Do you happen to look wistfully at the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, knowing that you would want nothing better than to upgrade your previous generation Galaxy S7 smartphone to the latest model? Well, if existing circumstances do not allow you to do so, perhaps you might wait for another year and get the (presumably) Galaxy S9 instead. In the meantime, why not sit back, relax, and enjoy the latest Android 7.0 Nougat update that has been released for unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 models in the US? Yes, it is finally time for this aging handset to pick up the latest version of Android (at least, before Android Oreo or Android 8.0 is announced at Google I/O) after the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge got a hold of it in the US just last week. Better late than never, and this is one of the rarer moments where an unlocked device ends up receiving the latest OS version later than the same device that has been offered by other mobile carriers in a tie-in promotion.

So far, Reddit users who are rocking to the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 have begun to confirm the availability of the Android 7.0 Nougat update . The Samsung Galaxy S7 model in question happens to be the SM-G930U, which is available as an unlocked device in the US. Of course, news like this travels fast across the Internet -- and there is a different thread on Reddit that points to the possibility of the same update hitting unlocked Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones over in the UK. This would be different from the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge software update which was introduced in the previous week, since Galaxy S7 Edge owners need not install that particular update via Samsung’s very own Smart Switch PC interface.

Rather, this particular update does seem to arrive in the form of an OTA (Over The Air) update, where a screenshot has also been uploaded to the thread. One thing that unlocked Galaxy S7 owners in the US might want to take note of is this -- to free up space in your handset before proceeding with the Android 7.0 Nougat update, for it weighs in at a particularly hefty 1.2GB. It would also be prudent to perform a backup of all your important data beforehand, while making sure that the battery life of the Galaxy S7 remains at a minimum of 50 percent, all the while hooked up to a stable and fast Wi-Fi connection.

The Android 7.0 Nougat update for unlocked Galaxy S7 smartphones did not take the “normal” or “expected” route, so to speak. It basically arrived right after the carrier updates hit the market. Normally, Android updates would appear on unlocked devices first, before other carrier-branded devices get the same treatment since it would take a longer than usual time for carriers to go through and customize these updates prior to release. Better late than never is the operative keyword here, and at least unlocked Galaxy S7 owners can now be on par with their carrier-branded toting friends!