Google released the second and final Developer Preview of Android 8.1 to developers and advanced users last night. This is the final DP release of Android 8.1 before Google releases the final OTA to consumers for all compatible Pixel devices in December.
The first DP of Android 8.1 primarily brought about some improvements and enhancements to the Google Pixel 2 whilst also bringing some of Pixel 2’s exclusive features to older Pixel devices and AOSP.
While the first DP of Android 8.1 was also supposed to activate the Pixel Visual Core on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, that did not happen. Instead, Google promised to do so with the second DP of Android 8.1 which it has.
So, what other changes has Google introduced in Android 8.1 DP 2? Read below and find out.
What’s New in Android 8.1 Developer Preview 2
- The Android 8.1 DP2 bumps the security patch to November
- It also brings further optimisations to Android Go meant for low-end devices with 1GB or lower RAM
- Improvements to Neural Networks API which can be used to accelerate on-device machine intelligence
- Other small bug-fixes and performance enhancements
Apart from the above changes, Android 8.1 DP2 also brings about many Pixel 2 specific changes.
- Pixel Visual Core will be active on the Pixel 2 after the Android 8.1 DP2 update
This will allow third-party apps which make use of the Camera2 API to use the Pixel Visual Core to shoot HDR+ photos and videos leading to an improvement in overall image quality.
- The poor audio quality while recording videos has been fixed on the Pixel 2
- The Pixel 2 now records audio from the top mic instead of the one on the bottom
- The unresponsive edge issues affecting certain Pixel 2 XL units have been fixed
- The navigation bar now fades in on the Pixel 2 XL to prevent burn-in
- The hidden sRGB mode in Developer Options is now back
- The camera app now launches faster on the Pixel 2
Noticed any other changes in Android 8.1 Developer Preview 2 that we have not mentioned above? Drop a comment and let us know about it.
