Samsung rolls out Android 5.0 Lollipop update for Galaxy S5

Samsung is not as fast as rival makers HTC or Motorola when it comes to rolling out software upgrades to the latest version of Android, but the company appears to be finally cleaning up its act. Not too long after Google released Android 5.0, Lollipop is now available for Galaxy S5.

The epicenter for the Android 5.0 Lollipop roll-out is Poland, a market Samsung has frequently used to commence roll-outs of new major software upgrades. The company is currently targeting users of the SM-G900F version of Galaxy S5, which, as some of you may know, is the model featuring a Qualcomm processor (Snapdragon 801).

It is only natural for Samsung to release the update for users of the aforementioned model first, as its own Exynos-powered version is only sold officially in a significantly lower number of markets (and, as such, claims fewer sales).

According to SamMobile, which has discovered the existence of the Android 5.0 Lollipop build for Galaxy S5, Samsung has tweaked the UI on its flagship to reflect the introduction of Material Design, apparently leading to better-looking Samsung-made apps.

The South Korean maker has also added a clipboard tool, and ported the fingerprint lockscreen functionality from Galaxy Note 4. Speaking of fingerprint functionality, recognition is said to be much improved.

Of course, the build that Samsung makes available now (dated December 1) also features the usual enhancements that Google has packed into Android 5.0 Lollipop. That means, among other things, that ART is now the default runtime, and the notifications panel looks different.

According to the information provided in KIES (Samsung's management software), Galaxy S5 users interested in upgrading to Android 5.0 Lollipop should have around 3 GB of free storage on their device before initiating the upgrade process, and will lose 950 MB of storage afterwards.