Vulkan isn't just for gaming — it has real-world benefits in daily phone use.
If it wasn't clear by now, the Vulkan API is a very big deal when it comes to gaming and graphical performance on mobile devices. Samsung was early to the game when it announced the Galaxy S7 would have Vulkan support, and since then several devices have joined in; and now the Android N Developer Preview includes operating system-level support for Vulkan.
While the gains in terms of gaming performance are very well known, Samsung is also using it in another way. Speaking at SDC 2016, principal engineers demonstrated a new TouchWiz launcher being developed with Vulkan that not only improves performance but offers a notable battery life boost to your phone.
This new so-called "TouchWiz-like" (as in, this is not production-ready) launcher isn't fully baked and doesn't yet leverage everything that Vulkan has to offer, but the initial test case is very interesting nonetheless. This new launcher can offer the same performance as the current TouchWiz version (or better, in many cases), but it can do so at a lower power draw. The Vulkan-powered launcher performs normal tasks like scrolling pages and opening the app drawer with a 6% savings in power compared to the current version that uses GL ES.
That 6% savings may not sound like a lot, but when you consider how often the launcher is used throughout the day and how many times those actions are taken, it really adds up. In their internal testing, Samsung's engineers note that battery life on a 3600 mAh battery — like the one found in the Galaxy S7 edge — could be extended by 40 minutes just by moving to this new launcher built with Vulkan.
Now obviously Samsung isn't ready to roll this out or turn it into a real app just yet, but it does show that Vulkan can be leveraged for more than just hardcore gaming and graphics. The power savings that Vulkan provides while offering the same or better performance can be applied to multiple areas of the phone experience.
Reader comments
Samsung is testing a new TouchWiz launcher leveraging the Vulkan API for power savings
Gosh! So, does this mean they used Open GL as a backend before? In this case it is totally clear why their touchwiz was such a crap: Open GL does a lot of work behind, like memory allocation, etc. It should lag.
JUST GET RID OF TOUCHWIZ ENTIRELY!
Stock Android please.
Android N will support Vulkan already, I assume any devices that run it will also by extension support Vulkan
THANK THE PHONE KINGS FOR SAMSUNG.
all other phones will be out of business in 5 years. STARTING with LG.
That sounds like a wonderful idea, optimizing one's launcher to make it the most battery efficient for the mobile device I like how Samsung is playing around with the idea. As this idea could inspire other OEMs to experiment with optimizing their own launchers, so a lot of mobile users would benefit in the long run.
Paging Chris Lacy... Paging Chris Lacy... Please report for questioning about possibly future Action Launcher updates.
I pray for the day when OEM skins consist of a launcher, downloadable and updatable from Google Play.
Unlocked Marshmallow Nexus 6 on Verizon. I'm a happy guy.
Wow! Touchwiz on steroids. Bring it on!
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am done with android window phone for me just got me the MS 950 from AT&T
That's good I'm sure Microsoft could use the sells
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Dang.......next time I'll wear rain gear to a sammy slobber feast........!
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Who was it that forced you to click,if you're so offended or put off?
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Why would you think that I'm offended? Love is a beautiful thing.........even if it's a sammy feast, but safety first!
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Haha,yeah
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I swore by nova on all my devices Samsung and lgs up until the s6 I love touch wiz as a launcher now..have no real plans to make it nova..maybe prime just to get all the snazzy ****..but def not necessary with my edge panels and pop out pie controls
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What I dislike about Nova and what is keeping me away from it is the inability to rearrange icons in the app drawer without having having to dig deep into the launcher settings. The iOS-style drag and drop functionality that the native Touchwiz launcher provides (as do many other Android OEMs) is really useful to me.
I want this on my Samsung Galaxy S7!
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To anyone who hates Touchwiz more than Ted Cruz, who thinks Samsung phones are as bad as LGBT folk who want to use the bathroom according to the gender they identify and should be stopped and forced to conform to your ideals, PLEASE explain to me why Google chose to adopt one of its (if not THE) best features to stock Android...
This phone has the AC App.
I just wonder with all this touchwiz talk and the upcoming note 6, I'd say we might see a monster bashing through every device out there.
Keep leading the way, Samsung. Keep apples iOS market share as low as possible . That's all I care about. Oh and keep bringing awesome features like the stylus , multi window , screen settings , curvy screens , private modes , accessibility features , ultra battery savers, excellent spam call blocking , expanded notification settings , pop up quick replies , screen shrinking and tons of other features ... that will slowly get incorporated into stock android ... don't forget... stock android only has great features because of what the OEMs are doing.
Also,don't forget those great features are terrible to the vanilla Android only crowd,and then,when Incorporated in stock Android years later,they're the greatest thing ever.It's the Apple effect.
