OnePlus recently started rolling out Android 11 to the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro smartphones and we now have a timeline for the OnePlus 7 series devices as well. The 2019 models will get the latest iteration of Android in December this year, a company spokesperson confirmed to Android Authority. This confirmation comes against recent rumors suggesting that 2019 OnePlus flagships would not see Android 11 before 2021.
The OnePlus 7 series comprises of four models powered by two different chipsets. The OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro feature the Snapdragon 855 SoC while the newer OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro get the Snapdragon 855+. The latter two are likely to get the big update first, followed by older models. This timeline should also cover the 5G versions of the 7 Pro and 7T Pro.
Interestingly, there’s no mention of the OnePlus Nord anywhere. The mid-range OnePlus smartphone launched a couple of months back running Android 10. Hopefully, Android 11 for this device would also arrive by the end of this year.
Android 11 update timeline for OnePlus 7 series confirmed
OnePlus is among the fastest when it comes to rolling out major Android OS updates to its smartphones, largely thanks to its small smartphone portfolio. The company earlier launched only two phones in a year.
However, the company is now gradually expanding its smartphone portfolio. It launched four flagship models last year and entered the mid-range segment with OnePlus Nord this year. This will certainly put some strain on the company’s upgrade speeds, but not by much, it seems.
While OnePlus has yet to officially announce an Android 11 update roadmap for its smartphones, this tentative December timeline for 2019 models will still likely beat out many rival brands. Samsung has yet to push a stable Android 11 update to any of its phones. It only recently began public beta testing of Android 11-based OneUI 3.0 with the Galaxy S20 series. The Korean company is unlikely to update any of its 2019 models with Android 11 this year.
OnePlus will also likely seed beta versions of Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 to its 2019 flagships ahead of the stable release. With just around two months left for the tentative schedule, it shouldn’t be too long now before the beta testing begins.
OxygenOS 11 brings several new features and enhancements to OnePlus’ custom Android skin. Always-On Display (AOD) is one of the notable new features. The user interface (UI) also sees a big overhaul for easy one-handed usage. The OxygenOS 11 UI now resembles Samsung’s One UI.
While OnePlus prepares to push Android 11 to its older smartphones, it launched the OnePlus 8T yesterday, with Android 11 of course. The company is also expected to launch two new models in the affordable Nord series later this month.