This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: the Galaxy Note 9 and S9 may not receive One UI 2.1, Motorola 10 is now receiving the latest version of Android, and more!
What's New This Week?
Motorola
- Motorola One is now getting Android 10
HMD Global
- Nokia 7.2 is now receiving the latest version of Android
Xiaomi
- New feature for Mi Band 3 and 4 now allows you to unlock your laptop with your smartwatch
Samsung
- Galaxy S20 is now receiving more improvements to the camera
- Galaxy Tab S6 is now receiving One UI 2.1 with Android 10
- Three more Galaxy devices are now receiving the latest version of Android
- Galaxy S8, Note 8, and Note 9 are now receiving the April security patch
- Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge get another security patch
- The Galaxy Note 9 and S9 may not receive One UI 2.1 after all
Motorola
Motorola One
As far as we can see while working on the firmware news, Motorola seems to be one of the slowest and most inactive manufacturers - at least as far as updates are concerned. It took a while for Android 10 to reach the Motorola One but it's finally here!
The update was recently spotted in Brazil. But, we can safely assume that it'll soon become available in other regions as well.
Apart from Android 10, you can also expect to find some new features that are normally included with the OS as well. Things like Google's new gesture-based navigational mode, Focus Mode, a system-wide Dark Mode, the improved Digital Wellbeing app, and more!
Unfortunately, as far as security is concerned, only February's patch is included. That's 2 months behind and it's especially a shame if you consider that all the other phones on this list are currently running at least the March security patch.
HMD Global
Nokia 7.2
The Coronavirus may have managed to slow down HMD Global a bit but it sure didn't stop them from pushing updates. In this case, we're referring to the Nokia 7.2!
One would think that such a phone would get this update much sooner. After all, it belongs to the Android One program.
At the very least, seeing how this is stock Android 10 and everything, it should contain all of Google's new features. We're talking about goodies such as the new navigational mode, Focus Mode, improved privacy settings, improved Digital Wellbeing, Smart Reply, System-Wide Dark Mode, and more!
As with most updates, this is an incremental rollout. So, there is a good chance that some of you will have to wait a bit more before getting your turn!
Xiaomi
Mi Band 3 and 4
Another update is here for the Mi Band 3 and 4 which allows you to unlock your laptop by using your smartwatch. However, at the time of writing this article, it's only available for Indian users and only works with laptops that are running Android 10.
While the changelog doesn't mention any details, we can safely assume that it works with Bluetooth. Other than that, this update also makes some small improvements to the tracker so that it won't track "fake" steps. And it goes without saying that it makes some minor stability adjustments while it also includes a few minor bug fixes.
Samsung
Galaxy S20
Despite being Samsung's latest flagships with the best camera setup that we've seen so far on Samsung devices, the S20 series admittedly has a few issues with photography. Especially in autofocus speeds that are hopefully fixed after the last 2 updates.
Now, according to our sources, the S20 series is receiving yet another update which further improves the camera!
This update was previously seen in Hong Kong and Taiwan but now it's also available in Russia, UAE, South Africa, Israel, and Nepal. That said, we expect that it'll soon become globally available.
Just keep in mind that such updates are usually incremental. So, even if it's available in your country, that doesn't mean that you'll receive it immediately. Some of you will likely have to keep on waiting a bit more.
Now, the changelog itself doesn't mention anything in particular apart from a general "Improved camera performance". But, our sources are saying that there are improvements to low-light conditions while in super slow-mo recording and faster autofocus when switching between cameras in the Ultra variant!
Apart from that, the latest Android security patch is also included - which is always a welcome addition. The whole update comes in at just a bit less than 300 megabytes.
Galaxy Tab S6
The long-awaited Android 10 update is finally here for the Galaxy Tab S6! And apart from Android 10, it also brings One UI 2.1!
Unfortunately, it doesn't come with April's patch and we currently have no information on when that's going to happen. But, at the same time, that's probably not a huge deal.
In terms of features, you can expect to get almost everything that's included in One UI 2.1! Things like Quick Share, Music Share, and possibly a few camera features such as Single Take as well!
In case you're not familiar with those, Quick Share is a Samsung-specific feature that allows you to share files quickly and easily by using a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to create a peer to peer network. Music share, on the other hand, is more focused on Bluetooth and it allows us to sort of use a Bluetooth audio device simultaneously (As long as both devices support the feature).
Other features such as Live Captions and Single Take are not always included. So, if you find anything like that, feel free to let us know about it in the comments section down below!
Galaxy A9, A6+, and A10s
It looks like there are a ton of Samsung devices that are now receiving Android 10. To be more specific, just in this week, the Galaxy Tab S6, A9 (2018), A6+, and A10s are now being upgraded!
At the moment of writing this article, the Galaxy A9 (2018) and Galaxy A6 are receiving this update in Poland while the A10s is getting it in Malaysia. With that said, keep in mind that these updates are very likely to become globally available very soon.
Chances are that we're looking at an incremental pushout, so, some of you may have to keep on waiting a bit more than others - even if you live in one of the aforementioned countries.
As for the update itself, apart from a new version of Android and One UI 2.0, you also get March's security patch along with most of the features that Android 10 and One UI 2.0 offer. Things like improved privacy controls, Focus Mode, overall UI improvements, Google's new gesture-based navigational mode, and more!
Galaxy S8, Note 8, and Note 9 (Security Patch)
Apart from the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S8, Note 8, and Note 8 are now receiving the latest Android security patch as well!
Here is when you can expect to get it:
- Galaxy S8: France, Poland, UK, Germany, Slovakia, Spain, Czech Republic, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, and in many others
- Galaxy Note 8 and Note 9: Germany
As per usual, we expect that these updates will soon become available for everyone. Just keep in mind that they are most likely incremental. So, even if you do find yourself in one of the aforementioned regions, there is no guarantee that you'll receive it right after checking for new updates.
The changelogs don't really mention anything about new features or anything like that - which is to be expected. That's with the exception of the Note 9's update where Samsung hints to camera improvements but doesn't go into detail.
Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge came out about 4 years ago. And, surprisingly enough, it looks like Samsung hasn't forgotten about them.
True, we may not see any huge updates, but the very fact that they are now receiving March's security patch is quite impressive. Kudos to Samsung.
As per usual, the changelog also mentions stability improvements and general performance improvements. But, with a download size of 72 megabytes, we highly doubt that anything much has changed.
Note 9 and S9 (One UI 2.1 Information)
Many of us assumed that both the Note 9 and S9 would eventually get upgraded to One UI 2.1. Partially due to the fact that it contains Quick Share - which only works with other devices that have it as well. By not delivering that feature to more of its devices, Samsung partially cripples its own ecosystem.
With all that said, that's one of the reasons that it made so much sense for the S9 and Note 9 to get One UI 2.1. But, according to the latest information that we currently have, it turns out that the aforementioned phones may not receive the update after all.
And this comes from a notification that was posted in the Samsung Members app in South Korea. So, we'd say that's a pretty reliable source right there.
The post mentioned that there are no plans for such an update "at the moment". So, there is a chance that Samsung is going to change their mind down the line. Just don't get your hopes up yet.
Closure
That's all for now. We'll let you know if anything else comes up, so, stay tuned!
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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