Grade: B
Google modified a whole lot of issues with Android this yr, bringing the launch window of Android 16 forward by a number of months so the secure construct is prepared by the point the Pixels debuted within the fall. Together with that, it modified the way it handles Android updates, with a significant construct going out in the summertime and a minor launch within the winter.
General, there’s a lot higher enthusiasm round what Google has to share with the broader Android ecosystem in 2026. With Android XR headsets debuting, the combination of ChromeOS with Android, and all the brand new options Google is baking into Android, it will be an thrilling yr.
I made a set of predictions round Android OS final yr, and it is time to see how they held up.
Common updates: C
Look, Google does an excellent job rolling out common software program updates to Pixels, and it is nice to see so many feature-filled updates hitting even older units. I haven’t got any points with that, and clearly, Android platform releases additionally exit to Google’s units the second they’re obtainable.
My concern is with the broader Android ecosystem. Most manufacturers nonetheless do a pathetic job with software program updates (taking a look at you, Xiaomi and Motorola), and Google must step in and set the phrases a little bit higher in these conditions. Because it stands, there’s simply no purpose for many cellphone producers to trouble with updates, and I need to see that change.
I will admit that is getting higher with flagships; most manufacturers now ship updates inside just a few months of the secure construct, and most high-end telephones will get no less than 4 platform updates (except you are utilizing an ASUS cellphone). However with cellphone {hardware} getting significantly better during the last 18 months, these units are designed to final the higher a part of a decade, and the software program is as a rule the limiting issue.
UI tweaks: A
I like what Google is doing with the Pixel’s UI. Whereas Materials 3 Expressive is probably not to everybody’s liking, I benefit from the interface’s design, and I am unable to get sufficient of how playful and vibrant it’s. As somebody who assessments a lot of Android telephones, there isn’t any consistency or originality on the subject of most interfaces, with most Chinese language manufacturers now emulating the Liquid Glass design of iOS 26.
In that context, it is nice to see Google have a strong imaginative and prescient for the software program and ship it coherently. I would love the interface to make its technique to different Android manufacturers, however I do know that is simply wishful considering; after speaking to most cellphone manufacturers, it is clear that they’ve their very own ideology on the subject of the UI.
AI all over the place: B
Most cellphone manufacturers have AI-assisted options simply because it’s the buzzword de jour. Google does a greater job on this space, and the Pixel 10 Professional XL has a powerful AI suite that is truly good to make use of. Magic Cue has been loads of enjoyable to make use of, and it’s nice at surfacing actionable info based mostly on context. Actual-time name translate works very well, and it does an eerily good job at mimicking your voice.
The options I exploit probably the most are round picture enhancing; the Pixel holds up fairly effectively on this space, and utilities like Add Me are genuinely nice. If there’s one criticism, it is that Google does not arrange these options; you may bump into most of those as you utilize the cellphone. Samsung organizes all its AI options within the cellphone settings, so you may simply see what’s obtainable — Google must do one thing related.
Android and ChromeOS integration: C
Google is taking its candy time merging ChromeOS into Android, and though the model talked concerning the upcoming integration, we’ve not actually heard a lot about it. Current leaks level to “Aluminium OS” because the desktop-class working system that is taking on, and the Android-based OS will likely be tightly built-in with AI — since you simply cannot construct something nowadays and not using a smattering of AI.
The objective with Aluminium OS is to make Android itself versatile so it may run on a a lot wider vary of units. Google did this to an extent with Android 15 and Android 16 by integrating foldable-focused options, and having an precise desktop OS inbuilt goes to be thrilling. That stated, it does not appear to be we’ll see what Google intends to do with Aluminium OS no less than till mid-2026.
Android XR: A
I genuinely like XR glasses now, and I am thrilled to see what is going on on with Undertaking Aura, the place Google is collaborating with Xreal over XR glasses. These glasses include an built-in OLED show and look extremely fascinating, and Google is claimed to be engaged on good glasses just like the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2, however with Gemini integration.
