There aren’t lots of Android devices that are running the latest mobile OS from the search giant. In fact, the existing and limited number of ways to enjoy new software goodies and features is if you either pick a Pixel (a hard sell in markets outside the U.S.), or any of the several phones on the Android One Program, the latter of which isn’t even that promising save for a handful of handsets such as HMD’s Nokia devices (Nokia 7 Plus, 7.1 and 6.1 Plus that are already on Pie, to mention a few) and Xiaomi (Mi A2, Mi A2 Lite and Mi A1).
To this end, it is always good news when companies release updates (albeit late), and one of the companies to do so is Huawei. Its high-end device that sells in Kenyan shops the P20 Pro (the Mate 20 series are yet to make their way here, officially) is receiving Android 9 Pie as of this writing. The software goodies include some of Pie’s most exceptional features such as notch support, improved DND mode, app actions, zooming in text and better notification channels, among many others.
However, it should be noted that Huawei devices are skinned with EMUI, which is on its 9th iteration and is preloaded in Pie. The existence of a skin implies that some of Android 9 Pie features may or may not be present on the P20 Pro (and other Huawei phones), so users may need to keep that in mind.
Mobile phone manufacturers, especially the most popular ones have never been prompt with updates. Samsung is only sending Pie this January for the S9/Plus and Note9, Huawei is catching up (the two companies have several models selling in the Kenyan market, so we will keep an eye on them) now, Xiaomi’s POCOPHONE F1 was updated in December (it is doing a good job with its Android One phones though) but the rest of groups (Transsion group of phones, OPPO, et al.) are yet to say anything about their update cycle calendar, but we will see their progress, or lack thereof in 2019.
Do you have a P20 Pro? Hit that update button.
