The Key difference between Android 5.1 (Lollipop) and Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) arises from the fact that there are considerable amount of improvements have been made to the Android 6.0 Operating System in order to make it more efficient and robust compared with the Android 5.1 OS. Android 6.0 is power packed with improvements and new features like interface, style, app permissions, memory management, power conservation, and faster battery charging that make it essential for any Android device user. Let us take a closer look at the new features incorporated in to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and identify the key differences between the two operating systems.
Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) New Features | Review
Google recently announced its brand new operating system that was rumored as Android M. Now we know what this M stand for which is Marshmallow. It is now available for Nexus devices like Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P. Other user will need to wait a little more to get their hands on the new update. Is it really worth it to upgrade to android Marshmallow? Let us take a closer look at the new operating system to see what is has to offer over Android 5.0 Lollipop.
App Menu
The app menu has seen a total change compared with the Android Lollipop which anyone will notice. The Android Lollipop has pages of apps that needed to be flicked horizontally in order to be viewed and used. But with the Android Marshmallow, the apps need to be scrolled using the thumb in a vertical manner. This will be especially useful in situations where there are a lot of apps and the apps are arranged in alphabetical order for easy navigation. Another feature is there are no app menu folders on the home screen.
App Search Bar
The operating system comes with an app search bar. First it will search for the app in the app collection, and if it cannot find the specific app, it will continue its search into Google Play. On the top of the app menu there are four app slots that will be used to install the most recent and most used applications.
Clock
While Android increased the style factor of the operating system, Android Marshmallow goes even further in refining the style. The clock has seen a design change that makes it look sharper and visually appealing. The font on the clock is now a bit thicker or bold and all caps which gives it a touch of elegance.
Memory Manager
Android lollipop has a problem where the performance is affected due to memory hungry applications on the operating system which cause the phone not to perform at optimum level. Now the operating system comes with a feature where we will be able to view individual memory usages of apps without a third party app. It will only allow the user to view the memory consumed by the app but will not let the user control it. It will allow you to view a time line where the user will be able to analyse the usage of the memory and identify which apps are using up more of it.
Lock Screen Message
Now with Android M a small message can be typed into the lock screen, which has a lesser opacity and can be typed in with lower case letters.
Battery Optimization
With Android Lollipop, only a battery power saving feature was introduced and with Android Marshmallow, there comes a feature called “optimization”. When an app is not in an active state the power is saved by tweaking the application. Exemptions will have to be applied to apps in order to use power as they want in this mode.
Volume Control
Android 5.0 (Lollipop) has a problem with the volume control. The silent mode is completely removed in Android 5.0 (Lollipop), and it was a big inconvenience. Android Marshmallow comes with a do not disturb mode this time and it is almost the silent mode of the past. The features on this mode do not mess up the early morning alarm which could be a very important scenario.
Finger Print Scanner
Android Marshmallow, this time, supports the finger print scanning feature natively without the scanner software being jammed in. The latest Google Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P support the finger print scanner on the rear of the phone, which is called Imprint by Google. This finger print scanner can be used for a variety of tasks including unlocking the phone, locking apps and securing Android Pay wireless.
Google Now
Now, Android 6.0 comes with a digital assistant called Now on Tap, which gives access to looking up anything anywhere. From the home screen itself, it can be accessed by saying Ok Google. With a long press of the Home button the digital assistant can be activated and find additional information online on whatever is on the screen.
Permissions
The traditional way of installing apps are during the install itself, app access is given to all the components of the smart phone when the app begins to install. From the Android 6.0, permissions will have to be granted individually every time the app needs the particular component of information on the smart device. This will give a clearer picture of what is happening on the background. The settings menu will give a clear picture of what applications are using which components. This will enable the user to control it more effectively and this will be a great privacy feature as well.
USB Type C (3.1)
The Android 6.0 Marshmallow provides full support for USB – C. This supports the USB 3.1 standard. This is expected to provide 40X the power provided by connectors in use now. Bandwidth has also seen an increase and batteries will be able to charge at a faster rate than before.
