Motorola rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo to a large number of phones

There was a time when Android phone manufacturers promised the world with their software update ambitions. Very few lived up to these ambitions and since then they have learnt to not promise anything but to give a lot of waffle and mention that it is being discussed.

Several companies though have managed to be able to deliver timely upgrades to their devices with not just security upgrades but also Android version upgrades. Motorola is one of these and today have announced their latest series of upgrades.

Beginning with their moto X4 Motorola is rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo to a number of devices, including devices released in 2016. The Motorola devices which will be receiving the update from today are:

• moto x4
• moto Z
• moto Z Play
• moto Z2 Play
• moto G5
• moto G5 Plus
• moto G5S
• moto G5S Plus
• moto G4 Plus

The update for the X4 is over 1.1GB and includes much of the usual Oreo goodness including Autofill logins, faster speeds and longer battery life, PIP and new emojis. Notably an improvement in the camera performance and capture speeds for photos with depth information, a decrease in the storage used by the system files by up to 2GB and increased stability are a feature of the X4 update. The updates also bring the security patch to the December patch.

Motorola make great phones with very minimal alteration (breaking) of the core Android operating system and therefore it seems are able to deliver timely updates to a much greater range of devices than nearly every other manufacturer out there. Those other manufacturers should take heed of this by Motorola and being to plan accordingly for the futures of their own phones (being stuck on Android 6.0 on a 2016 flagship is not good enough).

If you own any of the above devices keep an eye out for the Oreo update that should be inbound any day now. Remember this is a staggered rollout, as all phone updates are these days so be patient and let us know when you begin to receive yours.

Bravo Motorola. Two HUGE thumbs up for you.

Update: The media release, as received from Motorola today, is included below:

Motorola rolls out the latest Android 8.0 Oreo OS update on moto x⁴  in Australia

Sydney, Australia, 5 February 2018: Motorola has rolled out the latest Android 8.0 Oreo OS on its recently announced moto x⁴ smartphone. The new Android 8.0 Oreo OS promises to further accentuate the consumer experience and bring about noteworthy features making the device  smarter, faster and more powerful.

The latest Android™ 8.0.0 Oreo comes with  many enhancements including new multitasking features, security capabilities, improved notifications and performance.

This 1.1GB update introduces changes including the following:

• Autofill your logins to favorite apps
• Faster speeds, longer battery life and smart text selection
• Picture-in-picture gives you a floating window letting you do more at the same time
• Notification dots on your apps to alert you of something new
• Google Play protect to keep you safe from malicious apps
• Further improved battery life*
• New Emojis – One can express themselves in very many new ways through a fully redesigned Emoji set which includes over 60 new Emoji.

The Android™ 8.0.0 Oreo will additionally update your moto X⁴ with the following:

• Camera improvements: improved performance and capture speed for photos with depth information
• Android security: includes the updates of Android security patches until 1 December 2017
• System storage: reduction of storage used by system files by up to 2GB
• Stability** improvements: includes changes that fix bugs and improve the stability of your phone.

The  Oreo upgrades started with the moto x⁴  , which was released on the 11^th Jan 2018.  The update is now available across the following smartphones in Australia and New Zealand.

• moto z
• moto z Play
• moto z² Play
• moto g⁵
• moto g⁵ Plus
• moto g^5S
• moto g^5S Plus
• moto g⁴ Plus **

*Based on the Android 8.0 Oreo Announcement on August 21, 2017.

**In addition to the N upgrade it has already received, we will be upgrading moto g4 Plus to Android O. Because this is an unplanned upgrade, it will take some time to fit into our schedule, we’ll update our software upgrade page when we have more info.

Moto x4 is a smartphone crafted to perfection with a precision-crafted premium glass and metal design, which makes it as beautiful as it is strong. It features a 5.2-inch full HD display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 platform. It sports 3GB RAM coupled with 32GB of onboard storage, which can be further expanded by up to 256GB via SD card slot. The moto x⁴ sports a dual-rear camera setup with one 12MP primary lens with f/2.0 aperture and another 8MP secondary wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture. The front camera is equipped with a 16MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. The smartphone is powered by a 3000mAh battery and its home button doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. With this update, the moto x⁴ is now faster, smarter and sharper, while it looks stunning as ever.

Availability Optional

* Consumers are advised to back up their important data and ensure the phone has sufficient battery before initiating the update. Also, as it’s a large update, avoid using mobile networks.

** In case of stability issues arising due to legacy app data, a factory reset would help get optimal device performance.

About Motorola Mobility

Motorola Mobility LLC was acquired by Lenovo Group Holdings in 2015.  Motorola Mobility is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenovo, and is responsible for designing and manufacturing all Moto branded mobile handsets. For more information, visit motorola.in