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Nvidia Shield updates all models to Android 11

Phil Nickinson
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One of the best Android-based options for streaming and gaming just keeps on getting better. Nvidia Shield today will start getting Shield Experience 9.0 (which is how Nvidia categorizes its updates), breathing even more life into not just its latest model — released in 2019 — but everything back to the original 2015 Shield.

NVIDIA Shield TV Experience 9.0.
NVIDIA

In addition to updating the entire lineup to Android 11 — and the major security improvements that come with it — Shield Experience 9.0 also includes support for aptX-compatible Bluetooth headsets and an updated Google keyboard. The update to Android 11 is particularly important because it introduces runtime permissions, wherein you’re able to accept or decline app permissions as they’re needed in order to better protect your private information.

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As an added bonus, if you’ve got Nvidia Shield, you can now treat yourself to six months of Peacock Premium, which is the version of NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service that unlocks exclusive shows and live sports that aren’t available on the basic Peacock service. Peacock Premium normally runs $5 a month. For another $5 a month, you can get rid of most advertising. To get the offer, you’ll have to subscribe through the Peacock Premium banner on the For You or Apps tab on your Shield home screen.

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The update continues what can really only be described as a ridiculous lifespan for the Shield TV platform. The first models are going on seven years old now, longer than pretty much any other Android-based device. Those were powered by the NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, which is what also allows for some fairly serious gaming to happen, including the newer GeForce Now streaming games. Shield TV got a slight update in 2017 and then a larger refresh in 2019, which brought about the Tegra X1+ processor and a bit of a bifurcation, with the Shield TV moniker going to a redesigned model that has less RAM and is meant more for streaming than gaming, with the older design (and more RAM) reserved for Shield TV Pro.

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Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson
Section Editor, Audio/Video
Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…
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