3 weeks since it started seeding the Android 9 Pie update to the Nokia 3, HMD Global is back again with an update for what was until recently its most affordable smartphone, the Nokia 1.
The device, which has since been replaced by the Nokia 1 Plus but which remains on sale through various local retail channels, is now joining the rest of the Nokia branded devices that have been receiving Android Pie since last year.
With the Nokia 1 getting its slice of Pie, that effectively means that all Nokia smartphones initially scheduled to get the upgrade from Android Oreo to Android Pie have made the jump.
Launched last year and rocking bottom-of-the-barrel specifications like 1GB memory, 8GB storage, a low-res 4.5-inch display and a 2,150mAh battery, the Nokia 1 was the first device from HMD Global to run Google’s (then) new Go Edition of Android Oreo complete with the appropriate price to match: Kshs 9,500 at launch. The device has since dropped in price going for as little as Kshs 5,000 on e-commerce platforms like Jumia and Masoko.
As such, it is not one of those devices that many an Android device maker would ever bother updating. In fact, the general practice in the industry is to compel users of such devices to “upgrade” to a newer version of Android by making them buy a sequel that runs the newer software.
That is not exactly HMD Global’s way of doing things. The company backs its devices with timely monthly security updates for at least 3 years and guarantees upgrades to any new major Android versions over a 2-year period which is why the Nokia 3, 5, 6, all from the initial batch of devices that helped relaunch the Nokia brand, received some Pie love.
With the update today, the Finnish company has updated all (but one) smartphones it has released under the Nokia banner. That is such an impressive feat that only the custodian of the Android ecosystem, Google, and a company that has only ever released one phone, Essential, can match it.
Here’s to hoping everyone in the industry is taking notes.
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