This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: the latest update for the Galaxy A50 improves the overall touch-screen performance, Sony Xperia 1 receives a few camera improvements, and more!
What's New This Week?
Sony
- Latest update for the Xperia 1 introduces a few camera improvements
Xiaomi
- Xiaomi: the Mi 9T will get upgraded to Android 10 this month
- MIUI 11 screenshots get leaked
Samsung
- One UI 2.0 will include emoji suggestions by default
- T-Mobile's Galaxy S8 Active is now receiving Android Pie
- Galaxy M30 and Galaxy J6 are now receiving the September security patch
- Sprint's Galaxy Note 10 and 10+ are now receiving the September patch
- September's patch arriving to Galaxy S9+ units in Europe
- Latest update for Galaxy A50 improves the overall touch-screen performance
Sony
Xperia 1
A new update is here for the Xperia 1 and it promises to bring a few camera improvements.
According to our sources, after installing this update, you can expect to notice:
- A more optimized UI
- Better picture quality
- And improved stabilization
Apart from camera improvements, you can also look forward to more stable Bluetooth connections and slightly more battery life.
Last, but not least, the September security patch is also included in the package.
All things considered, this update shouldn't weight too much. But, connecting to a Wi-Fi network before downloading is still highly recommended!
Xiaomi
Mi 9T/Redmi K20 Pro
With Android 10 being official now, more and more people are thinking about when their new device will get upgraded to the latest version of Android and if it'll get upgraded at all.
For this reason, numerous manufacturers are getting ready to release their Android 10 update roadmaps. And while Xiaomi hasn't released one yet, they did promise that the Mi 9T (Or Redmi K20 - depending on your region) will get upgraded to the latest version of Android by the end of this month.
The beta version had already arrived in India. So, it's no surprise to see that it'll get upgraded to the stable version soon.
As for other Xiaomi devices, unfortunately, we haven't heard anything yet. But, when that information comes up, we'll make sure to keep you updated. So, stay tuned!
MIUI 11
MIUI 11 is the next version of MIUI that's going to be based on Android 10. So, it makes sense that Xiaomi users are eager to see it.
Thankfully, they recently made a small mistake. A beta version that we were not supposed to try out just yet was released for numerous beta users to try out.
By the time that Xiaomi pulled back, numerous users had already managed to capture and send screenshots.
The first thing that's very apparent is that the overall design of the Settings menu has been changed. Not only we can see new icons, but also different categorization between the various options.
MIUI has always been a bit more complicated to use compared to other operating systems. So, hopefully, the new version is going to be a bit more simplified.
Other than that, there's also the system-wide Dark Mode and various improvements with the Always On Display.
To be a bit more specific, we'll get options like changing the text color automatically or a kaleidoscope that changes colors depending on the time of the day.
Last, but not least, we're expecting to see a new Dynamic Sound mode, a new file manager app, a Dark Mode scheduler, and more.
With all of that being said, do not forget that this is a somewhat early beta release. So, there is a chance that some of these additions may be pulled back, but there's also a chance for us to see even more features.
That's all for now. We'll let you know if anything else comes up!
Samsung
One UI 2.0
An image is worth a thousand words - and so do emojis. That's why we often go out of our way to send some.
So, if you're the kind of person who enjoys using emojis quite a lit, then you'll be delighted to know that One UI 2.0 will include emoji suggestions in the default keyboard.
That being said, we all know that a lot of 3rd party keyboards offer this small feature. But, now there is one less reason to abandon our phone's native option.
T-Mobile's Galaxy S8 Active
So what if Android 10 is officially out? There are lots of smartphones that are still waiting for Android 9.
T-Mobile's Galaxy S8 Active used to be one of them, until now. According to our sources, it's now finally receiving the long-awaited update.
This one weighs close to 1.6 gigabytes and apart from Android Pie, you're also getting July's security patch and One UI 1.1.
However, since the phone is officially getting a little bit old now, chances are that you won't receive Android 10. There is always the chance that you'll be able to fix this with Custom ROMs. But, take that info with a grain of salt.
Galaxy M30 and J6
While lots of manufacturers seem to completely focus on pushing out updates for their flagships, Samsung also pays attention to some of their mid-range devices. And the M30 is the ultimate proof of that.
As of a couple of days ago, both the Galaxy M30 and the J6 are receiving the September security patch. The M30 is getting it in Brazil while the J6 is getting it in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
That being said, we assume that more regions will join in soon enough if they haven't already. So, if you live in another region and you got this update, do let us know about it in the comments section.
As far as we know, there are no features or any other additions included in this update.
Sprint's Note 10 and 10+
The September security patch arrived for the Exynos variant of the Note 10 in the early days of the month. But, as per usual, US carriers stayed a little bit behind the loop regarding updates.
Sprint is the first carrier to bring the September patch for the new Note 10 series and we assume that other carriers will follow soon enough. Hopefully, before the end of the month.
Apart from the September patch, this update also improves the audio quality through wired headphones and that's about it regarding improvements and additional features.
Due to that, this update only weighs 237 megabytes and you should receive the OTA notification at any moment now. If not, then either try to check manually or wait until your turn comes (It could be an incremental update).
Galaxy S9+
According to our sources, the Galaxy S9+ is now receiving the September security patch. Apart from that, we haven't noticed any new features or major improvements.
The update is being delivered in various parts of Europe including, but not limited to: France, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and more.
We assume that by the end of the month, it'll start being delivered on a global scale. So, let us know if you've received it in the comments section down below!
Now, since the only thing that you get are the security update, we highly doubt that it's going to weigh anything. But, still, consider using a Wi-Fi connection; just to be safe.
Galaxy A50
The latest update for the Galaxy A50 brings the August security patch to the table along with a few improvements and fixes.
To be more specific, Samsung mentions that the performance of the touch-screen has been improved and moisture detection has been added.
We assume that moisture detection helps in operating the phone with slightly wet fingers without the touch-screen going completely mad.
Other than that, the changelog also mentions USB moisture detection. In case you don't know about it, this allows your phone to detect moisture in the port and turn it off to prevent any damage and/or corrosion.
Last, but not least, we're also seeing the traditional mentions of general performance improvements and bug fixes.
This update weighs a bit more than 200 megabytes. So, do make sure to enable your Wi-Fi before installing it to avoid wasting your data.
So far, only some users from the Philippines have mentioned that they got it. But, we assume that it's going to go global soon anyway.
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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