Snapdragon 800 or 801 based Android Smartphones will not Receive Nougat 7.0 update

Android users almost every time blames device manufacturers or either mobile carriers for delaying the software updates. While for minor patches we can in fact blame device maker or either mobile carrier, but when it comes to major software upgrades, there are lots of criteria that needs to be meet before major upgrades being prepared for a device.

Few times, it isn’t OEM’s fault as even the two years old device seems powerful enough to run latest Android software, but ends up being not eligible for new Android OS. The devices in question here are Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact. The flagship handsets from Sony were hinted not to get any major updates after the Android Marshmallow update.

According to a reputable leakster on its Twitter feed, it seems that Qualcomm won’t release graphics drivers support for it’s first 800 Series chipsets, i.e. 800/801. The leaked information states that HTC One M8 and other flagships like LG G3, Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and OnePlus X won’t be receiving Nougat update.

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For most users, it might be upsetting news, as their 800/801 powered Android smartphones will not receive the new Android flavour. While there would be some users, who wouldn’t want to wait for official release, as they didn’t for Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013). As unofficial builds of Android Nougat pops up online for almost every powerful handset.

This odd refusal of not supporting even the robust Chipsets related to Nougat’s Vulcan API integration. It is a high-performance 3D graphics standard which is not compatible with Snapdragon 800 and 801 processors. So, technically, there is no one to blame here. But if you are really looking to blame, spare brands such as Sony, HTC for a change, since their Z3 and One M8 handsets are quite old. If you’re on those devices, you need an upgrade.

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