Essential Phone is finally being updated to Android Oreo

by Florin Troaca / Mar 13, 2018, 1:04 PM

Essential Phone is finally being updated to Android Oreo

If you own an Essential Phone, we’ve got great news! Starting today, March 13, Essential is officially rolling out an Android 8.1 Oreo update to the handset - this is a full release, not a beta, and is available to all users. If you haven’t received an update notification yet, go to your Essential Phone’s Settings menu and manually check to see if you can download Oreo right away. Most (if now all) users should be able to install the new version of the OS today.

While Essential doesn’t specify this, we’re pretty sure that the Android 8.1 Oreo update is available to all editions of the smartphone, including the recently released Ocean Depths, Stellar Gray, Copper Black, and Halo Gray models.

The public Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Essential Phone arrives later than expected. At the end of January, Essential said that it would launch it in “a couple of weeks,” but it’s been six weeks since then. Anyway, it’s nice to see that the Essential Phone is finally getting rid of Android 7 Nougat, seven months after the device hit the market.

source: Essential (Twitter)

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18 Comments

1. libra89

Posts: 2289; Member since: Apr 15, 2016

That's good!

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 1:54 PM 3

2. yalokiy

Posts: 1047; Member since: Aug 01, 2016

Yet, before any USA version of S8.

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 2:01 PM 6

12. JC557

Posts: 1919; Member since: Dec 07, 2011

Which is why I was asking myself: "What do you mean 'Finally'?"

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 10:27 PM 1

3. Sparkxster

Posts: 1238; Member since: Mar 31, 2017

Samsung doesn't care about providing fast updates sadly.

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 2:46 PM 0

6. Finalflash

Posts: 4063; Member since: Jul 23, 2013

They don't because most users won't. Until people put their money where their mouth is, no manufacturer is going to do anything about it.

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 3:05 PM 7

13. AVVA1

Posts: 228; Member since: Aug 01, 2017

I definitely agree most Samsung users wouldnt care or try not to but phones nowadays are getting more expensive and two year update program should be maximized or atleast lengthen their update program to 3 years. Same goes to Qualcomm. Hopefully Project Treble delivers. Unfortunately S8 and Note 8 wouldnt get Project Treble

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 10:46 PM 0

15. LionStone

Posts: 1048; Member since: Dec 10, 2010

Regardless if most Samsung users wouldn't care or not, the fact that they are charging top top dollar should ensure that they would update in a timely manner. Look at HTC with a fraction of the users that Samsung has, yet has last years flagship updated and this year's as well. And yes, for the amount we are paying for these devices, maybe only have for a year or 2, yet the majority of that time on older software is just taking advantage of your customers. And it's not like the device is totally crippled, but hey the update has been available, users deserve to be on the new software, regardless of what features are redundant, there are still optimizations to benefit from.

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 11:22 PM 1

17. medtxa

Posts: 1655; Member since: Jun 02, 2014

No one cares for updates anymore if the phone is 2-3 years old. For average users it's just old phone as long it's work they don't care. For nerd who really cares they would just install custom ROM.

posted on Mar 14, 2018, 2:58 AM 0

4. Sleeplessmedal

Posts: 31; Member since: Feb 02, 2018

Nokia 8 received already 8.1 update lol

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 2:59 PM 0

5. Tech-shake

Posts: 213; Member since: Nov 14, 2016

Essential is one of the few android manufacturers who actually went and implemented treble on their phone. Nokia skipped the whole treble feature which is why they got to deliver the update faster. Nevertheless, essential is pretty late imo

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 3:03 PM 1

7. Finalflash

Even still, this should make future updates super fast. Oreo is a big change to how the whole system is structured so it is bound to take a while if manufacturers do not skip the Treble upgrades.

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 3:06 PM 3

8. yalokiy

Not the USA versions. Update: sorry, read note 8 instead.

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 4:03 PM 0

9. fyahking

Posts: 1146; Member since: Jan 28, 2015

Just got it on my two essential ph-one!!!!

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 6:35 PM 2

10. collin3000

Posts: 70; Member since: Apr 28, 2015

Sitting here on my Essential phone saying there's no update and wondering where the article sourced it's info.

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 7:24 PM 0

16. fyah_king unregistered

Click software update and it'll show up in like a minute .

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 11:37 PM 0

18. logicsdude

Posts: 85; Member since: Jun 25, 2014

Gotta put a non-sprint SIM in

posted on Mar 14, 2018, 1:37 PM 0

11. jonathanfiuwx

Posts: 182; Member since: Mar 10, 2017

Update to beta first then it will update

posted on Mar 13, 2018, 10:08 PM 0

14. collin3000

Beta OTA update link is now gone. Looking at Reddit all the Sprint users that were on 7.1.1 aren't seeing the 8.1 update either. They've gotta toss another carriers SIM in to get the 8.1 update