Richard Goodwin 22/08/2017 - 10:02am

Google has officially unveiled Android Oreo, so you can expect the update to be hitting Pixel phones very soon

Google has unveiled Android Oreo in the usual ceremonial fashion as its US-based HQ, signaling the release date of the company’s next big platform update.

Android Oreo promises to be faster, more secure, and lighter on battery usage, though the usual caveats apply. Currently, only about 15% of all Android phones are running Android Nougat.

Google initially announced Android O back at its Google I/O 2017 expo and, since then, we’ve seen and heard plenty about the update, including expected time frames for release dates.

Android Oreo Release Date – Who’s First In Line?

Pixel phones, basically. And Nexus handsets. Everybody else – so, Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC, OnePlus, Huawei – will likely have to wait months or, in some cases, indefinitely for Android Oreo to reach their handsets.

“We've been working closely with our partners over the last many months,” said Google, “and by the end of this year, hardware makers like Essential, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, Motorola, HMD Global Home of Nokia Phones, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony are scheduled to be launching or upgrading new devices to Android 8.0 Oreo.”

Below is a breakdown of Android Oreo’s key new features:

  • Improved Notifications 
  • Better Battery Management 
  • Picture-In-Picture Mode 
  • Adaptive Icons 
  • Improved Sound Quality 
  • Password Autofill 
  • Multi-Display Support 
  • Improved Keyboard Input

Beta builds of Android Oreo have been available for months now, but the final version should start shipping to Pixel phones and Nexus handsets in the coming weeks.

If you’re running a non-Google-made phone, you'll likely be waiting A LONG TIME for Android Oreo to land. Normally, the fastest hardware partners usually manage to get the update out in and around the run-up to December – sometimes earlier, but not usually.

New handsets released during late-Q3/early-Q4 will likely ship with the latest build of Android, however, though if you’re running a flagship from the beginning of the year, you could be in for a wait.

If you don’t like waiting, and you know how to unlock your phone’s bootloader, you can, of course, download Android Oreo as soon as it is available.