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Samsung's ecosystem has slowly been gaining my trust with many useful apps and features. I'm definitely looking forward to this new Launcher.
I've noticed that there is some videos on YouTube labeled "turn your Samsung device into a Nexus". All those clowns are doing is installing Nova/GNL and an app called awesome icons or some other icon pack. If you want Stock Android just buy a Nexus and skip the theatrics LoL
Be Together Not The Same
Believe it or not most that own Samsung Galaxy phones like TouchWiz and fill no need to use a launcher . That's just what the folks that don't own the latest Samsung (note 5 gs7 ) think
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And S6
Be Together Not The Same
Majority of the masses do not even know what a replacement launcher is. They just use what's on their phone. So yeah, they like it.
Posted from Nexus 6 running Android N
By the same token want you fell to realize is that the majority of people chose Samsung. So doesn't matter about if they do are don't know what a launcher is . And for the most part they pay more money for Samsung . If they where not happy with Samsung are touchwiz they'd just get a different brand of phones. Don't count people so short everybody can go online and watch YouTube videos
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I almost want to say Samsung chooses them, with their mass marketing campaign. Hey, like the phone you have. I don't care.
Posted from Nexus 6 running Android N
And the best phone on the market just got (potentially) even better. Good job Sammy. Hopefully we get to try this out sometime soon
Samsung should buy Nova and run the mobile world even more
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If I were a betting man, I'd bet that MS is eyeing out Nova. Consider their recent purchases in the Android space. I hope they don't, but if they did, they could take the most popular launcher in Android add native One Drive and Office support (or bloat depending on your perspective), and they can quickly close of WP.
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"Rule the mobile world"
Be Together Not The Same
I'm all for it
Posted via the Verizon Galaxy s7 edge
It's obvious you Nexus naysayers haven't noticed that in every battery test . The gs7 edge and the regular 7 gets way better battery life. And in most of those speed test the 7 opens apps faster. And stand by time is much better . Now what's that you guys where saying about Samsung being the power hungry os ...not keep up guys it's 2016 this is not the old touchwiz of the gs4 days
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Yep. Battery life on my S7 is amazing. and its smooth as silk, no lag anywhere.
Samsung articles bring out the samsung haters. and they can't help themselves. they must bash it since they used it once back about 6 years ago.
I wish I could make this my signature. It's so true!
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Yes
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I'll agree. I'm off the Sammy train but it's either love or hate. I would argue that as far as AC commenters go, it's surpassed HTC in that regard.
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How is the sound coming form the speaker as well as the headphone jack? I have an iPhone 6S Plus, but I have been looking at the Galaxy S7 Edge. Also, how is the WiFi and GPS performance?
I agree. I'd be interested in the new HTC as a second phone but I hear the battery isn't as good as the S7e. This battery is a joy and it would be difficult to settle for less. I think I'll stick to the Note 4 as my second phone since that battery is doing fairly well also.
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Hop on over to android Authority they just did a battery test of all the latest Android flagship...spoiler alert gs7 beat the pants off all comers .
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Not everyone needs 23.6 hrs SOT but yeah...
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You think people ever want less battery? Apologist.
AT&T Galaxy Note 4
23.6 hours? Your joking? Right?
I read the same battery comparison article by Android Authority and the S7 did NOT beat the pants off the HTC 10.
Everyone can read the article.
Link? :D
Yes it did.With about 1000 pathetic excuses provided by the rabid HTC fanboys.That was absolutely the best and funniest part.
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I love my S7 Edge, and I even like TW (with Nova Launcher on top), but I don't think it's fair to say TW is more efficient than AOSP. After all, the Nexus 6P is as fast as the S7 Edge or faster in some cases and only has 3GB RAM vs. the Sammy's 4GB. So they've improved it a lot, but it still needs more RAM to run smoothly.
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Had anybody ever noticed that "touchwiz" sounds a little dirty?
Grow up!
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Only in your mine gator325
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Please ignore the man behind the curtain...
It's best to assume I'm being sarcastic. if I'm ever serious I'll type "/s" to make it clear.
Well thanks to you now I do......
Be Together Not The Same
This lol
Vulcanized by Samsung....bastardized by AT&T.
I thought vulkan was destroyed by nero?
Only in a different time line.
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Any chance vulkan will be supported in note 5 or S6?
Posted with ❤Love❤
They mentioned that it's in the pipeline today at their Vulkan session.
Hmmm, pretty interesting.
The first time I've seen Vulkan being applied to something that isn't a game or an application with 3D graphics.
So Samsung admits that the Launcher is a resource hog? Simple solution then, is to put on another launcher like the Google Launcher or NOVA.
Also, cut out about 50% of TouchWiz altogether and it would probably be pretty decent.
