Android updates always pose the same question: when will my phone get it? Here's what we know about the most popular handsets and their current status for Android Oreo.
Google's Pixel line is the flagship Android phone lineup at this point---if you want Android at its purest, then you have to get it straight from the source. That source, of course, is Google, and the Pixel lineup is the company's in-house phone, designed to show what Android can do best.
Because the Pixel phones are designed and maintained by Google, that means they get OS updates before pretty much anyone else. As a result, all phones in the Pixel line have already been updated to the latest version of Android, which is currently 8.1:
- Pixel 1: Updated
- Pixel XL: Updated
- Pixel 2: Updated
- Pixel 2 XL: Updated
Essential
Essential only has one phone in its lineup, and it got off to a bit of a rocky start. The Essential PH-1 has come a long way since its release back in August of 2017, and the company has done an excellent job of pushing bug fixes and new features through software updates.
While many manufacturers are currently still trying to update their handsets to Android 8.0, Essentially skipped the initial Oreo release and went straight for the latest version with 8.1.
- PH-1: Updated
Samsung
Samsung is the largest manufacturer of Android phones in the world, and it has a lot of phones to keep updated. As a result, it prioritizes its flagship phones above all others---the Galaxy S series and Notes will always be the first to get updated to the latest version of Android.
Still, it's generally slower to push updates than some of its competitors, presumably because it has so many irons in the fire. Samsung has gotten better at this over the years, but there's still a lot of work to be done.
- Galaxy S9/S9+: Shipped with Oreo
- Galaxy S8/S8+: Updated
- Galaxy S8 Active: Updated
- Note 8: Updated
- Galaxy S7/S7 Edge: Update planned
- Galaxy Note 5: Rumored
LG
LG has done a good job of refining its product lines over the last few years, keeping most of its focus on a pair of top-end phones: the G series and V series. While the G series was generally considered to be the company's flagship phones for the longest time, the V series has become the sort of cutting-edge line where the most modern tech and edgier designs are pushed.
Currently, the latest in the V lineup is the only LG handset to have received Oreo, but others are slated to get updated eventually:
- V30: Updated
- V30 Plus: Planned
- V20: Planned
- G6: Planned
- G5: Planned
OnePlus
OnePlus is a company that prides itself on releasing higher-end phones with more modest prices than the competition, though many would argue the company itself can't be trusted.
While its integrity is indeed questionable, there's no arguing that it has done a good job keeping its handsets updated to the latest version of Android---all of its latest models are already running Google's latest.
- 5T: Updated
- 5: Updated
- 3T: Updated
- 3: Updated