Nokia Android Pie Update: When It'll Happen

HMD Global has just announced the new Nokia 7.1 and with its increasing number of devices, users might be starting to worry that the manufacturer has already forgotten about them. Not quite because right in the middle of its presentation, HMD laid out its timetable for rolling out Android 9 Pie. The good news: the rollout will start sometime this month. The bad news: that only applies to the more recent and slightly more expensive Nokia phones.

When HMD Global set out to revive Nokia's name in the mobile market, it quickly set its self apart not just in price but by also doing what very few OEMs did. It shipped a (mostly) pristine version of Android and committed to fast, regular updates that they have more or less delivered on.

But monthly security updates is one thing. Major Android updates that significantly change the platform across the board is going to really test that commitment. So far only the Nokia 7 Plus has gotten Android Pie but that's almost a cheat. It was already part of the Android P Beta program anyway.

If you have one of the later Nokia phones, however, you're in luck. According to HDM Global, the Nokia 6.1 and Nokia 6.1 Plus (Nokia X6 in China) will be receiving Android 9 Pie sometime this month. The Nokia 8 and Nokia 8 Sirocco, still HMD's most expensive flagships, will get the treat in November. The newly launched Nokia 7.1, which curiously doesn't ship with Android 9, will also get updated this month. Skip to the 8:18 mark in the video below for the promise.

Those, however, are hardly HMD Global's only Android phones in the market. There are still quite a few, especially on the lower tiers. HMD has a few more phones to mind, so we can probably excuse them for not being as fast as Essential. Hopefully, they'll be able to catch up quickly and pass this litmus test.