Google showcased Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean just yesterday and already we’re very excited about some of the features shown. The new notification UI, the improved search are all something that Android users are looking forward to. However the single biggest Jelly Bean feature has to be Project Butter.
Ice Cream Sandwich did a lot to improve Android’s image as a laggy operating system. It brought a fresh new UI with much needed enhancements in the performance area. Compared to iOS and Windows Phone though it still lags behind (no pun intended). Though this is something Google should have acknowledged earlier, better late than never I guess. Project Butter is aimed at bringing the general Android UI up to par with competitive OS as far as smoothness is concerned. We’re talking 60FPS UI.
Without going into too much of technical details, what Project Butter does it make better use of the existing hardware on Android phones. In Galaxy Nexus for example it will use GPU more efficiently to make transitions and scrolling smooth. CPU response time will be minimized to reduce input lag to a minimum. The video above shows what it will look at. It has been recorded at 120FPS to give a better idea of how much smoother the UI on JB is compared to ICS. Notice the window transitions and app drawer.
Google demonstrated this on their Nexus device. What about HTC and Samsung or many other OEMs? Well that is a million dollar question. Imagine Sense UI running at 60FPS. Drool worthy isn’t it for Sense fans? We’re going to have to wait for an official response from these OEMs on what their plans are regarding Jelly Bean. Rest assured it won’t be coming anytime soon.