This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: the Galaxy A70 is now receiving Android 10 in Ukraine, HMD Global pushes back its Android 10 roadmap due to the Corona Virus outbreak, and more!
What's New This Week?
Xiaomi
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 is now receiving Android 10 stable
- Mi A2 Lite is now receiving the latest version of Android as well
HMD Global
- Android 10 updates will get delayed to the Corona Virus Outbreak
Samsung
- Galaxy A70 is now receiving Android 10 in Ukraine
- Galaxy S9, Z Flip, M10, M30, and Tab Active 2 are now receiving the March security update
- One UI 2.1 will be delivered to older Samsung flagships
Xiaomi
Mi Mix 3
Xiaomi's Mi Mix 3 was the first phone with a sliding mechanism that we ever saw. It's also one of Xiaomi's "premium" devices. So, it makes sense that it kind of receives special treatment.
As of this week, the global variant is receiving Android 10 stable. However, keep in mind that this doesn't include the EU stable models.
We assume that it'll soon become available for everyone. It weighs 2 gigabytes while also bringing February's security patch. So, make sure to enable your Wi-Fi before downloading!
The changelog doesn't mention anything about new features. But, we expect that it brings pretty much everything that's new with Android 10 and MIUI 11. Things like system-wide dark mode, Focus Mode, improved privacy controls, and more!
Mi A2 Lite
The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite is now receiving stock Android 10 on a global scale. However, do keep in mind that it's an incremental rollout. It may take a while before all units have it.
For a point of reference, it took us about a couple of weeks since the official announcement before our Mi 9T finally got the update. There is a good chance that some of you may have to wait for several more weeks before the update reaches your device.
As per usual, you can expect to get most of the features that Android 10 comes with. This includes Focus Mode, improved Digital Wellbeing, improved privacy controls, and more!
HMD Global
Android 10
As you probably already know, the Corona Virus, code-named COVID-19, has been wreaking havoc throughout the world and people are taking all sorts of measures to restrict the damage as much as possible.
These measures range from restricting the number of employees who can work during the quarantine to asking everyone to work from home. And though HMD Global hasn't exactly mentioned what steps they are taking, there is no doubt that this situation is going to impact them.
While we have taken all the steps to fight COVID-19, we still aim to be the fastest brand to update its portfolio to Android 10. Although our schedule changed a bit, we’re proud to announce a number of phones will be upgraded soon and excited to share our new roadmap: pic.twitter.com/nKEYSkI8Ow
— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) March 11, 2020
Juho says: "While we have taken all the steps to fight COVID-19, we still aim to be the fastest brand to update its portfolio to Android 10. Although our schedule changed a bit, we’re proud to announce a number of phones will be upgraded soon".
In other words, the whole roadmap is being pushed back a little. This is most likely due to all the protective measures that we've mentioned above.
If you're using a data saver and can't see the image, here's the new roadmap:
- Q1: Nokia 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 4.2, 7.2, 6.2, 3.1 Plus, 8 Sirocco
- Q2: Nokia 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, and 1
- Q4: Nokia 7.1, 8.1, and 9 PureView
Samsung
Galaxy A70
Samsung's mid-ranger, the Galaxy A70, is now receiving the latest version of Android with One UI 2.0 on top of it! It's only available in Ukraine at the moment - but chances are that we'll soon find it across most of Europe.
According to our sources, you can expect to see it in other regions in a few weeks from now. But, since these are mostly incremental updates, take that info with a grain of salt.
While there is not a lot of information about the update itself, we can safely assume that it brings most of the features that you can find in Android 10 and One UI 2.0. This includes Focus Mode, improved privacy settings, improved Digital Wellbeing, a pre-installed screen recorder (Likely), a newer security patch, and more.
Since the update brings a whole new OS and UI to the table, there is a good chance that it weighs at least 1.5 gigs. So, make sure to enable Wi-Fi before downloading it.
Numerous Devices - March Update
There are numerous Samsung devices that are now receiving the latest security update. Here is the list of them and where you can expect to get the update at the moment:
- Galaxy S9 and S9+: Mostly in the Nordic and Baltic regions
- Galaxy M10 and M30: India
- Tab Active 2: Russia for the Wi-Fi variants and almost worldwide for the LTE models\
- Galaxy Z Flip: USA
As far as we know, these updates don't bring anything else to the table. It's all about the security patch, which, by the way, fixes a few Android-related issues and 25 more that are exclusive to Samsung's software.
Do keep in mind that the aforementioned updates are expected to reach more countries in the upcoming weeks. If you get it, feel free to let us know about it in the comments section down below!
One UI 2.1 - Older Flagships
It's not unusual for manufacturers to stop supporting their older devices after a certain amount of time. In fact, we'd say it's only logical since they need to focus on their newer, more expensive models.
And in this department, Samsung seems to be taking a turn for the better. According to our sources, they are actually planning on delivering One UI 2.1 even to their older flagships - including the Galaxy S9 series and Note 9.
The truth is that One UI 2.1 doesn't bring a whole lot of new features anyway. But, still, every small update is a welcome addition.
We assume that this is not going to hold true for the even older flagships like the S8 and Note 8, though.
That's all for now. We'll let you know if anything else comes up. So, stay tuned!
Wrapping Up
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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