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Recent events indicate that the release of Android 8.0 Oreo for the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge might be just around the corner, and following what appears to be an accidental early release in Vietnam earlier this week, a 3-minute video emerged recently on YouTube showcasing Android 8.0 Oreo running on the aforementioned smartphone, as if to dispel any doubt that Samsung is progressing towards a public launch. As expected, judging by the video at hand the Android Oreo update for the Galaxy S7 Edge comes alongside a new user interface in the form of Samsung Experience 9.0, however it’s worth noting that some UI features that have been previously spotted in Samsung Experience 9.0 running on the Galaxy S8 flagship seem to be missing from its predecessor.
Primarily, this includes the omission of Bixby Vision and certain sticker options from the Camera application, but it’s unclear whether these features are missing from this particular, potentially unfinished beta build, or if these features will be absent altogether on Android Oreo for the Galaxy S7 series. Either way, Samsung Experience 9.0 introduces a variety of features – including Bixby Home- and numerous changes to the UI, ranging from a reworked settings menu to new home screen icons and various updated built-in services and applications.
As yet it’s unclear when Samsung intends on publicly releasing Android Oreo for the Galaxy S7 series, and at this point, it’s not evident whether the beta build showcased in this latest video represents a release candidate or an older version meant only for testing. In any case, it seems that the Korean OEM is preparing for what could be an imminent OTA release, as yesterday a report emerged to reveal that one lucky Galaxy S7 Edge owner in Vietnam had prematurely received the Oreo update directly from Samsung. Evidently, this is a strong indicator that the company is preparing for the update’s distribution, and it might suggest that Vietnam could be one of the first regions to enjoy the first wave of updates once the rollout officially commences. In the meantime, the Oreo update appears to have officially begun on the newer Samsung Galaxy S8 series in some regions of Europe, so it appears that owners of the previous flagship generation might not have to wait for too long before they will be able and enjoy all of the new features provided by this newer Android OS iteration. Until then, feel free to check the video below for a closer look at what the near future might hold for Galaxy S7 users.