Skip to main content

You need to know how Android Oreo Go Edition is different from Android One

Mobile World Congress 2024
Read our complete coverage of Mobile World Congress

Google’s Android is no longer just the one version you see installed on the Google Pixel, the LG V30, the Galaxy S9, and hundreds of other phones. There are now three different primary versions, the latest being Android Oreo Go Edition. It’s a version of the operating system this time designed for basic, cheap phones. You may be thinking, “Isn’t that the same as Android One?”

Recommended Videos

Despite initial outward appearances, it’s not. We’ve talked to Google to get the complete story on what Android Go is, how it has changed Android One, and the main differences between the two. It’s important if you’re weighing up which version to have on your next phone.

The basics

Google describes Android Oreo Go Edition as, “A new experience for smartphones with 1GB of RAM or less,” and is fine tuned for devices with specific hardware configurations. Google envisages most of these devices costing less than $100. It still comes with the Google Play Store installed, but it pushes apps designed for Go, or those that operate best on it, to the forefront. You can still install all regular Android apps though, so there are no restrictions in place.

There’s a suite of Go Edition apps installed, including special versions of Google Maps, Google Assistant, Google Search, Gmail, and YouTube. The Files Go app helps organize internal storage, which is a key to optimizing Android Go’s performance and usability. The Go Edition apps, along with Android Go itself, take up less space on the phone. Most Android Go Edition phones will have 8GB of internal space, yet even with the entire operating system and pre-installed apps onboard, the models we saw still had more than 5GB of space available. Android Go also has a data manager to control network usage, comes with Google Play Protect to stay secure, and the promise of software updates in the future.

Isn’t that Android One?

No, Android One is different. We spoke to Google’s Global Marketing Lead for Android Go, Merrill Anovick, to find out how.

“Android One is our partner program,” he said, which means Google chooses who it collaborates with, and has more influence over what goes on the device.

Plus, there are specific requirements partners must meet to release an Android One phone. Remember, these phones have the Android One logo on them, tying them more closely to the company and brand, making Google very protective. These requirements include committing to regular security and version updates, and adhering to pre-loaded app rules, thus limiting the amount of apps that can be installed by carriers or manufacturers.

Android Oreo Go
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Android Go allows for more flexibility from partners to customize Go Edition devices, unlike Android One. Android Go phones do not have any Google-related branding on the body. While there is still a limit to the amount of apps that can be pre-loaded on Go phones, it’s mostly restricted by the device’s storage requirements. Google wants phones to have available space out of the box, and has spent time creating Go to take up less space. However, you can expect more pre-installed apps on a Go Edition phone than you’ll find on Android One.

Additionally, any company or carrier can use Android Go, and decide where phones go on sale. Google’s letting the manufacturers decide where Go phones are needed, rather than suggest markets where they should launch, as it did initially with Android One. This means they will be available in many markets, including the U.S. Because Android One phones now come in at a higher price point, we’ll see these more in traditional markets, where Google expects it to gain momentum in the future. We’re seeing this already, with HMD Global adopting Android One for its latest Nokia phones.

How about software updates? Google says it plans to offer ‘Go edition’ versions of future Android releases. Android One will receive version updates for two years, and security updates for three years. The way they’re delivered is also different. Updates to Android Go will be provided by the manufacturers, like regular Android phones, so they decide schedule and rollout. Android One’s faster and more comprehensive updates are part of the Android One agreement manufacturers make with Google.

Android One is more representative of how Google wants Android treated, but it is not so restrictive with Android Go.

What’s the advantage of Go?

While Android One looks to have most of the advantages, Android Go Edition phones do have a distinct benefit. It gives manufactures the chance to release a cheap phone with the latest version of the software, rather than making do with an aging version, as a large percentage do now. That means the most up-to-date security and software out of the box, and provided updates do arrive in a relatively swift fashion, less fragmentation in a section of the market that’s affected worst.

Google has six Android Go Edition phones on display at Mobile World Congress, made by Nokia, Alcatel, General Mobile, ZTE, Lava, and Micromax. More devices from other manufactures are spread around the show’s halls, and even now Google is unsure of the total amount of devices launching — showing the level of adoption so early on in the program.

The good news is Android Go Edition won’t be limited to certain markets, and the ZTE Tempo Go will be sold in the U.S. We expect more to follow in the future.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Google proposes big changes for the future of Search and Android apps
Google Chrome on an Android phone.

Google’s ongoing antitrust tussle spawned a list of sweeping policy suggestions — including a proposed sale of the Chrome business — by the Department of Justice. The focus of the lawsuit centers on the Search monopoly, but it has serious ramifications for Android and the overall browser situation.

Now, Google has shared its own “remedies proposal” to the DOJ’s recommendations, which it claims are going “far beyond what the Court’s decision is actually about.”

Read more
Gemini brings a fantastic PDF superpower to Files by Google app
step of Gemini processing a PDF in Files by Google app.

Google is on a quest to push its Gemini AI chatbot in as many productivity tools as possible. The latest app to get some generative AI lift is the Files by Google app, which now automatically pulls up Gemini analysis when you open a PDF document.

The feature, which was first shared on the r/Android Reddit community, is now live for phones running Android 15. Digital Trends tested this feature on a Pixel 9 running the stable build of Android 15 and the latest version of Google’s file manager app.

Read more
OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: Can the flagship killer take another head?
OnePlus 13 in Midnight Ocean beside iPhone 16 Pro in Natural Titanium.

OnePlus looks like it's hit another one out of the park with this year's OnePlus 13. The enthusiast brand's latest flagship launched in China in late October, and this week, the company officially announced it will be landing in North America on January 7, 2025. As one of the first mainstream phones to be powered by Qualcomm's bleeding-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, it should bring significant improvements in the OnePlus 13's performance, battery life, and photographic prowess compared to its predecessor.

This also puts the OnePlus 13 first in line to challenge Apple's 2024 flagship. This year, the iPhone 16 Pro has raised the bar with Apple's A18 Pro chip that powers new Apple Intelligence features and turns the smartphone into a gaming powerhouse. There's also a clever new Camera Control and studio-quality cinematography features. Does Qualcomm's latest silicon give the OnePlus 13 enough of an edge, and has the smartphone maker put it to good use? Let's dig in and find out how these two measure up to each other.
OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: specs

Read more