Android has matured as a platform. What does that mean? It means that it has all the features and stability we expect from a modern smartphone OS. There are not a lot of new game-changing features that Android can add with each release. So, for the past years, new versions of Android have mostly focused on the under-the-changes and adding a few nifty features.
It has been a while since we have seen Android get a major visual overhaul. Being full of features and stable is certainly great, but it also means that a new Android release is not as revolutionary as we would like it to be.
But that still does not stop us from getting excited about Android 11. With just a few weeks left, we now know almost everything about Android 11. Notifications have received some thoughtful changes, with notifications from messaging apps getting their own section at the top. The media playback controls have been moved to the quick settings panel. Native screen recording has been added and the overview menu has received a new design. There are a lot more features, but discussing those will require a different article.
Now that we know about Android 11 and its shiny new goodies, the next important question is: When will my phone get Android 11? And that is a complicated question. Unless you own a supported Pixel device or a recent flagship, you are going to have to wait pretty long to get Android 11. And that is only after your smartphone maker commits to it.
And on that note, we have some bad news if you own a Xiaomi device with a Snapdragon 845 processor. Xiaomi representatives have confirmed that models using Snapdragon 845, such as Mi 8 and Mi Mix 2S will not receive Android 11. This means that the Pocophone F1 will also not receive Android 11. If it is any consolation, the 845 is still a great processor and Xiaomi includes most of its new features in MIUI updates. So, if you own one of these devices you will still be able to get a lot of use out of them.
