Samsung will finally roll out the Android Oreo 8.0 update for the unlocked versions of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 in two to three weeks.
The wait has been a long one, but the delay in the release of operating system updates is one of the trade-offs in owning unlocked Android smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8 To Finally Upgrade To Android 8.0 Oreo
Samsung, through a post on its official community forums, revealed that it is currently working with carriers to roll out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8 over the next two to three weeks.
Samsung, however, could not commit to a specific date on when the operating system upgrade will be launched, as final testing is still pending.
Owners of the unlocked versions of Samsung's previous-generation flagship smartphones have long been waiting for the Android 8.0 Oreo update. The latest major version of Google's mobile operating system was released to the public on August 2017, which means that the Android 8.0 Oreo upgrade has been seven months in the making for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8.
However, at the start of March, Android 8.0 Oreo started rolling out to select Galaxy Note 8 users, and just a few days ago, the update arrived for the carrier-locked Galaxy S8. Samsung, in its forum post, explained why carrier-locked smartphones get operating system upgrades faster than their unlocked versions.
The Android 8.0 Oreo update for carrier-locked smartphones needs only to be tested for that specific network. Meanwhile, for unlocked smartphones, the update needs to be tested for all possible networks, which means that more preparation is needed. Unlocked smartphones provide users with flexibility in the carrier that they want to use, but a longer wait for Android operating system updates is the trade-off for that convenience.
Android P On Its Way
The unlocked versions of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 will finally be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo in two to three weeks. However, the smartphones might not be on the latest version of the operating system for long.
The still-unnamed Android P, the successor to Android Oreo, is expected to be announced at the upcoming Google I/O developer conference, which will run from May 8 to May 10. Android P is then expected to be released to the public in August.
This means that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 will only be on the latest Android version for about four months. Afterward, there is no telling how long the wait will be for the Android P update to arrive for the smartphones.
