Super Light

Google’s optimised version of android oreo, the go edition, gives a new lease of life to entry-level android smartphones.

- Nidhi Singal

One out of three feature phone users in India is expected to upgrade to a data-enabled phone by the next year, according to a study by International Data Corporation. Sensing a huge opportunity, phone companies have been on a low-budget smartphone manufacturing spree – ones that come with lower specifications but support mobile Internet. However, bundling a fully-loaded Android operating system in these entry-level smartphones was a futile move. Devices slowing down and the perennial shortage of storage left consumers discontented. When Google’s Android Oreo Go edition – a trimmed down/ optimised version of Android’s latest version – tailored for smartphones with 1 GB or less of RAM was launched, entry-level smartphones found their match.

Explaining what the Go Edition is, Sagar Kamdar, Director of Product, Android says, “Android Oreo Go edition is specifically optimised to bring the magic of Google and Android to smartphones with limited memory and processing power.” It focuses on offering more storage and better performance without compromising on security. Google has designed a set of apps that consumes less memory and storage space, and offers the same experience as Android Oreo.