It’s no secret that Android OEMs are terrible at updating their phones to the newest version of Android. But it’s even worse than we thought.
Since Android Oreo arrival six months ago, the software has been a mere footnote in monthly distribution numbers. With over two billion Android phones on the market, Android Oreo only accounts for around 1-percent. Recent data suggests iOS is on nearly 70-percent of devices (as of January 2018).
ComputerWorld took a closer look at how quickly Android manufacturers have released Android updates, and the results are truly pathetic. To get its point across, ComputerWorld assigned grades, and only Google, to nobody’s surprise, received an A.
The second closest grade was OnePlus, which received a D. The other manufacturers, including HTC, Motorola, LG, and Samsung, all received an F grade. Samsung, in particular, got zero points, ranking last in upgrade performance.
That’s disappointing considering Samsung is among the largest mobile companies on the market. It has taken the company a ridiculous amount of time to get Android Oreo in the hands of Galaxy S8 owners, and even that hasn’t been without its issues.
The takeaway here is that if you want the latest version of Android in a timely manner, your only sure bet is to buy a Pixel phone. Which isn’t a bad choice, because the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 are arguably the best Android phones on the market, offering excellent designs, clean software, and the best mobile cameras.
Check out ComputerWorld’s report down below for a more thorough look at the sad state of Android distribution.
