Review of the Android edition Oreo Go: same, but different

After being announced last December, it took a bit of time for the first Android Oreo devices (Go Edition) to start hitting the market. Over the past month, we shared with you our opinion on the Alcaltel 1X, the first US Go phone, and on the Nokia 1, the first Go device to reach other markets. But we have not yet fully explored what is the edition of Go, exactly. What changes or compromises have been made to the Android platform? Which features are missing or have been added? And are they all worth it? Is the promise of Go's edition fulfilled?

If you were to believe Ryne's experience, the answer would be a resounding no. For me, there is more nuance in the story. Go hits many correct notes, but is still far from the smooth lean experience that Google would have you believe. That's what we are here to explore.

The same Android you know …

The name of Android Oreo (Go Edition) should give you an idea of ​​what is this operating system. This is Android Oreo, in the first place, with some minor modifications that give it a distinct name edition . Looking at the Nokia 1, which has the base of the purest software layer of the Go edition, there is very little difference with the complete Android Oreo 8.1 that you have seen on Pixels and others storage devices.

phone, the familiarity of Android can not escape you. It is the same integration process, including the ability to copy applications and data from a cloud backup or from another Android device in your hand.

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The rest of the OS has the same meaning and the same functionality. Think of a relatively recent Android feature and you will find it there, even if you probably did not expect it:

• Customizable Quick Settings
• Search Bar in Settings
• Notification Channels and Application Permissions Management [19659009] Notification snoozing
• Do not disturb controls
• Direct Sharing
• Smart Lock (unlocking near an approved device, location or with detection on the body)
• Autofill API and Applications [19659009] Smart Lock for Pbadwords
• Nearby
• Search in my account
• Google Play Instant Applications
• Job Profiles
• Backup and Restore, including data from the I & # 39; application
• Developer Options (press ] repeatedly in Settings, as usual)
• Press Preview 010] to skip to the previous application
• Press the power button twice to switch to the camera even when the camera is locked. ] We do not know what to think of this abundance of undoubtedly inessent ial features. Of course, this means that the Go edition is, on paper, as powerful and as modern as Android. But some of these features are rather lost on such low-end hardware, and could remain unused / untouched by those who would buy Go devices. One can not help but wonder if removing some of these features further simplify the operating system without significantly hindering the experience for most users.

  … Minus Minor Changes

  In the state, the differences between GB edition and regular Android are very little on a operating system level. Fewer apps are preloaded and you have the choice of installing others when you set up the device for the first time. There is no UI tuner to customize the status bar and Do Not Disturb shortcuts, but the Demo mode is available in the developer options. These are small changes that you may not even notice. The two most visible changes affect multiple tabs in Chrome and multitasking / application switching.

  For the first, the Chrome indicator # enable-accessibility-tab-switcher is disabled, but acts as if it was enabled by default. There are no big scroll thumbnails for tabs, only a black and white list with favicons, a close button, and a quick shortcut to reopen a recently closed tab. This helps with the use of Chrome RAM and makes the process of switching tabs faster and less painful on low-end hardware. There is no other visible change in Chrome, but the size of the application's installation has been halved, from more than 170 MB to about 80 MB.

  

  For the second, the multitasking interface is revised. Small, non-overlapping cards are used, and they are not animated or updated live. These are static snapshots of the last screen that you saw in the application before you moved away from it. Multiple windows are also not supported, which makes sense for resource management and the ability for manufacturers to choose small low-resolution displays on their Go edition phones. However, you can always close all applications or individual ones, and press and hold the application's icon in the thumbnail to go to his info.

  

  Skin or no skin

  With the Go edition, Google did not apply the same restrictions as for Android One. Manufacturers are free to customize their devices with their own interface and their own applications, so it's up to them to use a pure Android experience or experience consistent with their brand and the rest of their devices. You can identify this as the reason Samsung would even consider making a Go edition phone.

  Google might have fallen to the pressure of the partners here. The same low-end hardware that requires a lighter version of Android would also benefit from fewer possible software changes. This is not to say that OEMs can not make skins that are geared to resources, but letting optimization in their place can lead to an experience far from ideal. However, it is easy to imagine that Google has thought about this and came to the conclusion that OEMs would manufacture low-cost under-equipped devices anyway, slap their full Android skins, and make a terrible name. on Android. Providing them with a more respectful resource base is a good start, and letting them tinker to adapt to their brand is probably the only way to adopt it.

