Handsets

Does Gingerbread Require a 1GHz Processor? LG Says Yes

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There could be bad news on the Horizon for anyone owning a lower-tier handset or an older high-end phone like the Motorola Droid. When questions by Droid Dog‘s Alberto Vildosola about the chances of the LG Optimus line of phones receiving Android 2.3, the LG representative in charge of their Facebook fan page responded that it would not receive Gingerbread due to its requirement for a 1GHz processor.

Now I’m not sure how much we should trust the word of whatever marketing intern is running LG’s social media efforts, the sheer thought that my poor Motorola Droid might be at the end of its Android line has me more than a bit anxious. If this pans out, it could be the worst news to come out of the Gingerbread hub-bub. So let’s all hope it doesn’t pan out.

[via DroidLife]

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71 Comments

  1. Maybe for first-gen 1GHz Processor, but the second-gen processors (like the 800MHz in the G2) should be getting it also. I doubt the HTC Vision will miss out.

  2. I think they’re just quoting the rumored specs from long ago. It’s possibly though that it won’t receive the update.

  3. I hope that isn’t true. I just bought a G2, and it runs at 800Mhz stock.

  4. bah. if this is indeed true than it would only hamper older phones. im pretty sure the folks at xda will give the OGD another extension to its lifeline. other folks sporting the mytouch 3g and stuff like that should be happy they have CM support. if ya dont than i suggest saving up for a new phone :) or be humble and accept what you have and deal with it. im pretty sure theres something else around your house that could get paid instead of a phone. just saying.

  5. this is why there’s a Droid 2

    this is why there’s SetCPU and ROMs

    not trying to be rude but might be time for an upgrade if you’re still on the first Droid

  6. i call bullshit – the g2 has a stock 800mghz processor that right now (overlocked or not) is at the top of the quadrant scores on released handsets.

    My g2 stock outperforms the droid X hands down, even OC’d.

  7. I think its just LG not wanting to support their hardware.

  8. seeing that 2.3 has been ported to a droid eris that runs a 800mhz processor…the lg statement is false.

  9. The G2 doesn’t have a 1Ghz processor, I would be shocked if it doesn’t get gingerbread.

  10. We will just have to see.

  11. jimbo, why would i want to pay hundreds of dollars to go from a droid 1 to a droid 2 when the only significant difference is processor and ram. other than that it’s the same exact phone. that’s just stupid.

  12. As a LG ally Owner:

    LG refuses to release a Froyo update yet a member of AndroidForums was able to cook up his own Android for the Ally AND Overlclock the ally to 887 mhz.

    Lg likes to say things arnt possible just so they dont have to release updates.

    Dont believe anything LG says.

  13. My D1 is running at 1.2Ghz. This is just LG using any excuse to save a couple bucks.

  14. Technically, yes. That’s what Google say and have been saying for some time. It’s not surprising to see a company say the same thing.

    However, minimum specs are just specs. It’s unlikely the OS would test the CPU speed and shut itself down on that basis — you can run a PC OS on a grossly underspecced machine and you just get a slow OS.

  15. Plus, xda will probably port it in the best way possible for each handset that can comfortably run it.

  16. The whole 1ghz might be meaningless as bigsg said, the g2 has a very capable processor, its not all about clock speed. But it might be the case that 2.3 would not work on “first gen” processors. In other words the g2/desire z might just be an exception.

  17. If true, I think it’s all the shininess is what makes it require a 1 GHz CPU. Of course, I’m sure devs will find ways to push 2.3 to weaker phones without the unnecessary prettiness.

  18. Random note: there’s no hard minimum processor requirement for Gingerbread. Trust me, if there were I’d know. ;)

    http://twitter.com/#!/morrildl/status/12286032892403713

  19. I love how people always say looks like it is time to upgrade phones if they have a phone like the D1….Unfortunately for the droid one has only been out 13 months That does not = being able to upgrade. Then you have people like me that didn’t get the phone till January or even later worse even yet…There really should be a better life cycle for a phone to receive support then just 1 year.

