It’s happening, folks. The 3 month timeframe that Google promised for the latest and most delicious operating system update for Android devices is close to an end and while the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 hasn’t yet received it, all signs point towards it happening very soon.
Worst case scenario is we get the update on the very last day of the 3 month timeframe – which is the 1st of February. But given all the signs, it might – happily – be a little before that. Recently, a new used manual has made its way out in the spotlight for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. While that might not seem as a big deal, it suddenly becomes one when you realize that the manual includes information on what kind of changes you should be looking at when you update your device to the latest Android 5.0.1 Lollipop operating system.
Yes, that’s right, the manual indicates a direct update to the latest 5.0.1 Lollipop version, including the latest version of the firmware for Samsung Galaxy Note 4 users. The 5.0 Lollipop update was something that people spoke of months and months prior to its actual release.
The hype was pretty big, and for good reason: along with what developers call Material Design – a style of visual design that focuses largely on the way the fundamentals of light, surface and movement interact together, bringing new animations and flourishes that give the operating system a completely new feel – the functionalities of the program changed here and there. While the system remains as familiar to Android users as previous versions did, few things have changed; and luckily, for the better.
Probably the largest change of note that came with the Android 5.0 Lollipop was the one brought to the way notifications work. They can still be displayed in the pull-down menu, they now have a new, comfortable home as well – the lock screen.
Similar to the way the iOS handles its notifications, 5.0 Lollipop will also display notifications plastered to the center of your screen, visible without even having to unlock your phone. Besides the ease provided by this feature, the new Android operating system also allows you to undergo heavy customizing processes on your phone when it comes to notifications – it will allow you to choose what the notification system can show, when it can show it, where and how often.
Generally, personalization seems to have received a lot of attention in the new operating system – considering that the interface itself has changed a whole lot with the new design, making it easier to understand, access and much cleaner looking in general. With less clutter on your screen than ever, the newest Lollipop operating system also gives you a whole lot of freedom when it comes to customizing many of the aspects it pertains to, allowing you to create your own, personal experience in relation to your phone – in this particular, happy case your Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
The 5.0.1 update and its timely arrival came to fix the little minuses the original version brought even after extensive beta testing. Considering the humongous amount of devices it was promised to be hosted on in the following 3 months after release towards developers, problems were bound to appear here and there.
But the small patch released in December brought a fair amount of remedies and fixes for the freezing, various application crashes and the occasional system instability on some devices that had already adopted the new operating system. Other than that, there were no visual changes brought to the OS whatsoever, users being able to enjoy themselves on the same platform that they had gotten accustomed to. The various app incompatibilities with the new operating system seem to have received attention as well, most disappearing overnight come the 5.0.1 update.
Some users seem to be reporting battery life issues on a number of devices and models with the new Android 5.0 Lollipop, including post-patch. There’s no telling if the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will have the same issue however until the update actually makes it live to the devices.
And speaking of the phone and subject of our focus here. It’s no surprise to anyone if I say that the phablet in question – because it does fall into that category with zero doubt whatsoever – has been one of the most successful, famous and well received electronics of the year. So successful that Samsung actually had to boost up production of the unit upon release when they realized all the already fabricated ones had already sold out and they still had incoming and unfulfilled demands for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
The Galaxy Note 4 Edge variant, while approximately $150 more expensive than the basic model also drew a lot of attention on itself by sporting the ever growing in reputation curved display technology. While not at the extent as other devices have gone to, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Edge only displayed the curved strip of display on its right hand side, replacing the edge.
Even though after long sessions of reviewing and discussion it has pretty much been agreed on that the curved edge served minimal purposes, being more of a fashion statement than anything else, it remained a pretty neat thing to make use of. And given the fact that technology is adopting the curved technology more and more, app developers all over the world will begin focusing on creating inventive apps to make use of the curved, side screens in no time.
We sadly don’t have any leaks to show us how the Android 5.0 Lollipop is going to fare on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – either the regular or Edge variant. But as it has been confirmed by Samsung, the update will also be including some slight visual changes made around the notifications to suit the Note 4, along with promised performance and battery life improvements to ensure your phablet’s survival throughout the day.