Samsung has recently been working hard to push out the updates for its flagship devices to begin running on Android 5.0 Lollipop. All of the updates being rolled out by Samsung are based on different builds of Android 5.0.x, with the company's different devices receiving their respective updates at different times.
However, there have been no reports regarding Samsung working on the latest build of Android, the Android 5.1 Lollipop. That is, until now.
Android news website YouMobile said that it received unconfirmed reports regarding Samsung's plans to release an update for the Galaxy Note 4 to being the phablet up to Android 5.1 Lollipop.
In addition, the planned update for the Galaxy Note 4 will also reportedly install the latest TouchWiz UX to the phablet, which is the same interface that Samsung installed into its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6.
The latest version of TouchWiz features significantly less bloatware compared to its predecessor, resulting in a lighter skin which is able to operate noticeably faster. Interestingly, a source familiar with the matter revealed that the development of the latest build of TouchWiz drew more inspiration from Samsung's own Tizen operating system than from Android.
TouchWiz UX features changes in the look of its icons, but retains the colorful and bright design that has been the defining characteristic of the interface. There will continue to be criticism against the TouchWiz's design as being cartoonish, but that comes down to personal preference and opinion.
The entire changelog that details all the new features that will be included in the planned update for the Galaxy Note 4 has not yet been determined.
YouMobile also reported that the Galaxy S6 and its partner flagship smartphone the Galaxy S6 Edge will be the first devices to receive the Android 5.1 Lollipop update, which will be rolled out some time within the second half of 2015. This means that, despite the good news that TouchWiz UX is coming to the Galaxy Note 4, the update to introduce the interface to the phablet may not be rolled out soon.
Earlier this year, there were reports that Samsung would be taking out much of the bloatware that came along with the TouchWiz interface, as much of the software are not liked by many users. The company has been dialing back on TouchWiz over the past few years, as Samsung has released TouchWiz versions that are becoming less different compared to the stock versions of the Android mobile operating system.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
