For years, we’ve waited for Android device makers to speed up Android updates. And for a while, some of them were keen to show us that it was possible to issue timely Android updates. But it looks like the best Android devices of 2017 will only get the Android 8.0 Oreo treatment at some point early next year.
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 will run Nougat at least until early 2018, Samsung apparently confirmed.
Samsung shared news about the Oreo update on a Turkey portal back in early October that was just discovered by xda-developers.
That’s certainly a strange place to make announcements, but it’s apparently a Samsung news portal. The short report says that Samsung is already working on the Oreo “pilot,” which will be released at the beginning of the new year.
Samsung promises that the Oreo update will minimize background load and it’ll let apps open faster. Other features include new emoji, picture in picture video, new notifications, and a Night Mode.
The short post does not mention what Samsung devices are going to be the first to get the update, but it’s likely the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 will be included in the first wave. 2016 flagships like the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy Note 7 (where available) will also probably get it.
We can’t entirely blame phone makers for their update delays, as carriers are still involved in the process. And Samsung has never been the first to update its phones. But it sure is annoying to wait more than four months for a major software release.
Google released Android 8.0 in mid-August, and it’s currently available on Pixel and Nexus devices.
Sony, meanwhile, has started pushing the Oreo update to the Xperia XZ Premium.
