The Android One program will come to Indonesia for the first time this month, and with it, Google will also launch the next version of Android, Android 5.1 Lollipop.
Android One is a Google program for devices of around $100 (unsubsidized) that get the stock Android and Google experience along with updates that come directly from Google. It's similar to the Nexus program but for low-end devices.
Although it has been rumored before, the Android 5.1 release is a rather quick one even for Google. Unlike with Android 5.0, it doesn't look like there would be any preview period this time. Android 5.0 Lollipop was a major overhaul that introduced many new features both for the back-end and for the front-end of the operating system.
Android 5.0 received the new Android Runtime (ART) that replaces Dalvik and should make CPU performance up to twice as fast on Android devices, 64-bit ARMv8-A support, overhauled camera API as well as 5,000 other overhauled or completely new APIs for app developers. It also received the biggest visual refresh since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Such a major upgrade was guaranteed to come with a bunch of bugs, too, which was exactly what happened. Many users have complained about a "memory leak" bug in the Android 5.0 launcher, and there have been other issues as well that didn't exist in Android 4.4 KitKat.
There isn't too much information about the Android 5.1 upgrade yet, but Google will likely release it to fix some of those bugs sooner rather than later (next summer or fall). There are supposedly some improvements as well, such as a quick settings floating window which would allow users to change some settings without leaving the app being used.
The update will apparently arrive first to Android One devices, while the Nexus phones and tablets should receive it soon after. It's not clear yet whether the new version will come out of the box with flagship devices from Samsung, HTC, Sony or LG this spring. Those OEMs tend to add many new features on top of Google's stock mobile operating system, and one or two months may not be enough to add in all the new changes Google made to Android 5.1.
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