Essential Phone is officially receiving Android 8.1 Oreo starting today
After months of testing, Android Oreo is now officially ready for the Essential Phone. The update begins rolling out starting today but it’s been an interesting ride so far. An Android 8.0 Oreo beta started back in November but just before it was finished, Essential decided to extend the beta and move onto Android 8.1.
It was a risky move (Android enthusiasts aren’t always the most patient when it comes to these sort of things) but one that seems to have worked out well for the company. With beta testing now behind them, the Essential Phone is actually one of the first non-Pixel phones to release Android 8.1 over-the-air, while bigger named manufacturers like Samsung are still struggling to push out Android 8.0 to their flagships. That’s quite an accomplishment and one that sets Essential from the rest.
The update (Build OPM1.180104.092) weighs in at around 1GB and should be available right now if you manually check for it. If it’s not don’t worry, you should see it arrive over the next few days. Since this will be Essential Phone users’ first time with Oreo, make sure to check out our post here detailing everything that’s new.
via Twitter