  As with the full version of Android, all Go devices come with the same basic applications, regardless of the level of customization. These are part of the mobile app distribution agreements signed with Google to have official access to the Play Store. Chrome, Duo, Photos, Play Music and Play Services are part of it. Some Go applications, such as YouTube, Google, Gmail and Maps, complete the package.

  Up to now, we've seen three different approaches to personalizing Go publishers, which replicate their strategy with more expensive Android devices. Nokia has gone with a pure Android experience, Alcatel has made it almost half way, and Samsung seems to stick to its TouchWiz UX experience does not call-that-that-on the Nokia 1, next to the apps stock mentioned above, the full versions of Google's core applications are used everywhere: calculator, calendar, clock, contacts, messages, phone and wallpapers. The only additions are the camera app from HMD, Nokia Support, and an FM Radio app.

  

  Full applications means that the Nokia 1 has some recent features such as the 2FA copy code shortcut for Messages

  On Alcatel 1X, launcher, quick settings / notifications, settings and various menus have been defined. Some applications have also been replaced by those of Alcatel, such as Contacts, Phone and Camera, and NextRadio by listening to FM radio. Alcatel has also added some features, such as a one-handed mode, lockscreen shortcuts and a special Smart Manager to control autostart applications. Even with very few customizations, there is a noticeable improvement in performance, as Ryne has experienced it during his time with the device. Based on screenshots of the Samsung Go phone, the situation is necessarily the same.

  Go apps

  To make the Android experience more fluid and more economical, Google has released Go versions of several of its versions. applications. Beside that, Play Store on Go Edition devices feature a Featured Apps section full of "lite" apps – and sometimes some great, unexpected games.

  

  Before exploring the different Go applications, it should be mentioned that some non-Go applications have seen an impressive reduction in the size of installation on Go phones. although they seem to offer the same features. the same list as their full counterpart:

  • Chrome: 176 MB -> 80 MB
  • Google Photos: 128 MB -> 88 MB
  • Google Phone: 40.74 MB -> 22.16 MB [19659041] Google Go

    The main thing that Google Go lacks is the stream. The recommended articles and news are gone and all you get is an interface aimed at research, first and foremost. Two languages ​​are supported simultaneously, and you are even encouraged to set them up early, something I would like the normal Google application to make as simple.

    

    The main screen contains eight shortcuts for searching for images, GIFs, weather, translations, etc., as well as shortcuts for "Apps" that you can use. allow access to some favorite sites without having to remember their address. open Chrome first. These are customizable with many categories and sites to choose from.

    

    Typing on the search bar at the bottom opens a dedicated interface. There are two tabs for each of the languages ​​selected at the top, search items for your history, suggestions for refining your search, and a voice icon if you prefer to speak your query. The results are nothing special: the most read articles, knowledge graph information and regular articles below them.

    

    Overall, Google Go does the job of a search application with less superfluous content and more focus on important features. It provides easy access to translation, generates lightweight AMP web pages as results, searches offline queues, and lets you easily switch between two languages. These are great features for users in the developing world who would buy a Go phone – some of them we would like to have with the Google Clbadic Search app.

    

    

    

    Gmail Go

    A quick look at Gmail Go, and even a thorough exploration of the latter, Let yourself wonder if you look at the full application or its lighter alternative. Both applications are almost indistinctly the same except for a change in the settings. You can not customize scan actions, a feature recently added to Gmail.

    Other than that, everything else is the same. Multiple accounts are supported, the sidebar is the same and the settings are more or less similar. The application is a little jankier as you scroll, but that is to be expected.

    The disadvantage is that there is nothing really "Go" about Gmail. It seems to consume less RAM when running or caching, but that's all. Installed on a Nokia 1, the application alone takes 54 MB of storage, which is surprisingly more than the full Gmail app. In addition, there are no special settings or features to save on the use of data and limit attachment downloads.

    

    

    

    Files Go

    Android Go always comes with the file browser under Settings -> Storage -> Files but it is not exposed in the application drawer. Instead, you will find files going there. This is not an appropriate file browser, but it provides neat file management features. Its main purpose is to help you clean the limited storage of your phone by removing unnecessary files, unused applications and unnecessary media cluttering your phone. You can still browse, but the files are grouped by type.

    

    The most useful feature may be the ability to send files quickly and without an Internet connection. All you need is that the Go files are installed on the phones of senders and recipients, and that the application creates a direct WiFi LAN to send the files. This can present mbadive speed improvements and data savings in areas where a mobile connection is slow, unreliable, or expensive.