Define what a resource "hog" is? Everything on your phone uses resources — it's just a balancing act of how much power you use and what you get for it.
Nothing about Samsung making a more efficient version of its launcher is correlated with "admitting" anything. You should hope that every manufacturer is trying to make its software more efficient.
The latest touchwiz on Marshmallow is actually pretty snappy.
Shhh, don't tell the Nexites that. It might cause a holy war.
I heard it has pretty hectic battery drain, have you noticed such? I'm too scared to update.
I updated to Marshmallow on my Note 5 and it is a SLIGHTLY better device now, with a a little more battery life.....
I had a chance to use an Exynos-powered GS7 Edge recently.
Frankly, whatever I thought of TouchWiz in the S4 days was gone once I used it. It's absolutely refreshing.
Including Google. Including hardware API support for launchers is a path to something new!
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Excellent answer.Thank you for providing clarification to the willfully ignorant.
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I hope that they make their software less, and make it a download from Play.
Unlocked Marshmallow Nexus 6 on Verizon. I'm a happy guy.
People who buy Samsung phones find TouchWiz to be useful. All of it, for the most part. There is bloat on every device. Buy what you like.
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Samsung fixed touchwiz last year's you haters need to keep up
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Soooooooooooo replace one skin for another skin? Okay got it LoL
Be Together Not The Same
Not that it would ever make it to AT&T customers as an update! Only way AT&T customers will ever see this is to buy a new phone.
AT&T has nothing but disdain for their customers.
So this means my phone will live long and prosper... That's the logical assumption. Interesting.
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Peace and long battery life.
Posted via the Android Central App
Most folks (even many fans) seem to be unaware of this response, colour me impressed.
Also, shalom.
It's best to assume I'm being sarcastic. if I'm ever serious I'll type "/s" to make it clear.
Yup. Give me a big fat battery so I can light up my S7 screen in all its glory and I'll be yours forever...
Nailed it.
It's best to assume I'm being sarcastic. if I'm ever serious I'll type "/s" to make it clear.
Samsung should just ditch android and start it's own OS. Android N is going to be more like TouchWiz anyways lol
S7 edge will make America great again!
Ahh, No.
#Tizen
Lol they've already did it and it was a failure.
#TeamFrosty Nexus 6P
Yep, then they will have a very energy efficient OS... but very few app developers. So with no apps to suck the battery down it should really last a long long time!
I'm sure they'll fork it instead once the EU forces Google to unbundle Android.
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What does that sentence even mean
Android is not bundled with anything. You have zero clue what ur talking about.
He read it on reddit ...
Whatever. I tried.
Read it... on reddit...
I get it!
It's best to assume I'm being sarcastic. if I'm ever serious I'll type "/s" to make it clear.
I need to stop reading on reddit, that site can burn more productive hours than I have an a day, but hey "its on the internet, so it must be true"
Spent 3 hours on it today... Instead of studying for my exam.... That was today.... Even though I'm on academic probation and need to do well this semester. Because Reddit. Got on to find one thing, got off 3 hours later :(
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Happens with me on Wikipedia when I use it to look up something.
Posted from someone's Note 4
reddit sucks ...
Since Android is open source, Samsung can essentially take Android a develop it's own "branch" of Android. Enabling them to take development of Android into their own hands pushing advancements quicker than Google or make it more terrible and take Android into their own direction.
If you want an example, use Palemoon compared to Firefox. Faster, blah blah...
But doing that would leave them without Google services.
That's where Microsoft could come in to save the day. What an unholy alliance that would be.
Unbundle...
What are you talking about?
Spock would be proud
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Too bad stock Android will always be better than. Tohchwiz even if stock is getting multi window.
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This is always such a stupid comment. People always say glad stock don't have this and don't have that it is light, but then they go adding features other skins been doing for years and suddenly it's this is great. It's like listening to Apple fan boys.
I mean how can it be better but continues to add features been doing?
To each their own.
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Thats very accurate. It is sad that it is difficult to differentiate fsnbois from some stock fan boys. OEMS have really helped android prosper. Especially Samsung. It it wasn't for Samsung , iOS would have been the dominant OS. Samsung and HTC pretty much put android on the map. Their hated skins are now responsible for so many great features present in stock android . Even basic things like settings in your notification bar ...
The droid 1 offered by motorola pt it on the map and it was vanilla android
This.
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I have been playing around with multi window on N preview. I might be in the minority but doesn't do anything thing for me on a phone. Tablet could be a different story. I guess it's nice to have, but no big deal either way.
Posted from Nexus 6 running Android N
Sure finally people will stop buying Samsung after that !!! Make it happen.
Nooooooooo.
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That has to be one of the most retarded comments i have read here in a long time! Android N is nothing like touchwiz and never will be...
Lol terrible idea