While a number of Android smartphone manufacturers are scampering these days to have the Android 5.1. Lollipop or the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop updates rolled out to their devices soon, in preparation for the impending release of the Android M, Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC appears to be not in a rush to take on the firmware updates for its flagship smartphones.
Accordingly, the current and previous flagship smartphones of the company, the HTC One M9 and the HTC One M8, respectively, have been confirmed to receive the new Android M mobile operating system when it officially rolls out later in the year and that is why the devices will be skipping the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop firmware updates.
Because of the unwritten rule that only two-year-old devices will receive the latest Android OS, many HTC users have expressed concern that the HTC One M8 may be included among the list of Android devices which shall not be able to take on the Android M when the OS is officially made available to the public later this year.
Confirmation from HTC exec
But HTC senior vice president for product management Mo Versi, assured the users of HTC One M8 that the device will update to Android M, details Venture Capital Post.
HTC One M9 has no problem with the upcoming Android OS since it is still within the unwritten two-year rule.
At the moment, the HTC One M9 comes out of the box with Android 5.1 Lollipop on it although when it was launched in March and released to the market the following month, it came out with Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.
The HTC One M8 has been updated to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop also in April this year and users now have the option to take on the Android 5.1 Lollipop update over-the-air.
The Android 5.1 Lollipop has delivered new improvements and enhancements to the HTC One M9 and HTC One M8 including the so-called new Material Design from Google.
Cutting-edge features
Google’s Android M is expected to bring cutting-edge features to the HTC One M8 including app drawer and the rotating home screen. The American multinational technology and software company is also looking at the possibility of standardizing fingerprint scanners so users can unlock their device through the fingerprint.
The fingerprint scanner can also be used to make purchases in real-life and in the Google Play Store.
The Android M update on the HTC One M8 is also expected to bring a new function called Doze and a program that lessens background processes when the device is not being used to be called motion detectors.
HTC One M8 is regarded as the most leaked handset in history. Because of the recent release of the HTC One M9, the HTC One M8 can now be bought at much less than before.
The successor of the HTC One M8 features a re-contoured body shape and a trio of new two-tone color schemes, including a striking silver variant with gold edging. It also has a scratch-resistant coating to the metal shell, details Know Your Mobile.
In terms of what’s inside, HTC has improved the BoomSound speakers with the Dolby Audio enhancement as well as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, and a 20-megapixel rear-facing camera.
The HTC One M8 is actually known as the second generation of HTC One or sometimes as the all-new HTC One.
It was officially unveiled in a press conference on March 25, 2014, simultaneously held in both New York and London but not before tons of leaks has already made the rounds on the internet. The HTC One M8 was released on the very same day by Verizon Wireless at retail, and also by other Canadian and American carriers for online orders prior to its wider retail availability in mid-April.