In addition to the many security fixes, the latest version of Android 8.1 includes many features that developers can use to improve your smartphone experience.
Android 8.1 doesn't seem to be all that great for most end users. The most significant improvements for end users that Android brought in 2017 came with Android 8.0. 
But for developers, version 8.1 was very impressive:
Visual Core or Android 8.1 Visual Core
The Visual Core is the first processor designed specifically by Google. It's a dedicated chip for image processing. It's currently only available in the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, but we may see it in other smartphones as well.
Android 8.1 has enabled the Visual Core chip, and the results are impressive. The operating system handles high dynamic range (HDR) photos much faster. It can take a series of photos in microseconds, and the cameras with improved HDR do a much better job than older digital cameras.
With Google's HDR+ technology, your smartphone camera, and the Visual Core chip, photos are processed five times faster than the previous generation of processors with superior quality. You may not notice the speed, but you will definitely notice more detail in your photos, especially in low-light photos.
You used to be able to take HDR+ photos using Google's own Photos app. Now, even third-party apps will be able to use the Android Camera (API) to take advantage of the advanced processing for better photos.
Neural Network API
Any device that can upgrade to Android 8.1 (currently only the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, the Pixel 1 and 1 XL, the Pixel C tablet, and the Nexus 6P and 5X) can use the Neural Networks API (NNAPI). As an end user, you won't notice any of this improvement, but Android developers will. NNAPI is designed to enable machine learning (ML) on mobile devices. This API provides a base layer, higher-level, and ML framework that can be used by Google's TensorFlow Lite.
What does this mean for you as a user? You can expect to see some very interesting smart apps coming soon. For example, by next year, you can expect speech recognition and language translation apps that will approach Star Trek levels.
Bluetooth battery level measurements
Tired of not knowing if your headphones or any Bluetooth device is running low on battery? I know I do. With Android 8.1, you'll find a Bluetooth device battery indicator in the Bluetooth settings. It would be nice if it was in the top status bar.
Better screen management
On some smartphones, specifically the Pixel 2 XL, the screen had issues that eventually burned into it. Screen burn can occur when the same screen elements (like navigation icons or the clock) are always on. After a while, these elements “burn” into the screen, so if you try to turn them off, they’ll stay on.
With Android 8.1 came the end of screen burn-in.
New look
There aren't any major changes to the look, but there are some that are very useful, like the Pixel Launcher. The feature makes it easier than ever to access Google search features and installed apps. Android's quick settings are now transparent, so you can see every change to the home screen.
All-in-all Android 8.1 seems to be a huge step forward and we can't wait to see it on more smartphones.
We should also mention Google's Project Treble, which has been redesigned to make it easier for device manufacturers to instantly update their devices to new versions of Android.
Let's see..
