THESE three Lenovo phones will get Android Oreo update, but have very long waiting time

It's been more than a month since Lenovo-owned Motorola announced the list of Moto series mobile phones eligible for  Android Oreo update and now the parent company has gone a step forward, by not only listing the devices, but also revealing the time-line on when the OS roll-out would begin.

Lenovo has confirmed that the company's three newly launched K8 series phones: the generic K8, the K8 Plus and the K8 Note will get Google's chocolate-milk cookie-flavoured OS. Sadly, they are the only devices to eligible to new software and strangely, they will start to get Android Oreo only in the second half of 2018 (June and July, to be precise).

Also read: Motorola Android Oreo update tracker: Get real-time software release status for Moto Z, Moto G5 series and more

Last month, Lenovo, taking a leaf out of its sister brand Motorola, launched the new K8 series phones with stock Android for the first time .

The change in strategy to abandon its customised Vibe UI for Vanilla Android was primarily aimed to reduce the time-taken to release software update to its devices. With pure OS, Lenovo need not have to make any huge changes or tweak the Google's source code that much; just need to optimise software to make it compatible with K8 series hardware, which by the way, a big company like Lenovo, has enough resources (software engineers and tools) in its R&D facility to do that.

For instance, rival HMD Global Oy, which sells Nokia series phone with stock Android OS, is reportedly planning to release Oreo update to the Nokia 8 by the end of October or early November.

Read more: Nokia 8 tipped to skip Android 7.1.2 Nougat, directly get Oreo update

But, the agonising long waiting time for Android Oreo update has flummoxed tech critics and especially the Lenovo K8 series owners.

Android Oreo update release time line for Lenovo phones:

What's coming in Android Oreo update?

Android Oreo comes with numerous improvements over the 2016-series Android Nougat software, such as faster booting time, extended battery life, more fluid experiences to phones, latest security patches via Google Play Protect that automatically checks malware inside all the applications installed on the mobile.

Another key aspect of Android Oreo is the Rescue Party feature, which helps the device to recover from constant boot loops.

Read more: Google Android Oreo vs Android Nougat: What's changed?

Android Oreo also brings several new features such as picture-in-picture, which allows users to do two tasks simultaneously, like checking the calendar while planning a party on a Duo video call. And Smart Text Selection improves copy and paste. With the help of machine learning to recognise entities on the screen — like a complete address — users will be able to easily select text they want with a double tap, and even bring up an app like Maps to help during navigation.

Stay tuned. Follow us @IBTimesIN_Tech on Twitter for the latest news on Google Android Oreo release schedule and Lenovo products.