Android Go: Aimed for the lowest end phones for better performance

Google is making attempt again to make a budget Android platform for developing markets with Android Go, a program that seems to fill the void left by the Android One program, to create a version of Android for lower-powered devices. Android Go isn't a phone, it's a platform. It's basically a light version of Android O, that's destined to work smoothly on the super cheap Android phone even having 512MB of RAM onboard. Even the Google Play Store is going to highlight apps that can run on these cheap devices. From Android O onwards, all smartphones with under 1GB of RAM will automatically get this version as default.

Also the data management is a big feature for the OS, and owners of an Android Go phone will be able to check out data use directly on its notification settings panel while the existing Data Saver feature in Chrome will be enabled by default. Some apps have also been rethought for connections with low bandwidth or low data caps. YouTube Go, for instance, will let you see a preview of a video before you download the whole thing. It will also allow you to save videos for offline use and peer-to-peer sharing so you can save your friends and family some data.

Photo Credit: androidcentral

With this new effort, Google is clearly attempting to make the sub-$50 smartphones more relevant to those who end up buying it in the end. Google says Android Go will ship "as an experience" in 2018, which means manufacturers will potentially start making handsets with the lighter OS after that.