Samsung has come under some heavy criticism in the US over the way it’s been handling the Oreo upgrade for the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8. Many users are upset that they haven’t received the update yet in spite of the fact that they own unlocked units.
Logically speaking, unlocked Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 units should receive Android 8.0 first since the software wouldn’t have to go through carriers to reach it. Samsung has a slightly different spin on this though, detailing its point of view in a post on its US community site.
Samsung starts out the post by admitting that carrier models have been seeing the Oreo upgrade first. Apparently, the reason for this is that unlocked devices have to go through more rigorous testing than carrier-specific units since it must have proper network functionality across all supported networks.
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This explanation isn’t cutting it with owners though, with many pointing out that Samsung has managed to roll out Android 8.0 for unlocked Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 phones abroad without any of this fuss over network compatibility. It’s possible the US is a bit more complicated, but there’s no reason why it should take this long.
Some even accuse Samsung of prioritizing new smartphones over upgrading their earlier ones. This can’t be argued with, since it’s been months since Android 8.0 has been out and Android 9.0 is already on its way in. In any case, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8 owners will have to wait for 2 to 3 weeks more before they see any sign of Oreo.