Samsung to Skip Android 5.0 Update For Galaxy Note 4 & Galaxy Note Edge; Direct Update to Android 5.0.1 Lollipop

Samsung is reportedly going to skip the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge smartphones and directly update the devices to Android 5.0.1, much like the Galaxy S5. The report comes courtesy of SamMobile. They claim that Samsung is readying the Android 5.0.1 update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge and could roll out the update for these devices soon.

Samsung started seeding the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5 in Poland earlier this month and has recently rolled out a second update based on Android 5.0.1 to Polish users. The second update is expected to be the final Android 5.0.1 build for the Galaxy S5 LTE-A (SM-G906S) model and should be rolling out for Galaxy S5 devices across Europe soon. The Galaxy S5 was also updated directly to Android 5.0.1, skipping Android 5.0. Android 5.0.1 builds for the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge are being tested already, and an Android 5.0.1 Lollipop build for the Galaxy Note 4 was recently demoed by SamMobile. In case you missed that video overview, you can view the video by clicking on this link.

The Galaxy S5 Android 5.0.1 update for Europe and other regions could be expected to arrive by the end of this month, and then we can expect the Android 5.0.1 rollout for the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge smartphones to begin. Earlier leaked roadmap of Samsung’s Android Lollipop update plans did indicate that Samsung will be updating the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge devices beginning January. The Galaxy Note 3 Android Lollipop update is expected to arrive next month as well, although it isn’t clear if the Galaxy Note 3 will also be updated directly to Android 5.0.1 or will be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop first.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0.1 update doesn’t include any new features from Samsung’s side but does come with the updated TouchWiz UI designed with Material Design guidelines from Google. Since the Galaxy Note 4 is the newer flagship and includes a slightly different version of TouchWiz than the Galaxy S5 with additional features, Samsung might include a few new software goodies along with the Lollipop update. The Galaxy Note 4 & Galaxy Note Edge TouchWiz version is also lighter than earlier versions on other Galaxy devices, so we hope Samsung will optimize TouchWiz further for these devices and introduce a lighter TouchWiz version with Android 5.0.1.