    

    

    

    Gboard Go

    Unlike most apps on this list, Gboard Go n & # 39 does not exist as a separate application that you can download and install. It has the same list as Gboard, but devices with 1 GB or less of RAM get a lighter version of the APK.

    A quick glance could make you think that it's the normal Gboard, but you'll notice the difference. emoji button or Google button in the predictive band. Only emojis and text expressions are supported, there are no GIFs or stickers. The one-hand typing mode and the text editing tool are also removed. In the settings you will see some other missing options, such as emoji suggestions and predictive search.

    

    However, the rest of the features are intact. There's theme support, Google Translate integration, auto-completion and auto-correction, slippery gestures, voice input, and the Google Search button lets you quickly find information and share it.

    

    At half the installation size of the normal application (42.93 MB vs. 85.14 MB), Gboard Go does not skimp on the important features and gets rid of a lot of fluff that many users would not miss. In fact, if it was a standalone application, we could bet that a lot of Android font readers would install it and use it immediately.

    

    

    YouTube Go [19659027] Although most Go applications above try to retain most of the features, YouTube Go takes a different route. This application was created from scratch for the data economy, which is not an essential requirement in any of the other Go applications. Forget the lower tabs of YouTube for Trends, Subscriptions, Inbox (including messaging and sharing) and Library (playlists, watch later, history). Forget about YouTube captions, play speed controls and the comment section. Here you only have two tabs: Home and Downloads and a clear focus on browsing, searching, and downloading. Until recently, you could not even subscribe to channels or access your favorites, but this was added recently in the form of an upper bar labeled Your Channels .

    When you tap a video in YouTube Go, it does not start playing. Instead, you get a pop-up to choose the quality and either play (gray button) or download (more prominent blue button). You can tell from the UX choices that the priority is to download videos, not watch them. When playing a video, you can press twice to move forward or backward, and switch to full screen mode. That's the extent of the controls you get.

    

    YouTube Go borrows a feature from Files Go: sharing with people nearby. If you have already downloaded a video, you can send it via a Wi-Fi network directly to any other YouTube Go user, without any of you charging fees. of data. This encourages video sharing among friends and limits data consumption in areas where it can be expensive.

    

    

    

    Go Maps

    Perhaps the most awful of all Go apps, Go Maps but a Progressive Web App shortcut. On the plus side, this means that it does not use any storage space, but you have to use Chrome instead, constantly refresh the zoom level or move the map, and it lacks many features.

    Many features are kept intact. You can access different layers (traffic, transit, etc.), view your list of saved places, search for places and view details (reviews, images, information), write reviews, and get directions.

    

    That sounds good until you realize that there is no disconnected card support (a feature of the game). Data saving crucial in areas where Go phones are likely to sell) – Set navigation, only steps (even if the application displays a button Navigate that asks you to download the usual Maps application). Another taunt occurs when you choose the real-time position sharing option in the side menu: you are simply asked to get the main Maps application again.

    

    Maybe the Google Maps application is too much for Go, but what we get here lacks the thinking and adaptation of Google Go or Gboard Go, for example. The lack of offline map support is a blatant omission, and the interface for directions is unusable. Google could have, at least, reduce the huge From / To blue menu, and offer a larger map area with slightly expanded step-by-step instructions on the same screen. It would be miles ahead of the little messy map we get now, where the directions are on a separate screen.

    

    

    Go Wizard

    Since its release in February, Go Assistant has improved a bit and has lost some of its limitations, but one of them remains true: it is always available only in English. Go to any other language and it will not work. It should have been repaired now; we can not imagine why the regular version of the wizard includes a lot of languages ​​but the Go does not do it. It's the same backend after all.

    

    The use of the Go Wizard is virtually the same as that of the usual badistant. You can check the weather, get traffic forecasts, ask questions, make calls, listen to music, view your personal information (photos, calendar, etc.), set reminders, and control smart home devices. The last two did not work before, but now they are, despite the Play Store listing still saying that they are not supported.

    

    However, there are still some features that do not work on this lite version of Wizard. You can not control Actions on Google (for example, apps developed by third parties such as Todoist), controls on the device do not work either (disable WiFi, turn on Bluetooth, etc.) and you can not access settings. Thus, even if you are able to trigger routines and smart home devices, you can not change their settings or add / delete devices. Go wizard is a bit barebones, but that could be just enough for the target market.

    

    

    

    Performance

    Reality vs Promises

    According to Go's official Google Go edition, the promises of this software experience are many: more storage, better performance, data and security savings. Let's say them to see how they pile up.

