This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: OnePlus temporarily pauses the Android 11 update for the OnePlus Nord due to bugs, the Samsung Galaxy A50, along with plenty of other Samsung devices, gets One UI 3.1, and more!
What's New This Week?
Asus
- Asus ROG Phone 5 is already receiving its first update
Oppo
- Stable Android 11 is now being delivered to Oppo reno 10x zoom and reno2 F while Reno2 gets a beta version
Honor
- Honor 20 and View 20 are now receiving Magic UI 4.0 (Based on EMUI 11)
Realme
- Realme Narzo 20 is now receiving Realme UI 2.0 stable with Android 11
OnePlus
- OnePlus temporarily pauses the Android 11 rollout for the OnePlus Nord
Samsung
- Galaxy A42 5G, M31, M31s, A50s, M51, and A50 are now all receiving One UI 3.1 with Android 11
- Samsung clarifies what the 4-year update policy means for those who own a Samsung device
Asus
Asus ROG Phone 5
In case you haven't heard about it, the Asus ROG Phone 5 was officially revealed a couple of days ago – and now it's already receiving an update.
This update includes eSports Mode, the ROG Akira Character theme pack, and a new animation editor for ROG Vision in Armory Crate. The full changelog is as follows:
- Enhanced the advanced settings of system modes in Armoury Crate.
- Added animation editor for ROG Vision in Armoury Crate. Now supports share and import functions.
- Added brand new motion control gestures in AirTrigger 5.
- Esports Mode : A competitive mode tailored for esports competitions in the power button menu screen during gameplay.
- ROG Akira Character theme pack.
- Added multiple theme packs in cooperated with popular game publishers.
- Added "Upcoming alarm notification" setting in Clock - Sent out 2 hours before the scheduled alarm.
- Optimized Camera user experience.
- Optimized system stability.
- Optimized ROG Vision.
- Optimized charging stability.
If you want to learn more about the phone, it comes with an AMOLED, FullHD, high refresh rate display at 144Hz, a Snapdragon 888, Android 11 out of the box, and a quad-camera setup. Also a 6,000 mAh battery with 65-watt fast charging!
So, we're definitely talking about a bit of a beast here.
Oppo
Oppo Reno 10x zoom, Reno2 F, and Reno2
Both the Oppo reno 10x zoom and Reno2 F are now receiving the latest stable version of Android, Android 11. And the Reno2, on the other hand, is also receiving a beta version of the same update.
The update has currently only been spotted in India and we assume that it won't be too long before it also reaches other regions too.
If you have a Reno 2F and you are interested in trying out the beta, you can do so by going to:
- Settings
- About phone
- Version
- Settings
- Software update
- And hit the gear icon at the top right part of the screen
- Then apply for the beta by following the guide that'll come up
Just keep in mind that betas are often full of bugs and issues. So, installing it on your daily driver may not be the best of ideas.
Honor
Honor 20 and View 20
According to our sources, both the Honor 20 and View 20 are now receiving Magic UI 4.0 – a UI that is mostly based on EMUI 11.
This update comes in at 1.84 gigabytes, so, make sure to use Wi-Fi before downloading. But it's worth keeping in mind that it doesn't contain Android 11. Unfortunately, both devices are still stuck on Android 10 and that's unlikely to change.
But you at least get most of the features that come with Magic UI 4.0. We are talking about things such as smart always-on display (AOD), artistic themes, super notepad, smoother animations, and other improvements as well.
Realme
Realme Narzo 20
Great news for Realme Narzo 20 owners. Your phone is now receiving the latest stable version of Android with realme UI 2.0!
No mention has been made about the security patch. But we can safely assume that a newer one is included in the package – probably either March's or February's patch.
Other than that, the changelog mentions improvements and additions in terms of personalization, efficiency, system, launcher, security and privacy, gaming, communication, photos, HeyTap Cloud, Camera, realme Lab, and Accessibility as well.
You can check the full changelog in our sources at the bottom of this article if you want to (GSM Arena 2).
OnePlus
OnePlus Nord
It's barely been a week since OnePlus started pushing the Android 11 update to OnePlus Nord devices and now they are pausing the update due to bugs and issues.
We didn't officially hear anything about specific about the bugs. But, according to our sources, we are talking about things such as increased battery drain, slow charging, GPS issues, and that some features such as Parallel Apps are not working.
Only time will tell how long it's going to take before OnePlus fixes those issues and continues rolling out the update. We'll let you know when that time comes, so, stay tuned!
Samsung
Galaxy A42 5G, M31, M31s, A50s, M51, and A50
Samsung is generally one of the best smartphone manufacturers when it comes to regularly delivering updates. But some weeks, they truly stand out from the crowd – and this is probably one of those weeks.
Starting from last Friday till today, we've seen the Galaxy A42 5G, M31, M31s, A50s, M51, and A50 receiving the latest One UI 3.1 update in various regions. To be more specific:
- Galaxy A42 5G: Netherlands with March's patch
- M31: India with March's patch
- M31s: India with February's patch
- A50: Unclarified but with March's patch
- A50s: Vietnam with March's patch
- M51: Brazil, India, Mexico, and Netherlands with March's security patch
Since we are generally talking about major updates, you can expect to download around a couple of gigabytes. But your mileage is going to vary depending on the exact model and region.
Speaking of regions, we should point out that while the aforementioned updates are the ones that are currently receiving the updates, it shouldn't be too long before the rest of the world joins in as well. And that's assuming that numerous regions haven't joined the party already from last Friday until now.
As for the update itself, if you are jumping from One UI 2.5 to 3.0/3.1, you can expect to see a UI overhaul, tons of minor changes and additions to Samsung apps, Android 11, Google's gesture-based navigation system in 3rd party launchers, and more!
Samsung and the 4-Year Update Policy
But this was a kind of a blunt statement. Did they mean that the phones would get an update on a monthly basis? Every two months? Four? It wasn't specified. But now it is.
As it turns out, Samsung devices are going to be receiving at least two security updates per year when at worst – which mostly applies to mid-range and budget devices two years after their release. So, generally, your phone is going to be receiving patches anywhere from two times per year up to every month depending on its price range and on how long it has been out for.
Now, two updates per year are certainly not much. But it's definitely better than nothing. And most Android phones out there are actually getting nothing after 4 years. So, kudos to Samsung.
Wrapping Up
That's all for now. Feel free to come back next week for more firmware news.
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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