A few days ago we talked about how OnePlus was going to overlook one of the most important elements of Android 8.0 Oreo: Project Treble.
For those who do not know what it is, it is a restructuring of the operating system of Google to facilitate the work to manufacturers and that they can quickly update their devices without relying on the chipsets drivers to optimize their operation.
In practice, the application of Project Treble was translated into something very interesting: any device that wants to be compatible with this program should be able to run Android AOSP without problems. It makes sense because, as we said, this change in the architecture starts from leaving a common base for all and from there that each manufacturer generates its own software layer.
Until now, it had not been made public that this really was so and a user of XDA has decided to get down to work and has shown that the thesis is correct and to sample, a Huawei Mate 9 running Android Oreo 8.0.
Any phone, whether it has already left or is about to arrive, has to prove that it can load Android AOSP without a major problem. Probably the manufacturers are already doing tests on their internal equipment but facing the public was something that had not been seen yet. In his day he tried the Essential Phone but it remained in pure theory. This time they have decided to go further and show that it is possible.
According to Mishaal Rahman, responsible for running Oreo in Mate 9, the process has been long and has taken a few attempts and modifications to make it work. Achieving it is good news because it serves to demonstrate what Google said in its day: that any Android that wants to upgrade to Oreo must be able to do this step and, by extension, support Project Treble.
The process to achieve it has had several bumps as we said and the final result is a success although it is not free of the odd failure. After the bitter taste that the news of OnePlus left us the other day, we are glad to see that a terminal that has already more than a year old is capable of making that leap.
Why have the tests been done with a Mate 9 and not with another mobile? Very simple: last month a beta of the Mate 9 ROM was leaked with Oreo and EMUI. That Huawei would be updated to the new version of Android would have that possibility to use Project Treble. We speak in conditional because as we have seen with the OnePlus 5T, updating to Oreo does not mean including this support.
Does this mean that my Android will be updated to Oreo shortly?
Reading this news we can interpret that this will make updates to Android 8.0 Oreo will skyrocket and soon they will be available but the reality is slightly different. This milestone is just a practical example that, indeed, it is possible to do it but from there to see OTA notices on our phones in a few days is too nice to be true.
Probably we have to wait a few months for us to start seeing announcements of updates. The first, as usual, will be the flagship but I am convinced that more modest terminals will join the car.
Hopefully, the example of companies like Nokia that since last month has already launched a testing program for those who want to install and test Oreo in their terminals. If you have a Huawei Mate 9 you can rest easy, it seems that the update will come.
