This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: the first Android Q developer preview is here and we're checking it out, Nokia 3.1 gets its slice of Pie, and more!
What's New This Week?
Xiaomi
- Redmi Note 7 gets Night Mode in India
- Poco F1 gets updated to MIUI 10.2.3.0
Samsung
- Galaxy A8 and A9 (2018) get their slice of Pie
- Unlocked Note 9 models in the US start receiving Android Pie as well
HTC
- U11, U11+ & U12+ are expected to get their slice of Pie on the second quarter of 2019
- First developer preview of Android Q is already here
HMD Global
- Nokia 3.1 gets updated to Android Pie
Samsung
Galaxy A8 And A9 (2018)
Not too long ago, Galaxy A8 (2018) models started receiving the Android Pie update. Now, the Galaxy A9 (2018) joins the party as well.
The update is currently being released in Russia for the A8 and in Poland for the A9. Apart from Android Pie, it also brings February's security patch. Yeah, it would be nice if it had the latest patch. But, hey, we'll take it.
According to Sam Mobile, Samsung is only releasing the update in market at a time. So, for the moment, only the above mentioned countries will get it. That being said, we're pretty sure that the update will eventually become available worldwide.
Last but not least, you should also get Samsung's latest UI: One UI. If you're living in Poland and you haven't received the update yet, make sure to check for updates manually on your settings.
Unlocked Note 9
It was about a couple of months ago when we first learned that Note 9 models had started receiving the stable version Android Pie. A few weeks later, carrier locked models followed. But, the update was nowhere to be seen for the unlocked models.
Well, after a long time of waiting, the stable Pie update is now also here for unlocked Note 9 models. It weighs 1.7 gigabytes and it should be available for installing right now. The reason that it's so big is probably because of the One UI overhaul.
Do keep in mind that those updates are usually incremental. So, basically, the update only reaches a small percentage of people at first before becoming available for everyone. That being said, don't freak out if you haven't got it already. Still, don't forget to perform a manual check, just in case.
Xiaomi
Redmi Note 7
For some reason, the Indian version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 didn't launch with Night Mode by default. Even though the global variant did. Maybe something to do with local carrier software?
In any case, those of you who live in India should receive this update any moment now, if you haven't already. And if not, try checking for updates manually.
Officially, this update only brings Night Mode to the table. However, it also weighs 500 megabytes. So, there is a chance that more things are included as well. Unfortunately, the March's security patch is not one of them
That's all for now. We'll keep you updated if anything else comes up!
Pocophone F1
Another stable update is here for the Pocophone. Unfortunately, it doesn't bring the much awaited 4K 60FPS recording feature or Widevine L1. But, it has been officially announced that it'll get it for sure before the end of this month.
The changelog only mentions that the update brings February's security patch. But, judging by its size (560 megabytes), we expect that more stuff is included as well.
Speaking of which, we still haven't got any official information on what's new with this update. So, if you are a stable Pocophone user and you've got this one, please let us know about it in the comments.
HTC
U11, U11+ & U12+
The first developer previews for Android Q may be already here (more about that in a minute), but HTC recently announced that the U11, U11+ & U12+ will receive Android Pie on the second quarter of 2019. So, a somewhere during or before the summer?
That obviously left a lot of HTC fans slightly disappointed. Not only because the update process has been kinda slow, but also because Android Q will likely be released during the summer as well.
That being said, Google is partially to blame for moving way too fast as well. Android Pie is still barely used on most smartphones but we're already moving towards Android Q.
Maybe we should look more after Microsoft's example every now and then and only release a new major OS every few years while improving the current one in the meantime. But, who are we to talk. Let us know your opinion about this in the comments section.
Android Q
Yesterday we got our first look at the first ever developer preview of Android Q! It's currently available for installing in Pixel 3/3 XL and Pixel 2 devices. You can also install it on the original Pixel. But, we're not sure if that's really a good idea.
There's a ton of new stuff in the new version of Android with most of them being minor changes rather than full fledged out features. For an example, there have been minor changes to how privacy works, en emergency dialer button that pops up when you hold down the power button, screenshot improvements (or not), and more.
One of the new features that arguably stand out the most is definitely desktop mode. To sum it in a paragraph, it's basically a sort of desktop view that comes in as soon as you plug your phone to an external monitor. Much like Samsung Dex, except, now it's on Android by default.
Do keep in mind that desktop mode is still kinda hidden at this point. But, chances are that things will change once Android Q goes stable. There is still a lot of time before that happens, but, just saying.
Apart from that, we also get new icons, a new font, and more minor changes that frankly nobody gives a damn about. Well, almost nobody.
So, when everything is said and done, Android Q doesn't look or feel all that different from Android Pie. Hopefully we'll see performance and stability improvements or something like that in the future. But, for now, it's impossible to tell as the OS is still at its earliest Beta phases.
HMD Global
Nokia 3.1
Yesterday, Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer of HMD Global announced that Android Pie is now officially rolling out for the Nokia 3.1. The update arrived right on schedule. So, no complaints here.
We don't know if this update is incremental or not yet. That being said, don't freak out if you haven't got it yet. It will arrive sooner or later.
While we didn't get a changelog or anything that lists the new features, we can safely assume that Pie features will be included. Things like improved Adaptive Brightness, Digital Wellbeing, Adaptive Battery, etc.
That's all for now. We'll let you know if anything else comes up. So, stay tuned!
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