The newly announced Moto E5 lineup of entry-level Android devices will likely never be updated to Android P, with the Lenovo-owned smartphone maker not attaching a promise of a major operating system upgrade to the handset series. While the move doesn’t guarantee the Moto E5 won’t eventually move past Android 8.0 Oreo, the company’s already established product practices are indicative of that scenario, especially since Motorola rarely goes beyond its software support promises and has often been criticized for not committing enough resources to updating its devices. For added context, the Moto G6 line that the firm announced simultaneously with the three Moto E5-series phones has been promised to receive at least one major OS upgrade — i.e. Android P — in the future, most likely circa mid-2019.
The original equipment manufacturer is possibly looking to beef up its software support practices to address some of the previous criticism it faced in the segment, with one of its officials recently hinting at such a move after revealing that Motorola is working on a new Beta Experiences program meant to allow the most enthusiastic portion of its user base to test new firmware before it becomes available on a global level. No specific details about the initiative have yet been disclosed by the firm, though the program is now expected to be introduced at some point this year.
The newly unveiled Moto E5 and Moto G6 lineups are already available for purchase in Brazil and will be released in Mexico next week. Consumers in other parts of Latin America, as well as those in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia will be able to purchase Motorola‘s first 2018 products in the coming months, most likely before summer. The company is also expected to announce the Moto Z3 Play in the coming weeks after not refreshing its modular series for over half a year.