We might not know what the Q will stand for, but we are sure these phones will see it arrive.
Android Q is upon us, at least in early beta form for developers to use so they are ready once things go gold. That’s more important than ever as we’re seeing phone makers adopt newer versions of Android on existing models in greater numbers, and doing it faster than ever — even though it’s still not very fast at all. That’s how things work in Androidland, and it takes time for all the cooks to add their own spices and make each phone something unique.
There are a handful of phones that will undoubtedly be seeing Android Q. In fact, it’s a safe bet to say that some of them were designed with the idea of a faster update in mind because the companies that make the phones also help make Android by submitting pieces of code and OS changes to Google for inclusion in the final product. It takes plenty of smart minds to build something as intricate as a smartphone operating system!
Google Pixel
Let’s start with Google’s own phones, the Google Pixel. Android Q is guaranteed to come to:
- Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL
- Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL
The original Pixel and Pixel XL are also part of the Android Beta Program for Q, but there is no guarantee that they will get the final update. We should know more as we get closer to release and see if the original Pixel phones keep seeing beta builds.
Android One
Google also builds software for mid-range phones to use so that they can have the latest features without costing an arm and a leg. Android One phones are also guaranteed to see software updates, and here’s the list:
- Nokia 9 PureView
- Nokia 8.1
- Nokia 8 Sirocco
- Nokia 7.1
- Nokia 7 Plus
- Nokia 6
- Nokia 5.1
- Nokia 4.2
- Nokia 3.2
- Nokia 3.1
- LG G7 One
- Motorola One and One Power
- Android One Moto X4
- Xiaomi Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite
- Infinix Note 5
- GM5
- GM5 Plus
- GM6
- GM8
- GM9 Pro
- BQ Aquarius X2 and X2 Pro
- Mi A1
- S1
- S2
- X1
With weaker hardware, it will be interesting to see how well Android Q runs on these models.
Samsung
Samsung is the big player in the Android world as well as the biggest player in the entire smartphone world. When Samsung updates a phone the needle moves a fair bit and we’re sure that several models will be seeing Android Q. Here’s the list of models we’re sure about:
- Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e
- Galaxy Note 10 (yet to be released)
- Galaxy S9 and S9+
- Galaxy Note 9
As usual, expect to see updates begin around the time the Galaxy S11 is announced and all the kinks are worked out.
Huawei
Huawei may not be a major player in the U.S. but it’s the second largest Android phone maker and the company sells millions and millions of phones around the world. The company also knows the value that comes with updating software on existing models, and several of its top phones will surely see Android Q.
- P20 (including P20 Pro and P20 Lite)
- Mate 20 (including Mate 20 Pro, Lite, and X)
- Honor View 20
Huawei has a huge list of Android phones and we’ll add to the list once we know more.
Motorola
Motorola can be hit or miss when it comes to software updates, but there are a few Moto phones we’re certain will see an Android Q update.
- Moto One
- Moto One Power (Android One phone)
- Moto Z3 and Z3 Play
- Moto G7 and all its variants
We’ll add more to this list if and when any announcements are made.
Nokia
Nokia keeps things simple when it comes to software and their vision of Android is almost untouched compared to Google’s. By using Android One for the OS, Google does all the heavy lifting! This means fast updates are possible, just like we saw with Android Pie. Here are the ones we’re sure will see Android Q.
- Nokia 3.1 and 3.1 Plus
- Nokia 5.1 and 5.1 Plus
- Nokia 6.1 and 6.1 Plus
- Nokia 7 Plus
- Nokia 7.1
- Nokia 8.1 and 8.1 Sirocco
OnePlus
OnePlus touts fast updates and a fast track to the latest version of Android as a feature of its phones. The company has proven time and time again that platform updates can be done quickly and fairly bug-free, and that shouldn’t change with Android Q. Here are the phones we expect to see it:
- OnePlus 5
- OnePlus 5T
- OnePlus 6
- OnePlus 6T
Expect OnePlus to announce more about Android Q as time passes, and we’ll keep the list updated should anything change.
Odds & Ends
Here are the phones that don’t quite belong in our categories above but still deserve a shout-out for getting on the Android Q update train — which we’re pretty sure will happen.
- Sony XZ2 and XZ3 models
- Essential Phone PH-1
- BlackBerry KEY2 and KEY2 LE
- HTC U12+
- LG V40 ThinQ
- LG G7 ThinQ
- ASUS ROG Phone
- ZTE Axon 9 Pro
We’re early in the Android Q life cycle, so there will be more models from more companies announced over time. We’ll keep the list updated so check back to see if yours is on the list!
