Nvidia Shield Tablet Gets Android 5.1 Lollipop Update

Nvidia Shield Tablet

Nvidia has started rolling out the Android 5.1 Lollipop update for its Shield tablet.

The OS upgrade is currently available for both the LTE and Wi-Fi variants of the device and comes with various improvements and bug fixes, according to Android Authority.

The roll out began last week and is being conducted in stages. This means not all Shield owners will be able to receive the update at the same time. It's available as an over-the-air downloadable file and has a size of 200MB.

Through the update, users will be able to experience a smoother and more responsive operating system as well as enhanced security settings for their devices. The update also comes with an enabled Global Tone Mapping feature and improved design for the device's profile management and quick settings menu.

Aside from the tablet, the Shield's controller will also receive a firmware update, which will improve its optimization and device pairing features. Users will be informed regarding the availability of the update for the device's controller through notifications from their tablet, Softpedia reported.

The Shield tablet was released by Nvidia in July of last year. It serves as the tech firm's second Android-based portable gaming device after the launch of the Shield Portable. It sports an 8-inch IPS Retinal display and has a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels.

The device is powered by Nvidia's own quad-core 2.2GHz Tegra K1 chipset and has 2GB of RAM. The Shield tablet packs 5-megapixel front and rear cameras, according to GSM Arena. The tablet's Wi-Fi model comes with 16GB of internal memory while the LTE version has 32GB of built-in storage. During its release, the device came with the Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS.

Unlike the Shield Portable, the Shield tablet comes with a separate controller.

To highlight its gaming function, Nvidia equipped the Shield tablet with a vibrating alert system that coincides with the on-screen action.