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Nokia's first salvo of Android phones debuted at MWC all the way back in 2017, with the company initially committing to two years of updates for its new devices. Well, it's been a bit over two years since those phones were released, and Nokia has decided it doesn't want to give up on them so easily. The Nokia 3, 5, 6, and 8 will continue to get quarterly security updates for an extra year, into 2020.
Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer at HMD and our current source of information on all-things Nokia, revealed yesterday the Android 9 Pie update roadmap for the company's devices. True to what was promised there, the Nokia 5 (2017) is the first phone to get the OTA today.
Slowly but surely, HMD Global has been rolling out Android 9 Pie to its Nokia-branded phones. The Nokia 7 Plus, 6.1, 6.1 Plus, 5.1, 5.1 Plus, 8, and 8 Sirocco have all received Pie by now. If your Nokia device still doesn't have Pie, don't fret — HMD has laid out its update timeline for all remaining phones.
HMD Global is fast gaining the reputation as the best Android phone-maker around when it comes to fast OS updates. Its Nokia-branded phones have been updated ahead of the pack more often than not in recent months, and with the news that all future devices will run pure versions of Android (One or Go), the Finnish company has made a strong commitment to continue that good work. We're now hearing that Android 8.1 Oreo is beginning to roll out to the Nokia 5 and the 2017 Nokia 6.
HMD/Nokia are on a roll lately. The official Oreo update came to the Nokia 7 and Nokia 6 (2018) a few weeks ago and the Nokia 8 has even started beta testing Oreo 8.1, but the company is still firing on all cylinders and hasn't forgotten its older or lower range devices. Both the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6 are starting to get the official Oreo 8.0 update now.
Nokia hasn't been a player in smartphones for years, but it's back with the help of manufacturer HMD. There have been various Android-powered Nokia phones this year, and the latest is the mid-range Nokia 5. The Nokia phones of old have a reputation for being durable, but what about this new one? The JerryRigEverything YouTube channel seeks to find out. Spoiler: things went pretty well for the Nokia 5.
Nokia's actually been doing very well in the update game for its new line of phones under HMD, with incredibly quick security patch releases and software betas. For instance, the 'flagship' Nokia 8 got an Oreo beta back in late October, with the full update issued just a month later. Now development is trickling down to the lower-end models, namely the Nokia 5 and 6. The Oreo beta for the Nokia 5 is out now, with the 6's coming soon.
The recent Nokia-branded phones from HMD Global have been pretty popular. The goal of a near-stock Android ROM with quick updates has also caused Android enthusiasts to take notice, especially as many budget phones don't receive major updates at all.
We at AP usually don't cover security patches for non-Google devices, as those are released for different models constantly, but we found this pretty interesting: Nokia began pushing the August 2017 security patch to the Nokia 5 and 6 yesterday, the very same day that Google did. Impressive work, HMD Global.
As the revival of the Nokia brand by Finnish company HMD Global continues to gather pace, its latest products are now available to buy in Australia. The Nokia 3, 5, and 6 were announced earlier in the year, much to the joy of our long-time Nokia enthusiast, Rita. The intriguing flagship Nokia 8 is on the horizon and the Nokia 6 was recently released in the US. Now, the company is extending the global availability of its low to mid-range devices.
As I'm sure many of you know, HMD Global became the exclusive licensee of Nokia in 2016, and released the Nokia 6 in China earlier this year. At Mobile World Congress, two more models were announced - the Nokia 5 and 3. Starting today, Nokia/HMD has launched all three phones in India.
I have fond memories of Nokia, like many others, so I was excited to watch the Finnish firm's announcements today at MWC. The presentation started with more talk on the OZO 360° virtual reality camera, which was used to livestream everything to YouTube 360. Also of note was that Nokia is finalizing its purchase of Withings, the French connected devices company. Most importantly, however, were the phone announcements.
Nokia, much like BlackBerry, no longer manufactures its own devices. After selling its entire mobile division to Microsoft in 2014, it partnered with Foxconn to manufacture the Nokia N1 tablet, but that seemed to be a one-time deal. Now HMD Global, the Finnish manufacturer with the exclusive right to use the Nokia brand for phones, might be launching new Nokia devices at Mobile World Congress.