This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is now receiving MIUI 11 stable beta, Asus delivers swiping support for the AirTriggers of the ROG Phone 2, and more!
What's New This Week?
Xiaomi
- Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A are now receiving MIUI 11
- Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5 are getting the MIUI 11 update in China
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is now receiving MIUI 11 stable beta in China, Indonesia, and India
Asus
- Rog Phone II now gets vertical and horizontal swipe support for its Air Triggers
Huawei
- P30 and P30 Pro are now receiving Android 10 Stable
Samsung
- Galaxy A50s latest update brings fingerprint scanner improvements to the table
- Android 10 Beta is now available for the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ in the US
Xiaomi
Mi 8 and Mi 8A
The Xiaomi Redmi Mi8 and Mi8A are now receiving MIUI 11 - and we've got both bad news and good news with that.
The good news is that it's not just the Chinese variants that are receiving this update, but the global ones as well. Of course, since most updates nowadays are being pushed in waves - you may have to wait for a while until you get your turn.
The bad news is that while this operating system does bring a new UI, it's still based on Android Pie. But, hey - at least it comes with the latest Android security patch.
As for the update's size, considering that we're getting a new UI, it's actually kind of small. 600 megabytes for the Redmi 8 and 544 megabytes for the Mi 8A. That's quite possibly due to the fact that Android 10 is not included.
Regarding MIUI 11, you can expect to get a few new features. Such, as the Customizable Always On Display, special effects when the screen is locked, new nature alarms, new notification sounds, pre-installed work-related apps, printer support, and more.
Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5
Both the Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5 are now receiving MIUI 11. However, at the moment, this is only for the Chinese variants.
We still don't have any information about the global variants. But, since the update is already here for China, we suppose that it won't take too long to be adjusted for the global versions as well.
And that's especially true if you consider the fact that the Mi 8 and Mi 8A are already receiving the very same update worldwide. Unfortunately, just like with the Mi 8, the update is based on Android Pie while only bringing Android's latest security patch. But, again, it's something.
We've already mentioned a few features that MIUI 11 brings on the above subheading which talks about the Mi 8 and Mi 8A. So, you can head there if you're interested in that.
That's all for now. We'll let you know if anything else comes up, so, stay tuned!
Redmi Note 8 Pro
The Redmi Note 8 Pro was scheduled to receive MIUI 11 during December. And, sure enough, the stable beta version is already here for China, Indonesia, and India!
Stable beta means that you're still getting a beta version, but one that should have most of its bugs fixed at this point.
Make no mistake. This is not a stable version, even though it's as close to it as you can get, and it's still based on Android Pie instead of Android 10.
It weighs 587 megabytes and apart from MIUI 11, it also brings all of its features along with October's security patch!
Asus
ROG Phone II
It was about a month ago when we crowned the ROG Phone as one of the best gaming phones that one can get. Now, the ROG Phone II, which is an improvement in every single way, starts receiving an update that makes it even better.
After installing the latest update, you should be able to use vertical and horizontal swipes on the Air Triggers of the phone!
In case you're not familiar with them, the Air Triggers are ultrasonic sensors that are placed on the right side of the phone. They basically act as physical R1 and L1 buttons that you can commonly find in gamepads. But, instead of physical buttons, you get sensors.
Originally, we could only tap on them - just like pressing a controller trigger. Now, there is also the option of performing vertical or horizontal swipes.
You can set these gestures to do whatever you want by using the Armoury Crate app. Other than that, there is also the option of setting custom app icons and the optional grid interface.
Huawei
P30 and P30 Pro
Huawei seems to keep its promises. They promised us that the P30 would get the Android 10 stable update somewhere in mid-November, and, well, it's here indeed.
It brings EMUI 10 to the table with Android 10 and all of its features on top of it. However, at the moment, this is only for the Chinese variants. We expect that it'll soon become globally available as well. So, until then, all we can do is sit back and wait.
As for the update, EMUI 10 brings a new UI, colorful always-on display, HiCar (Basically an Android Auto replacement app), and more.
Then there are also the new goodies that Android 10 brings to the table. Such as the improved Digital Wellbeing, improved privacy controls, system-wide Dark Mode, a new navigation system, Smart Reply across all apps, Focus Mode, and more.
Not to mention the built-in parental controls and Incognito Mode for Google Maps. Overall, there's a lot to look forward to.
Update: Now available in Europe as well!
Samsung
Galaxy A50
Another update is here for the Galaxy A50 and this time it seems to be bringing performance improvements for the phone's fingerprint scanner.
Since this is a budget to mid-range phone, its in-display fingerprint scanner isn't the best. Compared to "Standard" scanners, it's generally considered slow and inaccurate.
Updates like these are supposed to offer a better experience by improving the fingerprint recognition algorithm. But, only you can tell us if they actually help.
That being said, if you've received this update, feel free to let us know about it in the comments section down below!
After installing the update, Samsung recommends removing your old prints and registering new ones.
Do keep in mind that the A50 is not affected by the S10 and Note 10's security flaw where you could bypass the scanner with a screen protector. This is only a matter of improving the overall performance.
Regarding the size, since the update brings nothing more than fingerprint scanner enhancements, it only weighs just a bit more than 100 megabytes.
It's currently available in numerous EU regions. Such as Greece, France, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, and possibly more. We assume that it's going to become globally available very soon.
Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+
The Android 10 beta was already available in Germany, India, South Korea, and now it's also available in the US. However, that's only for the unlocked models.
This update should comes in at just under 2 gigs while bringing One UI 2.0, universal Dark Mode, the latest version of Android, and most of the features that come with it.
We expect that you'll find things like:
- Google's new navigational mode (With the option of using the "Traditional" one as well
- Focus Mode
- Improved layouts for titles and icons
- Smoother animations
- November's security update
- And more
We don't have any info about the stable version yet. But, we'll make sure to let you know when we find out. According to our sources and Samsung, we should expect to get it this year, though.
Do keep in mind that since this is a beta, you should expect to come across at least a few bugs. Some of which may make the phone unusable.
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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