ZTE Axon 7 users have a long wait ahead before official Oreo update

ZTE Germany confirmed that the Axon 7 will be updated to Android Oreo in April 2018. By then, it’ll all be about Android P.

The Axon 7 quickly became one of our favorite “flagship killers” when it first launched back in May 2016: it had a gorgeous AMOLED screen, impressive front-facing speakers, excellent battery life, and a commendable camera all for just $399.99. What was particularly impressive was that although it wasn’t a Google-branded device, the Axon 7 was one of the first smartphones to receive the Android 7.1.1 update. Android 7.1.1 was officially announced in December 2016 and arrived on the Axon 7 three months later.

With Android Oreo, however, it could be an entirely different story. ZTE Germany announced in a public forum that the Axon 7 will receive the Android Oreo update in April 2018 with Stock+ UI. What Stock+ UI entails is unclear at the moment, but our guess is that it’ll contain less bloatware and thus provide snappier performance.

While it’s great that the company is committed to providing the latest software update to Axon 7 users around the world, it’s a shame that that update is coming so late. Android Oreo was officially released back in August, meaning by the time the Axon 7 receives Oreo, it will have been 8 months since the initial release. As well, by then, we’ll already be talking about Android P. This isn’t unique to the Axon 7. Consider the recently-unveiled Axon M, for instance. ZTE’s foldable smartphone is not only antiquated in terms of its design and specs but also software: it launched with Android Nougat in October 2017.

Of course, timely software updates and launching phones with the latest OS are problems that we see with most Android OEMs. Phones like the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8, both announced in August and launched in the following months, came without Oreo, and it’ll probably be a while until US users see the update on those devices. That is the unfortunate reality of Android fragmentation.

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