Android 7.1 is coming to your Nexus phone by the end of the month, albeit in the form of a Developer Preview. Now that Nougat 7.1 is confirmed by Google as the first maintenance release since it became available, we expect both new features as well as overall improvements.
The incremental update will add brand new features to Nougat like A/B system updates, support for image keyboards, Daydream, rounded icons and app shortcuts API access for developers. Unfortunately, Google Assistant won't be a part of this preview, unless you are using a Pixel phone. The virtual assistant will probably not be a part of even the final build on most smartphones for a while at least.

The Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and the Pixel C will be the three devices that will be getting the Developer Preview this month. The Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus Player and certain Android One phones will also be getting the final build, but Google hasn't mentioned them as eligible for the Developer Preview. The Pixel and Pixel XL on the other hand, are supposed to get exclusively updated to Android 7.1.1 (expectedly) or later in December.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)