Gone are the days when purchasing a budget device translated to being left out in the cold by OEMs because the price of such devices did not qualify for software upgrades and bug squashes. Honestly speaking, those were dark times, and that setback was also made worse by humble hardware specs (at that time) and an erratic Android experience (skins had not evolved to what they are today) that made the entry-level segment a laggy mess.
On the bright side, things have changed for the better, and it is not surprising if your, say KES 7,000 phone receives an update to improve user experience and so forth. It is a journey that is far from perfect (most Android phones are notorious in staying true to an update calendar), but we hope that in coming days, days that will, hopefully, adopt the services of Project Treble, update cycles will be prompt.
The star of the day is the Infinix Hot S3X that we reviewed a couple of days ago. The device has all the bells and whistles of a 2018 device such as a notch, a tall display, dual cameras and face unlock – if that is your jam. Since it is a Hot device, its price is comparatively low, which is a good thing because it gets so many things right. For instance, it snaps admirable, Instagram-friendly portraits, lasts plenty long on a charge and is light enough for a 6.2” handheld.
The update (version X622-QL1818BCDE-O-180831V46) weighs 573 MB and reads as follows:
Updated Google GSM Package
Improve stability of GSM apps
Fixed the issue of some applications
Optimized system stability and performance while fixing other issues.
It is a vague changelog, but perhaps the most important feature is the that the Hot S3X has the latest monthly security update from Google (September 5), a notable jump from July’s.
You can hit the ‘update button’ and check if these goodies are home if you are a proud owner of the Hot S3X (I love writing this model number, FYI. Passionately refreshing).
