Nokia is one of the few brands offering a close-to-stock Android experience on its smartphones. This means that the brand doesn’t need to change much when Google releases a new version of Android OS. In other words, Nokia devices can get software before devices from many other brands, but the story has not played out that way in recent years.
Nokia hasn’t been impressive with the software rollout in recent years. But, like every year, we hope for some improvement from the brand. Anyway, if you have a Nokia smartphone, you must be wondering if that is eligible for the Android 15 upgrade; after all, the new OS is the talk of the town, for good reasons.
So, here are the Nokia phones that are most likely to get the Android 15 update:
- Nokia XR21
- Nokia X30
- Nokia G60
- Nokia G42
This is not the final list by any means. It has been prepared based on the software update policy for Nokia smartphones. We’ll update it once we have official information on the same.
Nokia’s owner, HMD Global, typically offers two major OS updates and two or three years of security updates for Nokia smartphones. Sadly, this doesn’t apply to budget and entry-level phones. They hardly receive any Android OS updates.
Also Read: 10 Amazing Features Coming to Android 15
Android 15: When Will It Start Rolling out to Nokia Phones?
Android 15 is currently in the development phase, with multiple developer previews and beta builds out for the testers. As per the official timeline by Google, the beta phase should last until June 2024, and then it will undergo a platform stability phase for bug fixing and final touches.
Although we don’t have an official release date for Android 15 as yet, everyone is expecting it to drop around the same time as last year, sometime in October. It’s likely to be announced alongside the Pixel 9 series, which will be the first phone to run the latest Android OS out of the box.
So, can you expect HMD Global to start rolling out the new OS in October? Well, it doesn’t seem to be happening if we consider the company’s past OS rollouts.
Android 14 was released in October last year, and many smartphone brands started rolling it out to their phones in the same month. However, HMD Global was too late to join the party in January this year. Since then, the brand hasn’t made significant changes to its software rollout plan, so expect a lazy roll out again.
But is Android 15 worth the wait? Let’s check out the top features in the next section.
Also Read: Android 15 Beta Is Available for These Devices: How To Download and Install
Biggest Changes Coming to Android 15
Android 15 will bring plenty of exciting features, and I can confidently say it will be a much better upgrade than Android 13 and Android 14. Here are the major features in Android 15 discovered so far:
Circle to Search
Google might integrate the “Circle to Search” feature natively into Android 15. This feature lets you search for anything on your screen by drawing a circle around it.
Circle to Search was first available to the Galaxy S24 series models, and Google later adopted it for the Pixel 8 series. Now, it seems all Android 15 devices might support this exciting feature.
Satellite Connectivity Support
Android 15 adds support for satellite connectivity. This means you’ll be able to send texts to your friends even if you don’t have cell towers nearby, as long as you have access to the open sky. The new OS supports satellite connectivity for SMS apps and preinstalled RCS apps. In other words, this feature on Android 15 will not be limited to emergency uses only.
On-Device AI Capabilities
During the Google I/O 2024 event, the tech giant confirmed that Android 15 will bring on-device AI capabilities without revealing the actual usage. So, we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.
Find My Phone Network
With the new Find My Phone network, all Android 15 phones can ping each other via Bluetooth and contribute to the network to help someone find their lost device. The nearby Android device part of Find My network can pick up Bluetooth signals from the broadcasting device and upload the encrypted location details to Google’s servers, which can be decrypted by the broadcasting device owner.
Google is also expected to introduce an offline device finding feature that will allow users to locate their device even if it is offline. As of now, It’s only a rumor, but even if it arrives, only selected models will get it because of hardware limitations.
Gemini Assistant
Android 15 says goodbye to Google Assist, as all devices running the new OS will have Gemini as their default assistant.
App Archiving
The app archiving feature lets you uninstall apps while keeping the user data around. So, the next time you reinstall the app, you can continue where you left off.
Google already offers the app archiving feature through the Play Store, which means you can archive and restore apps only through the Play Store. However, Android 15 removes this restriction by allowing any apps, including those installed outside the Play Store, to be archived.
Notification Cooldown
Another helpful addition to Android 15 is the “Notification Cooldown” feature. It is designed to stop people from getting overwhelmed by too many notifications from the same app. This new feature lowers the volume of successive notifications from the same app.
Partial Screen Sharing
Android 15 will allow users to share and record a single app rather than the entire screen. This feature is already available on Pixel devices and now extends to all Android 15 devices.
High-Quality Webcam
Android 15 introduces a new high-quality webcam mode that significantly improves video quality. You must tap the “HQ” symbol in the webcam preview to enable it. It disables power optimizations on the device to offer better video quality, resulting in increased battery drain.
Which Nokia smartphone do you own, and what are your expectations with Android 15? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Don’t forget to check out our Android 15 section for the latest news about the new OS.