  20. There needs to be a line drawn at some point where “older” phones are not going to be receiving an update due to specs. That said, the Droid is just barely a year old, so a one year line seems to be pretty bad. With 2 year contracts and most carriers only allowing full upgrades on “premier accounts – aka primary line” this means your phone has a high likelihood of not receiving updates halfway through your contract. I am well aware that this isn’t necessarily something Google should have to worry about, but it sucks for the millions of people in that position nonetheless. I am almost nervous to see the requirements for honeycomb!

  21. Dan Morrill, just confirm there is no hard GPU requirement http://twitter.com/#!/morrildl

  22. “Any device that runs well with Froyo should run even better with Gingerbread. The base hardware requirements have not changed. Of course OEM updates do depend o individual OEM efforts, and I can’t speak for the OEMs, but there’s no technical reason devices able to run Froyo shouldn’t be upgradeable.

    I think the Froyo->Gingerbread migration should be less painful for device developers than Cupcake->Donut or Eclair->Froyo.”

    -Brian Swetland

  23. I doubt HIGHLY my Optimus S will go more then 2 months with out seeing at the bare minimum a port of the crumbly man on it running just fine. LG might not release it right away, but the phone has more then enough power to see gingerbread and most likely honeycomb run smooth enough.

  24. That’s ridiculous! I just got my Optimus S a few days ago! If this in fact correct, I will be returning it for my money back guarantee.

  25. android central reports that googlers twittered that there is no processor speed limits on ginger. so one of them is lying. but i tend to believe google; lg just won’t put the effort on upgrading the old handsets. where would be then the incentive of buying newer phones, if my “old” one has the latest and greatest.

  26. thats plain bullshit.
    I hope its only speculations…

  27. Meanwhile Motorola Milestone is still stuck at 2.1.

  28. Whoever that guy is is wrong, and a jackass speaking out of turn. Who here *seriously* thinks Google would leave the Droid out from this update. Seriously. Just think for a second.

  29. there’s no hard minimum processor requirement for Gingerbread.

    http://twitter.com/romainguy/status/12288032736546816

  30. the eris has a 528 mhz processor not 800!

  31. @joe: that would be Motorola and Verizon (in the US) that are responsible for the update, not Google.

  32. The Optimus s has a dual core processor the msm7627. The same cpu used by the palm pixi and if the guys at hp palm are planning to release an update that would boost the clock speed of their device to support web os 2.0; why couldn’t LG do the same? I’m no expert on this just curious.

  33. a xda guy installed gingerbread on his HTC wildfire which has only a 528MHz processor.. so dont loose your hope

  34. @bigsg. CPU and GPU are 2 different things. But nonetheless I doubt the G2 will miss out on gingerbread.

  35. Gingerbread is Froyo with a couple small updates. Honeycomb might have a processor requirement, but Gingerbread absolutely will not. That guy’s just the leader of some fan page that believes the rumor started on that blog. All you’re doing by posting this is perpetuating a rumor that has been proven by Google itself to be bull.

  36. This won’t pan out, they might be saying stuff that they are not sure of. I have a T-Mobile G2 that has only 800Mhz and is made by HTC which have already said will be updated to 2.3 when time comes. Their isn’t too many 1Ghz on the market at this moment most are still in development. Also why would companies just release new phones that would be deadlined for updates as soon as they hit the market? HTC has always made great phones. My wife has the Galaxy S phone with a 1Ghz and I can’t tell any difference between the speed on the phones all I can say is that she has a bigger screen and her phone feels like our daughters toy. I just don’t see this being 1Ghz & up onlym because it doesn’t make sence and Google isn’t like that…

  37. This tweet says this is a false statement.

    http://twitter.com/romainguy/status/12288032736546816#

  38. Actually Google is saying it doesn’t speed requirement….

    http://www.androidcentral.com/minimum-cpu-speed-gingerbread-googlers-say-no

  39. Aww, you mean my G1 won’t be running Gingerbread??

    This is a good thing people. People will want 2.3 on their old phone but complain when it doesn’t run well. Sell that old Droid and get a new phone if you really want Gingerbread.

  40. @chris… no it doesn’t have dual core lol

  41. The original droid WILL run 2.3 because it has an open bootloader. ‘Nuff said. I hope my X will get it, but it doesn’t really matter because I am getting an LTE phone when they are announced and I believe it will have gingerbread stock.

