Upgrade from Lollipop to later Android version

[cjsab504]

Just bought my first smartphone (Coolpad Catalyst with Android version 5.1.1) a couple of months ago, and am still getting familiar with the way things work on this platform, which differs from the PC world in several significant respects.
My question right now is: Is it possible to upgrade a phone that came with Lollipop pre-installed to the latest version (Nougat), or am I just stuck with the factory version (plus any minor updates that may become available). I'm not really very clear on how upgrades work in Google/Android-land, but I get the sense that Google (and the phone's manufacturer, and even the service provider) have a lot of say-so re: what you can and cannot do with your phone.
So, quick-and-dirty-like, is upgrading my phone's OS within the realm of possibility or not? And if it is, where do I begin?
TIA for any enlightenment!

 

[hallux]

That phone released in June 2016, 8-9 months after release of Marshmallow, with Lollipop on it. Sorry to say, the likelihood of that phone getting Nougat is slim to none, it's likely it won't even see Marshmallow.

You MIGHT find a 3rd-party method to get it, but if you don't have much experience with technology it's not the best idea to go trying that stuff.

 

[cjsab504]

I'm actually fairly tech-savvy (been involved with computers and multiple OSes, including FreeBSD and various Linux distros, since 1982), just new to the smartphone scene. If you can point me in the direction of any of these possible third-party solutions, as you referred to them, I'd be most grateful.

Admittedly, I bought this phone rather hurriedly, after my previous phone, a simple cellphone, died on me and I needed a new phone in a hurry and didn't have a lot to spend. I wasn't even thinking at the time in terms of upgrades or expansion, but it's not too surprising to learn that my options may be rather limited, if not outright non-existent. Disappointing, though, to say the least.
Thanks for the reply, and again, if you have any further suggestions, by all means, please do let me know!

 

[castleruins]

You might find something here:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/sitesearch.php?q=Coolpad catalyst