Even though Android 12 was technically released last week, it still has yet to make its way to any actual device — at least as a stable build. That doesn't mean we can't learn a little more about what Google's changed behind the scenes, of course. A new compatibility definition document, or CDD, has been released alongside Android 12, granting some insight into the agreement manufacturers must enter to continue releasing devices.
The most significant change here is a new "Performance class" section (via 9to5Google). Here's what Google says about its new standard:
"A performance class defines a set of device capabilities that goes beyond Android's baseline requirements. [...] Each Android device declares the performance class that it supports. Developers can check the device's performance class at runtime and provide upgraded experiences that take full advantage of the device's capabilities."
Unlike other topics covered under the CDD, performance classes aren't a set requirement. Instead, each device is certified at a specific level, with performance class 12 currently ranked highest. However, because performance classes are forward-compatible, a device isn't required to move to a new performance class with each upgrade. A specific phone model could meet performance class 12 standards and remain on that level even after upgrading to Android 13 next year.
This year's performance class is dedicated primarily to camera capabilities and media playback, covering topics like frame drops, encoding quality, and HDR image capture. It's good news for anyone planning to upgrade their phone anytime soon, since some of the requirements are actually pretty strict:
- A primary 12MP (or higher) camera with 4K 30FPS support
- A 1080p display with 400 PPI or higher
- At least 6GB of RAM
- Specific read/write speeds
Those regulations — along with some of the more technical aspects found in the doc, like camera2 startup latency and specific codec support — set a decent baseline for what you should expect from a modern Android device.
If you're up for some light Thursday afternoon reading, you can browse through the entire Android 12 CDD right here.