What's going on everyone, I'm back with another post! Today we'll be discussing the Android N Developer Preview, which I installed to try out the new features (I'm kind of an Android geek). As you may know, the early alpha/beta build of Android N was just released on the 9th, so I figured that I would give you my thoughts on it while it's still hot. Anyway, let's get on with the discussion!
Reviewed on Nexus 6p
In case you're wondering, here are the new features that are being added in Android N:
- Multi-Window
- Redesigned Settings Menu
- Enhanced Doze Mode
- Redesigned Notification Bar and Quick Settings
- Dark Mode
- Data Saver
So these are the big improvements to the new OS. I might be missing some smaller things, like better battery optimization or performance, but those are included in every software update anyway, so they don't really need special mention.
Another one of the major new additions is the Redesigned Settings Menu and Notification Bar. In Settings, the most useful information is right on the menus where you can see them at a glance. I thought this was a nice touch and made it so that you can get the info you want with one less tap. Speaking of the new visual notification bar overhaul, they've given it a nice white material design look, which looks really simplistic and appealing to the eye. Material design is something that Google has been doing with Android ever since Lollipop over 2 years ago, and it's getting even better with each update!There are also a few minor features and improvements, like Dark Mode, which makes your phone's screen a more reddish-orange color to make it easier on your eyes at night or in other low light situations, Data Saver, which is a system-wide setting that (obviously) reduces the amount of data you use, and tweaks to the well-received Doze mode from 6.0 Marshmallow that make it more efficient.
As for the issues with this early, supposedly unstable version of Android N, I've hardly experienced any. Every once in a while I'll run into a slight slowdown, but that's honestly not a big deal. As I've mentioned before, some of the apps don't work with split screen, but I don't have any complaints about that because the feature is so new and raw within the OS. When I watch a YouTube video on my phone, the navigation buttons and notification bar don't go away, which is a little bit irritating sometimes. The general notes on the preview state that battery life may be significantly reduced, but either that hasn't been affecting me or it's just not significant enough to notice.Overall, this Android N Developer Preview is incredibly stable in my experiences, and the new features are fun to play around with. The pros of installing the preview heavily outweigh the cons, and I highly recommend that you update and try it out! If you don't like it then you can un-enroll from the Android Beta Program and you'll be sent an OTA (Over-The-Air) update which reverts the phone back to the latest public release of Marshmallow. The biggest issue with this is that you lose all your data, so be sure to back it up if you're going to revert back to a stable version of Android.
You can sign up for the beta program here.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this post, it took a lot of testing and writing for me to bring this to you so I'd appreciate it if you'd show some support, thanks!
And with that, I'll see you guys later!
