it contains the changes made to the TouchWiz user interface.
TouchWiz Changes
The support documents include some screenshots that show how the update will look like. They are quite sparse, but the images already show some insights about Samsung's Nougat interpretation.
The notification interface is an excellent example. Gone is the dominant green color seen in previous TouchWiz icons. The interface also got even more flat. These factors seem to indicate that Samsung's Android Nougat update — at least in the notification panel — closely resembles the stock experience.
That decision makes sense because Android Nougat is quite big on the Notification feature, packing it with more information and features than ever before. Having prominent icons, like what has been seen in previous Nougat iterations, could lead to a cluttered interface.
Some screen grabs of native apps such as Samsung's Messaging application echo the same design language. The interface is mostly set in white with hints of two other hues subtly integrated in the color scheme.
Camera, Lock Screen
Notable changes were also implemented on the camera app. It is now more refined in terms of looks and features. The interface got more polished, while new features on the viewfinder have been added, such as the ability to lock focus and exposure.
You may be sure that Samsung will be introducing its own proprietary features that are absent in the stock Nougat version. The leaked document demonstrated this in the case of the new lock screen.
Also, the actionable notifications feature that we first saw in the now-defunct Galaxy Note 7 has been ported in this Nougat build.
It is not yet clear if Samsung will be releasing Android 7.0 Nougat because there are sources that say the company will be deploying Android 7.1.1. Some carriers, however, have reportedly confirmed they are only currently testing the 7.0 version.
Once the Nougat-based TouchWiz gets deployed, it will be a bit late to the party as LG, Sony and other OEMs have already unleashed their respective versions in the latter part of 2016.
For those who are interested, be sure to check out the Galaxy S7 [PDF] and Galaxy S7 edge [PDF] manuals.
