latest
The update to Android Pie was supposed to be faster in the wake of Project Treble, but most phones are still languishing on Oreo. HTC announced several months ago which of its phones would get Pie, a list that included most of its recent releases. Well, the first one is rolling out now—it's the HTC U11 Life.
Android 9.0 Pie is finally here, and now comes the fun part - waiting for OEMs to update their phones. Google and Essential have already started rolling out Pie to their devices, and now HTC has announced which of its phones will get Android 9.0.
HTC released the Android 8.0 Oreo update for its midrange U11 life on T-Mobile in December, but if somehow you haven't received the OTA yet and you'd like to flash it manually, you can do so now that the RUU file is available.
In its thankless quest to prove the squeeze skeptics wrong, HTC updated its Edge Launcher today with more customization options.
The HTC U11 Life launched with Nougat and HTC's interface in the US, despite it coming with Oreo and Android One in other countries. The update to Oreo didn't take long though: the unlocked version got the 8.0 OTA at the end of last month, and now the T-Mobile version is following along.
It took a little longer than usual, but HTC has just posted the RUU for the U11 life's Android 8.0 update. The U11's RUU was released just three days after its Oreo update was pushed, but the U11 life had to wait nearly two weeks. In any case, it's now here and ready for you to download.
When HTC announced the HTC U11 Life about a month ago, it promised the device wouldn't be stuck on Nougat for long and would get Oreo soon. That was actually one of the positive points in favor of the U11 Life when David reviewed the phone, but as it turns out, many OEMs are using that strategy to avoid the requirements of Treble support when launching with Oreo directly. I don't know if HTC falls in that category, but it sure smells like that is the case.
Black Friday week month is in full swing now and HTC just launched its deals for the next days. They started at 12am Easter time today, November 21, and will last until 12am Eastern time, November 29.
HTC's U11 gained two siblings today, and neither of them has been a particularly well-kept secret. They're certainly not identical twins, either. The aptly named HTC U11+ is a substantially updated, upsized version of the headline U11 from earlier in the year, with an 18:9, 6-inch display, a huge battery, and the most modern design ever seen on an HTC phone. The U11 Life is a mid-ranger that will launch with Android One outside the US.
The HTC U11 Life is one of two new smartphones announced by HTC today. I've been using it for over a week already, though, getting to know HTC's latest attempt to penetrate the ever-elusive premium midrange segment. At $349, the Life is positioned to do battle against the likes of the Moto X4 and, I guess, the 64GB Moto G5S Plus. That's really kind of it.
HTC is getting ready to release two phones in the near future. The first is the HTC U11 Plus, which is expected to have an 18:9 display with minimal bezels. The second is the U11 Life, a mid-range device originally expected to ship with Android One. HTC has an event scheduled for November 2 where the U11 Life is expected to be revealed, but T-Mobile may have just spoiled every detail possible.
Android One has been getting a fresh breath of life in the past months thanks to an expansion into new countries with the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Moto X4 Android One version. One other device we've been hearing about is the HTC U11 Life, codenamed HTC Ocean_Life. Last month we got a glimpse at what it would look like and now HTC leakster @LlabTooFer has posted the alleged specs of the phone.