Samsung Delays Android Oreo Update for Some Galaxy Smartphones, Tablets Till 2019

While Google has already brought Android 9.0 Pie as the successor to Android Oreo, Samsung is apparently not in plans to bring even the last year Android version to some of its mid-range models. It was previously spotted that the South Korean giant delayed the release of Android Oreo for some Galaxy A, Galaxy C, and Galaxy J models until December. And now, the official Members app is said to have highlighted that the update has been delayed further to 2019 for models including the Samsung Galaxy Tab A (2017), Galaxy A9 Pro, Galaxy C7 Pro, Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy J2 (2018), Galaxy On5, Galaxy On7 (2016), Galaxy On7 (2018), Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy J7 Max, and Galaxy J7 (2016). Notably, Samsung is infamous for taking several months in pushing Android updates. The South Korean company even halted the Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in the recent past due to some issues.

Samsung has tweaked the update schedule notice on its Members app to reflect the change in Android Oreo rollout, as spotted by SamMobile. The company previously suggested that the Android Oreo update will reach the Galaxy Tab S3, Galaxy Tab A (2017), and Galaxy J7 Max sometime before December, whereas the Galaxy A9 Pro, Galaxy C7 Pro, Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy J7 Neo, Galaxy On5 (2016), Galaxy On7 (2016), and Galaxy On7 (2018) were found to receive the new Android version in December. However, the updated roadmap shows the Oreo update will now emerge in January 2019 for the Galaxy Tab A (2017), Galaxy A9 Pro (2016), Galaxy C7 Pro, Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy J2 (2018), Galaxy On5 (2016), Galaxy On7 (2016), Galaxy On7 (2018), and Galaxy J7 (2017). The Galaxy J7 Max, in contrast, will receive the same treatment in February next year, while the Galaxy J7 (2016) users will have to wait for at least March. Interestingly, the Galaxy J7 (2016) will be the first affordable model to receive its second major update.

That being said, Samsung has explicitly written in the notice that the update schedule may vary on a regional basis and depends on the development and approval processes. The models listed in the Members are also prior to a detailed review. This mainly means that the company could exclude any of the listed models if it "cannot ensure optimal usability".