Android 2.3 to 'only ship with Google Nexus S'

Android 2.3 only to be seen on Google Nexus S?
Android 2.3 only to be seen on Google Nexus S?

HTC has stated that its new phones, while coming with Gingerbread, won't be launching on Android 2.3 - but will it be Android 2.4 or something else?

News emerged recently that Gingerbread was going to be rebooted to a new version, which was supposed to be Android 2.4, and that's the version HTC said that's the version the HTC Flyer will all launch on at a recent roundtable briefing.

"There's no much difference between 2.3 and 2.4," confirmed an HTC spokesperson. "Only the Google Nexus S will ship with Android 2.3, all other phones will be 2.4.

"However there's not a lot of difference between the two versions - it's pretty much just some bug fixes."

Do we still care about the numbers?

While the original story of Gingerbread getting an upgrade is still true, it seems Google may have reversed its decision to dub it Android 2.4 in a bid to reduce the confusing amount of OS iterations on the market.

TechRadar has spoken to a few sources who believe that the new update may be only a new iteration of Android 2.3, which has been corroborated by the presence of Android 2.3.1 on a number of test handsets.

Most brands are only proclaiming their new phones will launch with 'the latest version of Android' so it seems Android 2.4 might not be on the cards after all.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.