Leak confirms Android 5.0 Jelly Bean is not major upgrade, actually Android 4.1

According to a report at The Verge the next edition of the Android mobile operating system is not 5.0 as expected but actually a minor step up from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

It was anticipated that ‘Jelly Bean’ would be Android 5.0 however an image from the Google Play store, advertising the Galaxy Nexus as the first handset to get the new OS, indicates that it will actually be version 4.1, indicating that this is a relatively minor evolution rather than a revolutionary overhaul.

Going by previous updates this will probably largely involve bug fixes and improvements to performance and power efficiency, though another image which popped up several days ago  had a Chrome shortcut in the toolbar, suggesting Google’s browser may be integrated into the OS, a move which has been expected for some time.

Google’s Android OS uses a cutesy naming system, each version being given an code name based on desserts or sweets. The first to follow this convention was Cupcake, followed by Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb and the current Ice Cream Sandwich. Following Jelly Bean is Key Lime Pie, which now seems a likely candidate for Android 5.0.

Aside from the Galaxy Nexus no other handset has been named for a Jelly Bean update. 

It’s not unreasonable to expect that any recent smartphone which came with Ice Cream Sandwich will also get Android 4.1 at some point however manufacturers have a poor track record when it comes to rolling out updates, a problem compounded by the need for networks to issue the software to subscribers. Because of this the process can take months, hence why smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy S2 have only just received ICS upgrades.

If you’d rather not wait around the quickest way to get the very latest version is to purchase a reference handset like the Galaxy Nexus, use a SIM free phone or root your mobile and install a custom built ROM.