Samsung is likely to kick off a beta test for the Android 8.0 Oreo with its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones in the near future, according to a new report. This is after the company was reported a few weeks ago to be developing its own custom build for the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system for both flagship smartphones, though it was not immediately clear when the company started the developmental work.
Now Samsung is reportedly preparing a beta program for the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus after industry watchers have spotted some fresh firmware versions bearing the alphanumeric characters G950FXXE1ZQI7 and G955FXXU1ZQI7, respectively, for the duo flagship. It is also worth pointing out that the letter Z in each version indicates that those builds are actually beta editions, as Samsung also used the same character last year for the designation of the beta version of Android 7.0 Nougat for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. It remains unclear, however, as of this time when the company plans to roll out the beta version of Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus to the public.
While nothing is confirmed about the release of the beta version of the latest Android operating system, it is possible that the update could be hitting the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus devices sooner than later, thanks to Google’s modular base for Android called Project Treble. It refers to the modification to Android’s low-level system architecture designed to help OEMs roll out some changes to the OS version of a device as part of the software’s update process. That means it will be much faster now for device manufacturers to upgrade their mobile device offerings to a new version of Android once Google finally releases an update. In addition to the launch window, it is also not immediately known in which territories the beta program will be released, as Samsung could end up launching it only in one region or in just a couple of regions. More details about the Android 8.0 Oreo beta program for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus phones could pop up in the near future so if you’re on one of those devices and are eager to get your hands on the latest Android software you’ll want to keep an eye out for the beta program.