Big news this week for HTC smartphone fans as the HTC One M8 is rumored to get the Android 5.0 L operating system update in the next couple weeks, while the HTC One M7 will get the 5.0.2 patch as its last supported OS update.
"Latest news from HTC kitchen," developer LlabTooFeR said in a tweet on Wednesday. "Final M8 Android L (WWE EU) build should be in range 4.16.401.x... ETA - 1-2 weeks..."
Previously, rumors stated that HTC expected the Android 5.0 Lollipop update to drop by January 3 along with the same update for the HTC One M7, but that time has come and gone with no new update. Still, HTC remains on track for the "90 days of the original source code being released" window that was promised back in November.
LlabTooFeR has not let down the Android community before with previous leaks of the HTC One M8 Lollipop screens, showing off the new animations and effects. So it's safe to say that this tipster is trusted enough to allow this new information to be viable.
Another leak shows off a few images of the One M8 running Android Lollipop through HTC's Sense 6 interface. While some speculated that Sense 7 might be coming to the M8, rumors now focus on Sense 7 coming with a possible M9.
As for the HTC One M7, the 2013 flagship device received the Android 5.0 Lollipop update on December 5 for the Google Play (carrier-less) version of the phone, but carrier versions have yet to be updated. The manufacturer did officially confirm that the device would be getting the new operating system along with the M8, but LlabTooFeR spoke up that the current 5.0.2 patch for Android Lollipop will be the last supported OS patch for the two-year-old smartphone. This is to be expected, however, as the normal two-year support on OEM smartphone software is set to expire next month. The tweet suggests that the M7 will receive 5.0.2 as its next and final update.
Android 5.0 Lollipop is Google's latest mobile operating system that brings with it a host of new features, including improved battery life, the Material Design language that allows for a more efficient and user-friendly interface and design, beefed up notifications, improved app usage, and much more. It first dropped to Google's Nexus devices in early November of last year, and has yet to reach the majority of Android-based smartphones.
As with any new version of Android, Lollipop is being introduced to devices after extensive testing from Google, each manufacturer, and each carrier. This, as you might imagine, would mean significant delays for each version and you can expect each carrier to roll out their own version a bit at a time.
Both the One M7 and One M8 are available for the AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile carriers but there's been no word yet on availability for these devices on each specific carrier.
