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LG Android 8.0 update
LG managed to launch the V20 last year with Android Nougat pre-installed – the first phone to arrive with the latest version of Android out of the box. We might see a similar thing happen this year with the upcoming LG V30, which is due to be unveiled on August 31, just a few days after the Galaxy Note 8.
LG managed to swing this last year largely thanks to its tight relationship with Google on various Nexus partnerships, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this year Samsung hasn’t tried to wrestle that special benefit from its South Korean competition’s hands. Regardless of whether LG manages a repeat of last year’s pre-installed magic trick, LG has a bit of work to do with the rest of its device updates.
With Nougat, LG got the first update out to the LG G5 on Sprint after 91 days, just two weeks after the very first update hit South Korean devices. T-Mobile followed a little over a week later, followed by Verizon immediately afterward. AT&T dropped the ball big-time, taking double the length of time it took Sprint to get Nougat out: an eye-watering 182 days (which, for comparison’s sake is the same amount of time it took for the very first Samsung device to get updated to Nougat). For the Marshmallow update, LG was similarly speedy, taking less than two months to get it out in South Korea and just 75 days for the US, on the Sprint LG G4. Non-flagship devices have always been LG’s weak point, so being first with an update for one device isn’t exactly helpful if you don’t own the latest and greatest. Either way, we should see the LG Android 8.0 update roll out for the LG G6 somewhere between two and a half months to three months after Google releases it. As per usual, South Korea will likely get it about two weeks earlier. That puts the first US update around October or November depending on when in August Oreo first becomes available. As mentioned above, the V30 might well arrive with Oreo pre-installed. Best case scenario: 2.5-3 months after Android 8.0 arrives (October/November 2017)
Sony Android 8.0 update
Sony’s decision to cancel its Concept for Android program is disappointing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the company won’t still put out a developer preview of Android O before the official release from Google. Previews aside, Sony is actually getting better at updating its devices to new versions of Android, which is especially noteworthy because there are still a lot of them.
For the Sony Android 8.0 update we’d expect the Xperia XZ Premium to be at the top of the list. There’s a very real possibility that Sony could have a new flagship in time for IFA, just like LG and Samsung, but it’s pretty unlikely it would ship with Android O on board.
The Sony Nougat update first landed on the Xperia X Performance 99 days after Google released it, with the Xperia XZ update coming one day later. What’s perhaps more important though, is that Sony then pushed the Nougat update to even more current devices in the coming weeks, something that can’t be said of all OEMs after they get their first device over the line. This a vast improvement over the Marshmallow update, which took five months to arrive for the Xperia Z5, Z4 Tablet and Z3+. Sony was admittedly going through a tough period at the time, so lets’ hope the company’s Nougat performance is more indicative of the new Sony approach to updates. With this in mind, we could see the first Sony Android 8.0 update a little over three months following its official release. That puts it somewhere in the vicinity of November or December. One thing to keep in mind here is that Sony isn’t as weighed down by carrier delays as other manufacturers in the US – unfortunately because none of them seem to want to have anything to do with Sony. Best case scenario: 3-3.5 months after Android 8.0 arrives (November/December 2017)
Motorola Android 8.0 update
Motorola has also been through a pretty tumultuous time of late, exchanging hands between Google and Lenovo, having its legendary moniker stripped and later reinstated and generally not seeming to know whether its coming or going. Some good things have managed to stay in place though, primarily the company’s ability to get out rapid updates.
Besides Motorola’s relationship with Verizon on the Droid range in the US, Moto phones typically get bought outright, meaning there’s no lengthy carrier delay for a lot of owners. But even with its carrier dependent Droid phones, Motorola still manages to get updates out quickly, a handy leftover from its time under Google’s wing and pared-back interface.
Motorola was the first OEM to get the Nougat update out in the US, delivering it to the Moto Z and Moto Z Force (including the Droid versions) after just 88 days. The international unlocked update rolled out a couple of days later, putting Moto well ahead of the competition. The Marshmallow update was a similar story, with the Moto X Pure Edition getting it in just two months. Pure Editions are no longer a thing, but Motorola has shown it can get an Android update out within two to three months of Google. Giving the company the benefit of the doubt means the first Motorola Android 8.0 update could land in October, but we’re leaning a little more towards November. Best case scenario: 2-3 months after Android 8.0 arrives (October/November 2017)
HTC Android 8.0 update
HTC has a pretty good comeback phone on its hands with the U11, even if its massive size and large bezels stick out a little in today’s skinny bezel-less landscape. The company was one of the first to start stripping away core features and moving them into Google Play, where they could be updated independently of a major firmware update.
HTC has proven itself to be one of the more forward-thinking Android manufacturers where updates are concerned, but being adventurous sometimes leads to issues. HTC was one of a few OEMs to temporarily shut down their Nougat update due to issues that only became apparent after the rollout had begun.
Bugs notwithstanding on the Nougat rollout, HTC got it out internationally after just 95 days, with it landing on the T-Mobile HTC 10 after 138 days. T-Mobile was also the first in the US to get Nougat out to the HTC One M9, taking another two and a half months to deliver that update. By comparison, the Marshmallow update was all over the place (if generally very promising): the HTC One M8 Google Play edition was naturally very quick out the gate, followed a few weeks later by the Developer Edition of the HTC One M9 in December. Unlocked versions of the One M9 and A9 also got updated (to Android 6.0.1 rather than 6.0) in December and most carrier-branded versions in early January. Times have obviously changed since the good old days of Google Play and Developer Editions, meaning HTC’s Oreo performance is probably more likely to match Nougat than Marshmallow. That gives us a date of around four and a half months for the HTC Android 8.0 update, putting it somewhere around December or January, depending on when exactly Android O officially drops. Best case scenario: 4-5 months after Android 8.0 arrives (December 2017/January 2018)
Huawei Android 8.0 update
Huawei, like LG, sits a little outside the normal scope of Android updates because the company typically releases a device at the end of the year with the latest version of Android pre-installed. The Huawei Mate 8 had Marshmallow out of the box and the Mate 9 had Nougat on board.
Huawei also doesn’t have any carrier agreements in the US, selling its phones in the country unlocked. While that means there are no carrier delays imposed on Huawei’s update rollouts, the company doesn’t have the best track record where pushing updates to its US devices are concerned.
The first Nougat update pushed out by Huawei was to the Huawei Mate 8 and P9 in China, coming three and a half months after Google released it. The first US update, as far as I can tell, came to the Huawei P9 Lite in mid-January, five months after Nougat appeared, with the Mate 9 getting a patch in early March followed by the Amazon Alexa update a couple of weeks later. It’s impossible to judge a timeline for the Huawei Android 8.0 update due to the company’s lack of focus on the US market, its habit of releasing updates for select international regions (but not all), dropping early access betas and promising updates that never arrive. The Huawei Mate 10 should arrive with Oreo on board, but that’s about as accurate a prediction as we can make. Best case scenario: Your guess is as good as ours
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