Samsung has begun rolling out the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Android 7.0 Nougat software update to owners of the flagship smartphones. The update has been released to select device owners, preceding what is expected to be an imminent full rollout of the upgrade to all devices. The former flagship Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus, and Note 5 are next in line for an Android Nougat update.
New Android 7.0 Nougat Soak Test
The move comes after the company officially confirmed the end of its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge Beta testing program for the Android 7.0 Nougat update, and announced that it will be releasing the final approved version of Nougat to users of the smartphones this month. The release to some select users of the devices appears to be an initial soak test prior to the more general release. The number of the new build is G935FXXU1DPLR, and it also includes January's monthly Samsung security patch.
The reports of the soak test reflect confirmation made by recipients of the new Android 7.0 Nougat build posted in online forums. While it is common for smartphone manufacturers to release a new software upgrade to a small number of users in a soak test before expanding the release, this time there's a bit of a twist in the form of the actual version of Android Nougat apparently being released.
Android Nougat 7.0 Or 7.1.1?
While it was first reported that the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge would be receiving Android 7.0 Nougat, a representative of the company later confirmed to one of its beta testers that the upgrade build for the two smartphones once released would actually be Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and that the devices would be skipping Android 7.0 Nougat for a direct release of the newer version.
That was thought to be the case until a rep for Vodafone contradicted the earlier guidance, telling an inquiring customer that the build version of Android Nougat released for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge would vary according to model and region, and that in fact Australian users would be receiving the earlier build, Android 7.0. Speculation then ensued as to which models and regions would receive each build.
Meanwhile, we recently reported that the Galaxy S7 Active, the more rugged version of the smartphone and an AT&T exclusive in the U.S., was spotted on GFXBench running Android 7.0 Nougat as well. So, it appears that even though Samsung has confirmed that the S7 and S7 Edge would be skipping Android 7.0 Nougat for 7.1.1, the later build is still yet to be received or be seen running on any Samsung Galaxy S7 device.
Android 7.0 Nougat Update For Galaxy Note 5 And S6 Variants
Owners of Samsung's former flagships have been watching these developments closely, because the sooner the company releases Android 7.0/7.1.1 Nougat to its current flagships, the sooner the older devices can expect to receive theirs. While the company has offered no official guidance for the release of the update to the Galaxy S6 variants, earlier reports have indicated that the company began working on the Android 7.0 Nougat build for the S6 and S6 Edge months ago, so they may not follow far behind the S7 and S7 Edge release, with the Note 5 also expected to be a timely recipient of Nougat once the current flagships are updated.
