If you talk about new UI redesigns, many of the new interface redesigns introduced with the Pixel 2 are brought over to older Google devices. This includes the Pixel Launcher with a new bottom search bar and At a Glance widget. Quick settings is transparent, while there is a new floating power menu, and light/dark themes for the launcher and system UI depending on the set wallpaper.
The navigation bar in various apps, like Settings, is now lighter to combat the Pixel 2 XL’s burn-in/screen retention issues and quickly dims when not in use. Touch responsiveness issues and audio recording bugs during video capture have also been addressed. Other visual changes include a proper Oreo Easter Egg and a cool tint on lockscreen and homescreen that is again based on your wallpaper.
For developers, Android 8.1 and API Level 27 allows for third-parties to take advantage of the Pixel Visual Core on the Pixel 2, as well as a new Neural networks API for hardware accelerating on-device machine learning. For Android Go, two new hardware-feature constraints will allow developers to better target their apps for low-RAM devices.
There are 19 issues resolved in the December security patch dated 2017-12-01 and 28 in the 2017-12-05 one. The dedicated bulletin for Google’s phones and tablets lists 48 additional fixes, including those for the KRACK Wi-Fi vulnerability.
The full download and OTA links are below.
- Pixel 2 XL: Android 8.1 — OPM1.171019.011 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel 2: Android 8.1 — OPM1.171019.011 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel XL: Android 8.1 — OPM1.171019.011 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel: Android 8.1 — OPM1.171019.011 — Factory Image — OTA
- Pixel C: Android 8.1 — OPM1.171019.011 — Factory Image — OTA
- Nexus 6P: Android 8.1 — OPM1.171019.011 — Factory Image — OTA
- Nexus 5X: Android 8.1 — OPM1.171019.011 — Factory Image — OTA