    Using the Nokia 1 as an example, since it carries the purest skins of Android Oreo (Go Edition), we can see some obvious advantages of Go. Lightened operation (even though very few features are missing) and to the small Go applications installed, Android Go takes about 4GB of internal storage after using it for a few hours and installing one. application. The system occupies 2.5 GB of these and the applications get the other 1.5 GB. On a Pixel 2 XL (Android P DP4), the system alone gets 9.4 GB, or close to four times that of Android Go. We know that both can not be directly compared, but the boy makes us wonder what exactly is packed in the full version of Android that requires about 7GB of storage more system, especially when Go does not seem to jump a lot of functionality.

    

    Left and middle : Android Oreo (Go edition) on Nokia 1. Right : Android P (DP4) on Pixel 2 XL.

    The story is similar with the use of RAM. On Go, the Nokia 1 averages about 500 MB of active use spread across the system and applications. Very few processes are running and all applications are cached and rolled back when you move to the foreground. On a Pixel 2 XL with Android P, the system alone uses about 2 GB of RAM.

    The sacrifice of the cache of the application is the biggest that Go does. The swapping of applications is slow and you can see a pixelated snapshot of an application before it is fully loaded. On more demanding applications such as Google Photos, the app will be fully reloaded on its home screen every time you move it away and you come back. That's what's happening with a skin-free version of Go. On the light-skinned Alcatel 1X, Ryne has experienced many more slowdowns and hiccups throughout its use.

    

    Left and middle : Android Oreo (Go edition) on Nokia 1. Right : Android P (DP4) on Pixel 2 XL

    Still, storage and memory Management is an excellent example of duration. Go, um, get through to make sure the resources are not being abused or wasted. They are also good reminders of the usual inefficiency of Android. If Google can cram 95% of the features of Android into GB while reducing system storage and memory consumption at least four times, there is no reason not to streamline the version complete to require much less.

    and security features for Go edition, but the majority of these are already there in Android. The data saver is present in Chrome and the connection settings, both similar to Android, with nothing special added. The real improvement in the data economy comes from peer-to-peer transfers in Go and YouTube Go files, but this should be more feature-wide at the system level than a dependent application. Imagine if you could transfer maps, apps (even from the Play Store, not just APKs), Chrome tabs, and more, to another nearby user without incurring any data charges. That's what Go should strive to do. Well, this and a more in-depth data saver (much like Opera Mini) that compresses everything before it reaches your device.

    

    As for security, the story is even less special. All the features you have already seen in the full version of Android are here. There are no additional benefits for Go in terms of security.

    

    Software and Hardware

    The distinction between the Go edition of Android, as software, and the hardware on which it is delivered is quite impossible now. Both are closely related, since Go is made for devices with 512 MB to 1 GB of RAM, which basically means that the platform is limited to the lowest of the low-end hardware.

    Having dissected all aspects of Android Oreo (Go Edition) from a software point of view, it is clear that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with that. Very few features have been discontinued, the operating system is optimized and many Go applications offer unique and custom features. With access to the entire Play Store, it looks too much like a complete Android experience. The change in application can be a little slow, but it's a compromise that anyone buying a cheap device would be willing to live with it. The Go edition based on Oreo 8.1 is a good start for the platform, but future releases should consider other improvements, including peer-to-level sharing, switching applications more Fluid and more control over the recording of data. Go, as we have tried to express in our reviews and editorials, is the material to which it is linked and what it means for manufacturers. Go offers OEMs an excuse to continue shipping very, very low-end hardware, and often overvalue it just because it has the official blessing of Google. Lorsque Xiaomi peut rendre des appareils 2 Go / 16 Go utilisables pour à peine plus de cent dollars, tout smartphone Go de 100 $ sonne comme une arnaque. Une fourchette de prix de 50-70 $ changerait positivement cette perception.

    Si Go n'existait pas, certains fabricants essaieraient quand même de vendre le même matériel avec une ancienne version complète d'Android (avec leur peau sur le dessus), et serait une expérience pire, mais d'autres s'en absteniraient. Comme il est, Go leur donne un feu vert pour faire un travail bâclé et blâmer la plate-forme pour la performance minable.

    Si la prochaine version de Go apporte des optimisations et un support supplémentaires pour les périphériques RAM de 1,5 Go à 2 Go, nous pourrions chantez un air différent. Mais si les choses restent les mêmes, la plate-forme restera synonyme d'une expérience moins que médiocre et n'aura rien fait pour améliorer la perception des smartphones Android bas de gamme.