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Understanding Android, and it’s many versions

When talking about mobile devices, Android stands out to be one of the most used operating system to date.

However, with the many versions available, it is not hard not to get confused with the many versions available.

I did some brief research, and here’s three major Android versions currently available, and how they are different from the rest.

ANDROID (FULL VERSION)

Android Oreo
Android Oreo

Android, currently known as Android 8.0 Oreo, is the latest version of Android that is well used around the globe.  Known to me as ‘Android Full Version’, the version Oreo takes queue from other versions named Jelly Bean, Kit Kat, Honeycomb, just to name a few.

Due to it’s open source nature, basic Android operating software like Oreo has been the preferred operating system for a lot of major smartphone brands like the Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Nokia and so on.

With this version of Android, Google is able to push the limits of a mobile operating system as they do not have to worry about hardware issues that may plague the phones carrying the operating system (OS).

However, it is up to the smartphone brand to customize the Android OS to fit their needs, which is why Samsung’s Android Oreo experience will not be similar to what you get when using other brands like Nokia, Xiaomi, HTC and so on.  Popular phones using this Full Version Android are the Samsung Galaxy S9, Nokia 8 Pro, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, and the OnePlus 5T, just to name a few.

Google has however introduced Pixel smartphones to carry their preferred hardware for Android Full Version, which is a benchmark of what Oreo can really do when it’s tweaked according to Google’s specifications.

ANDROID ONE

The MiA1 is Xiaomi's first AndroidOne smartphone
The MiA1 is Xiaomi’s first AndroidOne smartphone

In 2014, Google introduced the Android One program, which I like to spell as AndroidOne because it looks cool. The program was introduced to provide emerging countries with access to Android devices.

AndroidOne provided manufacturers access to a barebone version of Android, allowing them to produce lower-range smartphones that do not need much resources, hence keeping cost of smartphones lower

This addresses the main complaint in regards to about the Android ecosystem, which is the difficulty in obtaining updates for the basic Android operating system.

Well, the good news is that while AndroidOne smartphones have been largely on the lower-range previously, smartphone manufacturers are slowly introducing mid-range smartphones under the program with the latest to make the list being the Nokia 8 Sirocco I talked about.

ANDROID GO

Also known as Android Oreo Go Edition now, this is the latest addition to the Android ecosystem, announced in May 2017.

If AndroidOne was a barebone of Android, Android Go is the most stripped-down version of the operating system, made to be used in devices running on less than 1GB of memory.

The goal of Android Go is to allow Android devices to be prices at the lowest price possible, with basic apps being rebuilt without any unnecessary bloat.

Aside from stripping bloat, Android Go also saves data as it can limit background data use.  Among the devices using Android Go are the ZTE Tempo Go and Alcatel X1.