This week, on our weekly firmware news roundup: certain Samsung Galaxy A devices may end up receiving 3 years of software support after all, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro gets MIUI 12, and more!
What's New This Week?
Samsung
- Certain Galaxy A devices may end up getting 3 years of support after all
- Galaxy A51 and A71 are now receiving a couple of interesting features with the latest update
- Latest Galaxy Watch 3 update adds blood oxygen monitoring
OnePlus
- The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are now Android 11 Developer Preview 3
- The OnePlus Nord is now receiving OxygenOS 10.5.4
Xiaomi
- The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is now receiving MIUI 12
Xiaomi
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is one of Xiaomi’s most feature-rich devices, so, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the first to receive the currently latest version of MIUI.
It weighs about a gigabyte while introducing a new UI, new features, system-wide dark mode, and more.
One of the most impressive additions is the new control panel that brings notifications and quick controls in separate panels. You basically have the option of seeing only your notifications by swiping down from the left side or only your quick controls by swiping down from the right side.
You also get interactive live wallpapers, the option of adding an app drawer, and a more sophisticated system-wide dark mode that can also dim the wallpaper.
The update is currently available in Europe and it comes in at just a bit under a gigabyte. But keep in mind that it’s an incremental one – which means that some people will have to wait for a bit longer before they get their turn.
OnePlus
OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro
Good news for OnePlus 8 series owners. Your device is now receiving the Android Developer Preview 3 update – which means that the stable version shouldn’t be too far now. And if you wish to do so, you can even enroll on the beta to take an early taste of what Android 11 feels like.
Just keep in mind that as an early developer preview, it’s still going to have quite a lot of bugs to deal with. And as per usual, do understand that there is always the risk of bricking your phone in case that something goes wrong.
So far, we know that there are certain system stability issues, problems with some 3rd party apps, and network stability issues in some scenarios. But that’s only for the known issues. We still don’t know what else may be waiting to be discovered until the stable version comes out.
As far as key updates are concerned, the update includes Always On Display, new UI changes, new Live Wallpapers, 3 new Zen Mode Themes, and a gallery feature that automatically creates a weekly story.
You can find the aforementioned update either in our “sources” section at the bottom of this page or directly through here. Just make sure to follow the installation steps correctly and install the correct version for your model and region. Neither Updato or OnePlus are going to take responsibility in case something goes wrong.
OnePlus Nord
Another update is now being pushed towards the OnePlus Nord and it’s already available for both the global and Indian models. The European variants should follow up soon enough now. But we don’t know exactly when just yet.
The changelog mentions a lot of improvements in the system, camera, and Cloud Service sections. To be more specific:
System
- Improved launch speed of Gallery
- Improved display experience
- Fixed issue of being unable to join Red Cable Club (IN only)
- Fixed issue of background music pausing when launching front camera
Camera
- Improved quality of video calls
- Improved color accuracy and white balance for low-light selfies
- Better vibrancy and color accuracy of macro camera
Cloud Service
- Fixed issue of syncing Notes (IN only)
As per usual, this is an incremental update – which means that some of you are gonna have to wait a little bit more before you get your turn.
Samsung
Galaxy A Series
As we mentioned last week, Samsung recently promised that their devices are now going to get 3 years of support/updates. And as expected, we all assumed that the promise referred to flagship models – not mid-range or budget ones.
However, according to new information, there is a chance that some Galaxy A devices are also going to receive 3 years of updates.
This comes from a Korean Samsung representative who noted that the Galaxy A series is still under “review”. The company is apparently still checking to see whether such devices are up to the task of receiving the latest available software – or at least that’s how the representatives make it sound like.
Though, with that said, there have been quite a few times when Samsung representatives said one thing then did another. To be more precise, we’re talking about the Galaxy Note 9’s and Galaxy 9’s series One UI 2.0 update.
The only thing that’s sure at the moment is that Samsung is still sort of trying to figure things out. So, if anything else comes up, we’ll make sure to let you know about it!
Galaxy A51 and A71
Both the Galaxy A51 and A71 are now receiving what Samsung calls "Alt Z Life" updates. From what we've seen so far, they seem to be primarily focused privacy.
To be more specific, one of the new features that you get is called "Quick Switch".
Quick Switch can be used to quickly switch between private and public modes in apps such as your camera or gallery. At the moment, the switch can be done by using the power button.
This is useful in case you have sensitive information that you'd rather not show to just anybody.
Other than that, there's also "Content suggestions" - an AI feature that can automatically detect what content is sensitive so that it can hide it under a secure folder. And as far as privacy is concerned, Samsung claims that none of that information is going to be uploaded on any servers/cloud.
Another minor update is "Gallery Zoom" - an AI feature that can automatically enhance image quality when you zoom in.
Useful Cards, on the other hand, can detect and organize what kind of payments you use to put everything in order (Debit, Credit, Bank, etc).
Galaxy Watch 3
The Galaxy Watch 3 was recently announced without bringing a lot of new stuff to the table compared to its predecessors.
However, the first official update brings quite a bit of functionality to it - even though it's unavailable for a lot of regions.
To be more specific, one of the most impressive features is blood oxygen monitoring.
And while it's probably not very accurate, it's still a nice addition to have. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that it's not available for certain regions. To be more specific, you won't be able to use it in:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Canada
- France
- Iran
- Japan
- Libya
- South Africa
- And Thailand
Furthermore, you also get VO2max - which checks the maximum amount of oxygen you utilize while exercising, sleep score, and advanced running analysis as well.
Wrapping Up
That’s all for now. 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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