This week, Google released Android 7.0 Nougat to the public – and reviews suggest that, while this new version of the mobile operating system brings some easy-to-appreciate additions and enhancements, including split-screen multitasking and longer battery life, there’s no big revolution for Android here.
The split-screen multitasking, which works much like the Split View feature available on the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4, is available for both smartphones and tablets running Nougat. The Guardian’s Samuel Gibbs remarks that “landscape multi-window on large-screen phablets can be useful in situations where you need to keep an eye on two things simultaneously”.
Gibbs adds that battery life has also been lengthened thanks to the improved Doze feature, which can restrict data access when the phone’s screen is off. Doze made for “between 15 and 20% longer battery life in my testing on a Nexus 6P”; however, Gibbs warns that “if you didn’t like Android Marshmallow, Nougat isn’t going to do anything to change your mind.”
Similarly, WCCFtech’s Uzair Ghani says that Nougat “Android 7.0 Nougat is great if you see past the fact that there are barely any new features.” The Verge’s Dieter Bohn even suggests that Nougat is largely irrelevant, pointing out that “the only real way to reliably get the latest version of Android is to get a Nexus phone” – at least if you want that version right now.