  42. Google says no!

  43. Come on. We all know there was a story in this very blog months ago about there possibly being minimum requirements for Gingerbread and Google shot it down. Publishing this is nothing more than comment baiting.

  44. @Topher some people cant just go and buy another phone since the droid came out in 09. Getting a new phone would cost around $500

  45. #47
    Perhaps striving to outdo the IOS in the level of functionality has made them realize the requirement for a minimum amount of cpu power? :-)
    Anyway, Looking forward to Gingerbread on my HTC Desire. The true support for multiple simultaneous Exchange accounts will be quite BIG here.

  46. Aaah, phandroid: late to the game as usual. Other android news reporting sites go to the source for information (aka androidcentral looking up google employees’ own statements about this), while phandroid does “reporting” that’s more like marketing.

  47. There might not be any hardware requirements, but the Droid 1 has 256MB Ram.
    .
    That alone might make Gingerbread run not so good…

  48. How does Gingerbread on on that Eris? Thats the question…

  49. You guys are aware that Google want to market this baby as a development platform for android gaming?? There may well be some truth to the rumor after all.

  50. I love the sources you guys come up with – android central, twitter, some clueless developer etc..

  51. Google have already said that this is most certainly *not* the case. The article needs updating to reflect that the guys that developed 2.3 have 100% said there is NO requirement. At all.

  52. People have posted links proving it is untrue but besides that, it is just logic.
    .
    2.3 is a relatively small upgrade from other 2.x releases. If the phone runs a 2.x release, I’d be surprised if it doesn’t run this just as well, if not better.
    .
    If this rumour came up about 3.0, then I might wonder but even then Google seems to not want to say minimum requirements.

  53. @lame; maybe you should check the specs of the Optimus S my friend. It does in fact have a dual core processor. Glad to see at least one person here having a user name that is a direct representation of their post. Good job friend.

  54. those cookies look so good, they should sell them.

  55. @chris…. no it doesn’t lol, i KNOW the specs, it is not dual core… it is like every other CPU on the market, it has a CPU and a GPU counterpart…. it is NOT dual core.. qualcomm has just recently starting producing their dual core CPU’s and no phones use them as of yet… you think a phone as old as the pixi has a dual core is laughable… please, YOU do some research why don’t you

  56. and you you even dare call the modem CPU a second core, then you need help realizing that ALL cpu’s are made up of many processors… only ONE serves as an application CPU in this one…. DO SOME RESEARCH!

  57. I’m going to make those gingerbread android cookies!

  58. @lame; if that’s the case then why do the specs for the Optimus S on LG’s website say dual core when the other optimus devices do not?

  59. @chris M
    .
    I dont know….but the MSM 7627 isnt a dual core chip….one of those specs is wrong..

  60. So far I see that chip in the Devour and Palm Pixie…

    I dont think they snuck a dual core chip in under our noses with those 2 phones…

  61. Thank you jrock,
    @Chris I don’t know why their info is wrong but that chip is not dualcore. We wouldn’t be so anxiously waiting for next year devices to have them if they have already been around for a year. Stop telling others to do research when you can only point to one article probably typed up by an intern in five minutes says

  62. @Vibrant That’s understandable…I’m still on my G1 and haven’t gotten an upgrade because 1. I can’t afford a $500 phone at the moment, and 2. I really haven’t seen anything else on T-Mo worth upgrading to. I’m saving for the Zeus, hopefully off contract, but I really appreciate the fact the product lifecycle of my G1 has served me so well. Thanks to this “outdated” phone, I’m writing this on a tethered laptop (which still blows my mind). Anyone else remember when phones had single line, monochrome displays, never got updates, and only made calls?

  63. @jroc thanks for clarification friend. @lame; not sure what you read I never told you to do research I simply said check the specs of the Optimus S. Anywho thanks.

  64. If this becomes true, this would be Microsoft to the Nth power. The biggest money making bullshit out there phone support being dropped for you to pick up the next new device just to be dropped again. This is the type of thing that would keep me from buying an android device (although I want the android os.)

  65. what? i heard that the LG Optimus line would get GingerBread

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