To start working on a new firmware, you need a special tool - PDK (Platform Development Kit). This tool is created by Google for each new version Android. Once the PDK is ready, Google ships it to Samsung and other smartphone and tablet manufacturers.
Then Google announces new android for users, and Samsung starts working on the firmware. On average, its creation takes 6 months, but the exact release date is unknown.
Samsung cannot start working on the firmware until it receives necessary tools from google.
You can't get the firmware as soon as you hear about it - you need to adapt it to a specific smartphone or tablet.
Why the exact release date of the new firmware is unknown
Before answering this question, let's consider what the firmware consists of. The firmware consists of several parts:
Source- a new Android with basic functions, which is created by Google. This part cannot be immediately put on any smartphone or tablet, because at least drivers are required to adapt the code to a specific device.
If we imagine the creation of firmware on the example of building a building, then the source code is the frame of a new design.
Drivers- help to connect Android and the components that make up a smartphone or tablet: processors, memory, buttons, connectors, sensors and other microcircuits. Drivers are written by chip manufacturers - Samsung and companies that only make certain parts.
If manufacturers do not write a driver for at least one microcircuit for a new firmware, the device will not be able to work normally with it. If the manufacturer of the communication chip with the mobile network does not write a driver, the smartphone will not be able to make calls. If the camera manufacturer does not write a driver, the smartphone will not take pictures. The firmware will not be released until all manufacturers write working drivers. Creation of drivers takes 2 - 4 months.
Drivers are cement for connecting the frame (Android) and the foundation (components), without it the building will collapse.
Device manufacturer services- are responsible for the appearance of the desktop, menu items, programs, for unique applications and functions. Without them, all tablets and smartphones would look the same and have the same set of features. This part of the code is written by Samsung.
Services are Decoration Materials: facing brick, wallpaper, tiles, paint, parquet.
After all the parts are ready, Samsung's task is to combine and bring them into a workable form. At this stage, the firmware is thoroughly tested to find and eliminate all errors. The total number of tests is several thousand times.
The final firmware must be approved by Google - it's like receiving a building by a state commission. If she does not like something, the process continues until the required option appears.
No one names the exact date of the appearance of the firmware, because: a) several companies are working on it; b) the process continues until full adaptation and elimination of errors.
For which smartphones and tablets will the firmware be released
New firmware is released for flagship devices within 18 months from the date of sale.
Flagship devices - smartphones and tablets of the Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab S series, Galaxy Note, some models of the middle segment.
New firmware is not released for all devices.
Over time, firmware for a particular device is no longer released.
Below is a preliminary list of models that will receive updates to Android 9 (Pie), with approximate dates. Model list and release dates are subject to change.
Already updated:
How to find out that a new firmware is out
If a new firmware is available for your smartphone or tablet, a notification will appear at the top of the display.
A similar notification will appear if you connect the device to the computer and run the program Smart Switch.
If there is no notification, then: a) the firmware has not yet been released; b) something is wrong with the device (the current firmware is incorrectly installed or modified, the device is not for sale in Russia). In the first case - wait, in the second - contact service center.
Where to download new firmware
Samsung does not upload firmware in the public domain. New firmware is installed through the device menu or program Smart Switch.
The firmware cannot be downloaded from the Samsung website.
How to update the firmware
We have done detailed instructions separate article.
How to return to the previous firmware
Officially, without loss of a guarantee - in any way. Therefore, we recommend that you make an informed decision before upgrading.
Changes in the new firmware
Not all changes that are in source code, will definitely appear in the new firmware. A detailed list of changes appears before each new firmware is loaded.
Changes that can make.
Not so long ago, the line of Samsung A-series smartphones was updated. The changes were enough to tell about them.
Appearance
The design of Samsung smartphones at all times left few people indifferent. That is what happened this time as well. Stylish, but not flashy design is largely due to the pleasant combination of glass and metal in the body, each facet of which very juicy refracts light. Especially the front panel with 2.5D glass and the back wall, made of glass, gracefully curving closer to the side faces. In relation to this phone, it is quite possible to call its design premium.
If we continue to develop the theme of the body, we can note the traditional mechanical Home button under the screen. The button is combined with a fingerprint scanner, which works quite quickly, but is not always immediately configured. Due to the fact that the button, and hence the scanner itself, is very narrow, during setup, a message often appears asking you to still move your finger, and not just apply it in the same position.
Volume and Power keys are located on different sides of the phone, which is convenient, and you do not have to look for them and remember which one is higher and which one is lower. Also striking are the two SIM trays. In the Galaxy A5 2017, the main SIM card is installed on the right side of the case, and the tray is double on top. A second SIM card and a memory card are installed in the top tray. Now using a second SIM card will be even more convenient, as you won't have to choose between it and a memory card up to 256 GB.