Doze
The Doze is a feature that is able to increase the battery life and boost it to last longer. This feature conserves power identifying the state of the operating system. Google claims that the battery is able to last twice longer on standby by using this feature.
Android 5.1 (Lollipop) Improvement and Bug Fixes
The Android 5.1 in an improvement and bug fixes of the Android 5. It also has been designed in an efficient way than the Android 5.0 (Lollipop).
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
The Wi-Fi option has also seen an enhancement where there is no need to set up a new connection each time when moving from one Wi-Fi spot to another.
HD Voice Calling
With the use of this feature, voice call quality can be set up to be crystal clear. This will be a great benefit for Android users.
Protection
In the event the phone is stolen and the thief tries to factory reset, the phone is able to remain locked, which is a secure feature. Google account details will be necessary in order to make use of the phone in such a situation.
Dual SIMs
The Android Summary Lollipop is able to run two Sims simultaneously. This is a very popular feature in developing nations and is slowly catching up to the west.
Interruptions
There is no silent mode with the Android 6.0 as with the Android 5.0, but it has interrupt functions to handle the above mode in a different manner. This will especially be useful when the phone is in a mode such as None, Priority and all options which will not disable an alarm.
Notifications
The notifications features have seen an improvement by sliding them on to the display while using the phone. These are called heads up notifications. This is a big improvement when compared with the Android 5.0, which had this feature but was not perfect by any means. On the Android 4.0, when these notifications are dismissed, they are removed permanently, but with the Android 5.0, these notifications are temporarily slid out of view and they can be picked up later with the use of the notifications menu.
What is the difference between Android 5.1 (Lollipop) and 6.0 (Marshmallow)?
App Menu:
The app menu on the Android Lollipop 5.0 has pages, which need to be moved horizontally to be used and viewed whereas, the Android Marshmallow has one big page which needs to be scrolled vertically in order to use and view the apps.
App Search Bar:
This is a new feature that comes with Android Marshmallow. It can be used in order to search for apps installed on the phone and can be used to search for apps, which are not installed on the phone in Google Play.
Clock:
The clock and the font have been designed in a more stylish manner in Android Marshmallow compared to the Android Lollipop
Memory Manager:
The new memory manger feature in Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) lets the user view how memory is being consumed by individual applications. This can only be used to monitor but not control the memory usage which is noteworthy.
Lock Screen Message:
Android M supports typing in a custom message on to the home screen. This feature is not available with Android Lollipop.
Battery Optimization:
The optimization feature enables the OS to tweak each application so that battery consumption can be limited and it could last for a longer period.
Volume Control:
As with the Android Lollipop, the Android Marshmallow does not have the silent mode, but it comes with a better option “do not disturb” mode, which does not affect the alarm set by the user on the device.
Finger Print Scanner:
The finger print scanner on the device is able to support the feature natively on Android Marshmallow.
Google Now:
On the Android Marshmallow, Google Now is able to search for anything anywhere. This digital assistant can find any information that is required online.
Permissions:
Android Marshmallow will only give access to components and information on the phone, with the users consent, at the time the app needs it whereas, Android Lollipop grants access to all the components requested by the app at the time of the installation.
USB Type C:
Android Marshmallow will be able to support USB Type C, which will enable the device battery to charge super-fast and produce great transfer rates of Data.
Doze:
Doze is another new feature on Android Marshmallow which will conserve power by monitoring the state of the Operation System.
Android 5.1 (Lollipop) vs. Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
Summary
Android Marshmallow is expected to be released in the early part of October. The Nexus 5, Nexus 6 smartphones and the Nexus 9 are supporting this Operating system. Google has said that Nexus 7 will be one of the smart phones to come with this operating system.
There were more than 1400 fixes applied on to Android 5.1 where most of them were minor ones. One of the significant fixes was the memory leak issue, which Google updated for Nexus phones.