Android O is finally official and it is named after a
biscuit that the whole world knows and enjoys. Last night Google revealed the
final name of the Android 8. All the rumours have proved to be true. The
Android 8 is not Octopus. It is not Oatmeal Cookie. It is not some exotic sweet
available in some exotic corner of the world. Google has partnered with snack
producer Nabsico to call the next version of Android Oreo.
Now, that the naming is done and dusted, the biggest
question on everyone's mind is whether their smartphone will receive the
Android Oreo update. Ever since its debut in the HTC Dream, Android has
suffered badly from fragmentation. This is mainly due to manufacturers penchant
to skin the OS heavily. Google says that update is already rolling out and that
Android Orea is going up there in the AOSP. But when is it coming to your
phone?
Every time Google releases a new version of Android,
manufacturers have to layer their skin over the news OS which takes time and
effort due to which only a handful of devices get updated. As of August 2017, only 12.3 per cent of
Android devices are running Android Nougat 7.0 and 1.2 per cent are running
Nougat 7.1 which is a fairly dismal adoption rate.
Lollipop and Marshmallow still continue to dominate the Android
smartphone market. Even Nougat is on handful of phones. So, don't expect much
in terms of update to the Oreo. Having said that, there are phones that will
get it. Let's take a look at which smartphones will be getting the Android 8.0
Oreo update.
Google Pixel, Nexus
The Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player
and Pixel C tablet will be receiving the Android 8.0 Oreo update. This is
coming directly from Google because these are Google devices. Over the air
updates for these devices will be arriving soon. If you joined the Android O
public beta program, you will be getting the final build today itself. In fact,
Pixel and Pixel XL users have already got it, if they were running the beta. It
comes to around 38MB update, although it does take up to an hour to install.
You can also download the image file from Android's website and install it
manually on your device, if you are familiar with terms like ROM and
Flashing.
The entire Nokia Android line-up
Nokia announced a while back that it will be updating the
Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 to Android Oreo. HMD Global has also confirmed
that the recently launched Nokia 8 will be receiving the Android 8.0 update. In
fact, Nokia recently has said that they will be one of the first, if not the first
non-Google manufacturer to roll out the 8.0 update for their smartphones. Now
that Android Oreo is here, let's see if Nokia keeps up the promise or not.
OnePlus
OnePlus has confirmed that their latest flagship smartphone,
the OnePlus 5 will be updated to Android Oreo in the future. In fact, expect
the Orea to arrive to OnePlus 5 in another two months. The company has also
confirmed that the update will be landing on the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T.
Android 8.0 will be the last major Android version update for both the 3 and
3T. We suspect that by the end of the year, all three OnePlus phones will be
running Android Oreo.
Coolpad Cool Play 6
Coolpad claims that the recently launched Cool Play 6 will
be updated to Android O by December, 2017. In an interview to India Today Tech,
Coolpad CEO James Du said that by the second half of the year, they will start
building a team of 500 people exclusively for the overseas market. He also
asserted that the company's history of irregular updates will not be repeated.
It is not known if the company will update their previous smartphones to
Android 8.0 but in the same interview, James Du did say that their old UI (Cool
UI) has been abandoned and the company does not plan to develop it any further.
Good on Coolpad if it keeps up the promise it has made.
Essential PH-1
Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android unveiled the Essential
PH-1 modular smartphone a few months back. The Google's Android 8.0 Blog post
confirms that Essential is one of the companies working on Android O
development. Although, this may not be consolation to many users. The
availability of Essential PH-1 is very limited and there are handful of users
of this phone, even in its launch country that is the US
HTC
HTC has confirmed that the HTC U11 will be updated to
Android Oreo. It is also widely expected that the recently launched HTC U Ultra
and HTC U Play will be updated to Oreo. Some rumours also claim that the HTC
10, HTC 10 Evo, HTC Desire 10 Pro and HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle will receive the
update. Though when the updates will come is something no one outside HTC knows
right now.
Asus
During the launch of the ZenFone 4 series of smartphones,
Asus announced that it will be updating its current line-up of devices to
Android 8.0. The smartphones making the cut include ZenFone 4, ZenFone 4 Pro,
ZenFone 4 Max, ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Deluxe, ZenFone 3 Max and ZenFone 3 Laser.
Once again, the promise of the update is there. But there is no timeline.
Samsung
While Samsung has not announced any official list yet, It is
widely expected that the Samsung Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7
Edge, Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition, Galaxy Tab S3 and the upcoming Galaxy Note 8
will be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo. It is not confirmed if the 2017 A series
and 2017 J series will receive the update. Samsung there is no timeline for now
although Samsung does try to update its current-generation flagship phones
within months of the Android version update.
Sony
Rumours point towards Sony updating the Xperia XZ Premium,
Xperia Xzs, Xperia XZ, Xperia X Compact, Xperia X Performance, Xperia XA1 and
Xperia XA1 Ultra to Android 8.0 Oreo. But nothing is confirmed by Sony for now.
Lenovo
Lenovo's recently released K8 Note is widely expected to
receive the Android 8.0 update. The K8 Note is the first smartphone from Lenovo
to run on a near stock build of Android. This may help Lenovo bring the Android
Oreo update faster to the phone. Lenovo claims that the move to a common software
platform will help them provide better support and efficient updates. On the
other hand, Lenovo recently announced that
the entire Phab series of smartphones will not be updated to Nougat despite being less than
a year old. So Lenovo fans should keep their fingers crossed.
LG
LG's recent smartphone like the LG G6 and LG Q6 are sure to
receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update. It is also widely expected that the LG G5
and LG V20 will be updated to Oreo.
Moto phones
Moto phones run stock Android and are among the most
actively updated devices. Although Motorola has confirmed nothing when it comes
to the Android Oreo, expect Motorola's current generation high-end phones like
Moto Z2 Play to get the Android Oreo by the end of the year. The budget phones,
however, or the previous generation phones like the Moto G4 may not get
it.
Android 8.0 top features
Android 8.0 Oreo brings with a host of refinements, back-end
changes, user-centric features and polishes aimed at improving the user
experience. The major features on offer include notification dots, support for
third party calling apps, notification channels in which notifications are
segmented into channels such as sports, news and music and the new 'Google Play
Protect' malware system.
Android O also comes with app optimisations, audio
enhancements, an improved Autofill feature, better battery management
algorithms (a clampdown on background apps), new and redesigned Emojis and
support for Android Instant apps which allows users to directly teleport into
new apps with no installations.