Where Samsung excels in their smartphones is the level of water resistance. That is what happened this time as well. The Galaxy A5 complies with the IP68 standard. That is, it is not only one hundred percent protected from dust, but is also able to spend up to 30 minutes in fresh water at a depth of up to one and a half meters without any consequences. This is always not superfluous and very pleasantly distinguishes the smartphone from direct competitors in its price segment. By the way, this phone costs from 22,000 rubles, which is quite a bit for a quality phone.
In conclusion, the features of the case can be noted that three colors are provided for it, including black, blue and gold. Although the golden color is not even very golden. At least not as conspicuous.
Display
The display diagonal is 5.2 inches, which is a lot, given the dimensions of the smartphone itself. The display resolution is predictably FullHD, and the matrix, of course, is SUPER AMOLED. The display is nice and bright, as it should be given its specs, but what's especially pleasing is that it changes color significantly less when viewed from an angle than before. Of the nice additions, we can note the Always on display function that has reached the younger Samsung models. Now you can display information about the date, time, battery status and basic notifications on the Galaxy A5 screen. Considering the features of AMOLED displays, this is doubly convenient, since it not only frees the owner from the obligation to periodically take the phone from the table and turn it on, but also does not consume much battery. At the same time, the clock constantly changes its position on the screen a little. It is easy to find an explanation for this in terms of the technological features of AMOLED displays.
Camera
The phone has two cameras, of course. Both are now 16 MP and f/1.9. Pictures on the main camera are very good. Actually, the Korean giant is famous for its cameras in smartphones. In bright light, the pictures are very clear and saturated, but if you dim the lighting a little and choose a subject with insufficient contrast, the camera can start to make mistakes. The number of possible camera settings will please many fans of tinkering with manual modes. There's even a food mode that lets you take a picture with a sharp center, slightly blurred edges, and special brightness settings. The main camera not only does not stick out, but, on the contrary, is even slightly recessed into the body, but it's a pity that there was no place for optical stabilization.
Iron
The performance is based on the Exynos 7880 processor at 1.9 GHz and the Mali T-860 graphics at 700 MHz. RAM in the phone 3 GB. The performance of the hardware is more than enough for applications and almost enough for everyone, even the coolest games. There is a drop in frame rate, but it is not always critical. So the gameplay will not be overshadowed by freezes and slowdowns. In the AnTuTu benchmark test, the Galaxy A5 scores about 60,000 points.
It is worth noting that the smartphone is predictably running Android 6, but in the near future it should receive an update to the seventh version of the green robot.
The amount of built-in memory is rather big and is 32 GB. But only 23 GB of them are available to the user. Although this is also enough for a very large number of photos and more than one album of your favorite artist. But it's still nice that it is possible to install memory cards up to 256 GB, which I talked about earlier.
The sound in the headphones is traditional for Samsung. There is nothing to add or take away. But the external speaker turned out to be very interesting. First of all, it is worth noting where it is located. It is located on the side face, just above the Power button. original and convenient solution. Now it definitely won’t be possible to accidentally close it with your hand in any orientation of the device. True, large holes in the case for this speaker look a little strange, but it sounds very good. There is no bass, of course, but there are distinct high frequencies, which is nice. The volume, though not small, but not exorbitant. We will assume that it is above average.
In January 2017, smartphone sales began in Russia samsung galaxy A5 (2017), which was running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow right out of the box, and last winter it was updated to the newer and more modern Android 7.0 Nougat. Today, a real holiday has come for the owners of this device, because the South Korean corporation has updated it to Android 8.0 Oreo.
The owners of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) smartphone report that a new firmware based on Android 8.0 Oreo has “arrived” on their mobile device. It turns out that this smartphone was updated to a new operating system eight months after the release of its final stable version. The term, of course, is not a record one, but many owners of Samsung smartphones because of it in the future will probably buy phones from manufacturers that pay more attention to software for your products.
The Android 8.0 Oreo operating system for the Galaxy A5 (2017) smartphone brought with it the Samsung Experience UI 9.0 graphical shell, which can now be found in. Otherwise, users were able to use new styles for the Always On Display function, use the Dual Messenger option to simultaneously use multiple accounts within one messenger, call up a quick action menu by long holding a finger on the application icon, and GIF search appeared in the corporate keyboard. animations.
In addition, the developers have removed restrictions on the use of Samsung Cloud cloud storage, in which you can now store files with any extensions, even if the smartphone is not able to read them. The Bluetooth module in the Galaxy A5 (2017) smartphone received support for AAC and Sony LDAC codecs for better sound, and Android 8.0 Oreo brought with it the limitation of applications running in the background, which increases the battery life of the phone by 10-20%, when it is idle with the screen locked.
In the near future, Samsung should release operating system Android 8.0 Oreo for flagship smartphones, but the owners of the models were very unlucky in this regard, because the manufacturer abandoned them, leaving even without patches for the security system.
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