Android 8.1 Oreo arriving on Pixel phones "in the coming weeks"

Google confirmed earlier today that it's already working to bring Android 8.1 Oreo to all Pixel phones “in the coming weeks.” Since the information comes rather indirectly via a blog post explaining the technology behind Pixel 2's camera.

Apparently, the Pixel 2 smartphones feature Google's first custom-designed co-processor, which is called Pixel Visual Core. The processor handles imaging and ML apps, and it's supposed to offer lower-latency and more power-efficient HDR+ processing.

Pixel Visual Core is not yet enabled on the Pixel 2 smartphones, but Google promised that it will enable the co-processor as a developer option in the developer preview of Android 8.1 Oreo (MR1) sometime in the coming weeks.

Later on, the component will be enabled for all third-party apps using the Android Camera API, allowing them full access to the Pixel 2's HDR+ technology.

Unfortunately, aside from enabling Pixel Visual Core on the Pixel phones, there's not much else we know about other features Android 8.1 Oreo might bring into the mix.

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