It looks like Samsung has an update in tow for its rugged Galaxy S7 Active, as the handset was just spotted on GFXBench with Android 7.0 Nougat on board.
If this listing is anything to go by, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active should soon move from Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow to Android 7.0 Nougat. Other Samsung devices expected to get a taste of Nougat soon include the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, and the Galaxy Note 5 phablet.
Samsung has already started testing Android Nougat beta builds on its Galaxy S7 and S7 edge flagships, so it makes sense that the more rugged Galaxy S7 Active is also in line to get a Nougat treat sometime in the future.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Active On GFXBench
As previously mentioned, the benchmark listing on GFXBench shows the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active with Android 7.0 on board, so it will not get the very latest flavor of the new OS. Google Pixel owners, for instance, are already running Android 7.1.1, and Nexus 6 owners are expected to get the update in early January.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, meanwhile, are expected to jump straight to Android 7.1.1 Nougat, skipping the 7.0 build. The final stable builds of Android 7.1.1 is expected to roll out to the duo later this month, according to recent reports.
Considering the Android 7.1.1 issues that Pixel and Nexus owners have reported so far, however, getting Android 7.0 for now might not be such a bad thing for Galaxy S7 Active owners.
Either way, an upgrade to Android Nougat will still mark a major jump from the Marshmallow version the Galaxy S7 Active has been running so far. Android Nougat brings a number of neat features and improvements to the table, including an enhanced user interface, better notifications, power saving, Instant Apps, seamless updates, improved performance, Google Allo, Google Duo, native multitasking support, new emoji, and more. For more details, check out Tech Times' coverage on the top 10 Android Nougat features.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Nougat Update Release
While GFXBench heralds the upcoming update and it makes sense that it will roll out to the Galaxy S7 Active at some point in the future, it remains unclear for now just when exactly that will be. GFXBench only lists some facts with no additional info, and Samsung has yet to make any announcements in this regard. Carriers made no mention of the update either, so it's anyone's guess now when Android Nougat will start reaching Galaxy S7 Active devices.
With no official ETA yet, the Android Nougat release on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge will likely be the first sign that Samsung is starting to push out the update. The Galaxy S7 Active should follow shortly after that.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Active Specs
As a reminder, the rugged Samsung Galaxy S7 Active has a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 4 protection and a QHD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of native storage, expandable up to 256 GB via microSD. The handset sports IP68 certification for dust and water resistance, as well as MIL STD-810G protection against drops and bumps. The Galaxy S7 Active also comes with a more powerful 4,000 mAh battery, as opposed to the 3,000 mAh unit on the regular Galaxy S7.
