Android 12L will come to Samsung, Lenovo and Microsoft devices

Samsung, Lenovo and Microsoft are the first device makers to commit to shipping Android 12L, the new version of Android designed to be better optimized for tablets and foldable devices. Google's VP of engineering for Android, Andrei Popescu, announced the news in a blog post, saying that the 12L will be shipped later this year for devices from the three companies.

This should come as no surprise to Lenovo, as its P12 Pro tablet may already be running the beta version of Android 12L. It's unclear which devices from the other two companies will get the update - possibly Microsoft's Surface Duo 2 is one of them, while any number of Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets or Z Fold phones could potentially benefit from the new software.

Android 12L has various features designed to make better use of the big screen. There's a new notification shade that separates quick tiles and notifications into separate columns, a two-column layout for the settings and setup process, and a taskbar that lets you select apps to run side by side.

You can see how the taskbar works below:

The 12L is a dedicated new version of Android that will only come to certain tablets and foldable devices, but it looks like a future mainline Android release will include its UI improvements. "We will continue to build more features and functionalities to help you get the most out of your big screen devices with Android 13 and beyond," writes Popescu.