Here’s how it went down…
This article is a long time coming.
The first thing to note is that not every version of the one smartphone was created equally.
Other variants, like the G900H, are still stuck on Android 4.4.4.
The other three were either just about to get Lollipop, or a local rollout hasn’t begun.
TheGalaxy Note 3appears on the cusp of receiving an update, while updates for theXperia Z2andZ1aren’t far off.
Motorola announced an update for the Moto X 2013, though who knows when that will arrive.
The newly releasedGalaxy A5shipped without Android 5.0 and I have no hope for the BenQ-manufacturedKogan Agora 4G.
Having a newer rig isn’t an immediate ticket to Android 5.0 either.
Anyway, enough talk about the update process, it’s time to talk about Android 5.0 itself.
Well, it comes down to ART, AOT compilation, and Project Volta.
This change has many performance implications.
With ART, the GC system has been improved to reduce pause times, in turn reducing jank.
Combined with better memory allocation systems, and again performance increases.
But it’s the APIs that will do most to improve general battery life.
All were updated to Android 5.0 from Android 4.4, with various skins and OEM adjustments applied.
The Moto X also had the fastest software update to Android 5.0 out of any non-Nexus unit.
Other features like guest logins I didn’t use all that much.
The Samsung Galaxy S5’s update to Android 5.0 includes a mildly refreshed version of TouchWiz.
However the general feel of the OS is still decidedly Samsung.
LG’s Android 5.0 update for the G3 includes the least amount of changes.
On powerful Snapdragon 801 devices, the difference was less noticeable as app loading was often instantaneous previously.
