This week, on another weekly firmware news roundup: Plenty of Samsung devices get the latest version of One UI, turns out that Android 12 may come with a new kind of One-Handed mode, and more!
What's New this Week?
- Android 12 may be referred to as "Snow Cone" – likely to come with one-handed mode
Xiaomi
- Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G gets the latest version of Android
Samsung
- Galaxy S20 FE is once again receiving One UI 3.1
- Galaxy Z Flip, Z Flip 5G, Z Fold 2, Note 20, and the Galaxy S20 series are now receiving the latest version of One UI!
- February's security patch is now here for both the Galaxy Note 9 and Note 10 series
- Android 11 is here for the Galaxy A51 in India
Android 12
Tons of phones out there are on Android 10 or even older versions of Android. But that's obviously not going to prevent Google from working on a newer, improved version.
According to our sources, rumor has it that Android 12 is going to be called "Snow Cone". And while officially don't use names for Android versions any longer, reference names are still being used internally. Android 11 is actually to as "rvc (Red Velvet Cake)".
An interesting thing to note here is that unlike most implementations of One-Handed mode that only make the screen smaller, this one seems to be re-arranging the whole UI for a better overall experience.
In other news, a one-handed mode also seems to be on the works. And that's barely a surprise. Various other Android skins already include some sort of one-handed implementation.
So, it sounds like a nice thing to have on stock Android. Especially since phones only seem to be still getting bigger and bigger.
One of the first versions of Android 12 is expected to come out some time during this month. So, stay tuned for it!
Xiaomi
Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G
Great news for Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G owners. Your phone is now receiving the latest version of Android globally.
Other than that, you are also getting January's security patch along with everything that can be found in Android 11. Though, it's worth noting that the update is still based on MIUI 12 and that MIUI 12 itself has most of what Android 11 had to offer beforehand.
So, most of the upcoming changes are under the hood. And while you are unlikely to notice any massive differences, we can safely assume that some performance improvements and bug fixes are to be expected.
And it's also worth keeping in mind that your phone is actually set to get MIUI 12.5 in the near future.
Until that time comes, all we can do is sit and wait.
Samsung
Galaxy S20 FE
This is not the first time that the Galaxy S20 FE is getting the One UI 3.1 update. Something went wrong during the first time and Samsung pulled the update – but it looks like everything is proceeding as normal now.
According to our sources, the firmware version hasn't changed. This means that most likely, the update wasn't pulled due to technical difficulties or bugs.
So, the reason why Samsung pulled the update remains a mystery. If you know anything else about it, feel free to let us and everyone else know about it in the comments down below.
For now, the rollout is proceeding normally and you can expect to download a hefty package of 1.7 gigabytes. Definitely remember to keep your phone charged and connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Galaxy Z Flip, Z Flip 5G, Z Fold 2, Note 20, and the Galaxy S20 Series
The latest version of Samsung's Android skin, One UI 3.1, originally started being pushed to Galaxy S20 FE units some time ago. So, it's no surprise that we are now seeing it being delivered to multiple flagships with more possibly on the way.
As the heading mentions, we are currently talking about the Galaxy Z Flip, Z Flip 5G, Z Fold 2, Note 20, and the Galaxy S20 Series as well.
As for regions, here is all we know about availability as of now:
- Galaxy Z Flip: Austria
- Galaxy Z Flip 5G: UK
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: Germany
- Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra: Germany and Russia
- Galaxy S20 Series: South Korea
Though, we can safely assume that these updates will soon become available in more and more regions.
As you probably already know, smaller jumps in decimals instead of a full number (One UI 2.0 to 3.0 vs 3.0 to 3.1) mean that we are talking about a minor update. But there are still plenty of features to look forward to.
We are talking about things such as:
- Private Share
- Improvements in Single Take
- The option of removing location data from photos
- The object eraser tool
- And more
Though, it's worth keeping in mind that some features, such as Google Discover home-screen integration and "Director's View" are yet to be found in the 3.1 release.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Note 10 Series
Most of the Samsung flagships have already started receiving February's security patch. And thus, to the massive surprise of nobody, older flagships such as the Note 9 and Note 10 series are now following suit.
The update has already been sighted in Germany, South Africa, and Pakistan. Safe to say that it won't be long before it becomes globally available.
As expected, the update doesn't seem to include any new features or major bug fixes and improvements. It's just the security patch and that's about it.
Samsung Galaxy A51 (India)
One UI 3.0 along with Android 11 is already available in Russia and possibly other regions as well – and it looks like it's now also being delivered to Indian units!
In it, you can expect to find the latest Android security patch along with everything that both One UI 3.0 and Android 11 include. We are talking about things like:
- Various improvements in performance and stability
- Improved Digital Wellbeing
- More lockscreen widgets
- New AOD customization options
- New design for Bixby Routines
- A revamped UI
- And more
Wrapping Up
That's all for now. Feel free to come back next week for more firmware news and updates.
Feel like we forgot to mention something important? Got anything wrong? Then let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!
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