HTC One M9 Android 8.0 update Beta Testing in Progress

The now almost two-year-old HTC One M9 may still get an update to Android 8.0 (Oreo). The beta testing is already in progress according to Australian telecom provider Optus. The update is scheduled for this spring.

HTC One M9 Android Oreo update coming

HTC has not yet confirmed the new software, but according to the Australian provider Optus the update will appear in March. The HTC One M9 will be updated to Android 8.0  and will also receive protection against Wi-Fi leak KRACK. The update will probably also appear in other countries, including the Netherlands, around the same time.

It would be the third major update for the HTC One M9. When the device appeared in early 2016, it ran on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). Since then, HTC has updated the M9 to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and Android 7.0 (Nougat). With this, HTC goes beyond most Android manufacturers, who even dump their most important smartphones after two years. The Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4 and Huawei P9 from the same year will probably not get the update.

In addition, HTC is still relatively fast if it succeeds in releasing the Android Oreo update in March. Many manufacturers have not yet released the new software for their current top devices, let alone for older and cheaper models. Some popular smartphones of the past year may not get the update but after the One M9. For the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8, an update will appear later in the spring.

New in Android 8.0

Android 8.0 (Oreo) introduces, among other things, a picture-in-picture mode for watching videos. Also new are notification channels, which make it easier to filter which messages an app can or can not send. In addition, the battery consumption of apps on standby is further reduced. The expectation is that HTC will also add some features of newer devices such as the U11 Plus.