Huawei: Android updates for smartphones and tablets at a glance

Huawei

In the smartphone market, Huawei is very competitive with Samsung and Apple. But what does the manufacturer's update policy look like? Netzwelt outlines planned updates and available updates for Huawei smartphones and tablets, and reveals how long you need to wait.

table of Contents

1. You have to wait that long at Huawei to get Android updates
   

2. EMUI: This is what Huawei's customized Android version looks like
   

3. These Huawei devices are planned or available for Android update
   

4. Security patch
   

Huawei usually donates two major Android updates to top models of the Mate and P series. The Lite models of the P and Mate series are also available for two years of update. The situation with the P-smart model is different. They will only get major Android updates. Entry-level models of the Y-Series are usually empty.

That's how long you have to wait for Huawei's Android update

Although Huawei has equipped its devices with a highly customized version of Android, Chinese manufacturers are now distributing Android updates relatively quickly. It took about four to six months for a new Android version to appear on the first Huawei device in the past, and Mate 20 was ready to use Android 10 in less than 2.5 months. This puts Huawei in fifth place in our Android update report, clearly ahead of Samsung.

However, it is doubtful whether Huawei can maintain this speed. Because a trade embargo against manufacturers was enacted in May 2019, the ban barred U.S. companies from working with the company as much as possible. As a result, Huawei no longer has a valid Android license and can install Android on its phones, but without the popular Google apps. We assume that Huawei will no longer have access to the source code of the upcoming Android version. This may delay the development of future updates by several months.

EMUI: This is what Huawei's customized Android version looks like

As mentioned earlier, Huawei has equipped its Android phone with its own user interface. This is called EMUI [Emotional UI] and is very different from the Google version. Instead, Huawei has closely integrated its user guide with Apple iOS. The core element of EMUI is the so-called UniHome. Huawei does not provide a startup screen and an application launcher, but only a startup screen or a few star screens that store all applications. According to Huawei, mergers are particularly useful for smartphone beginners, as they are now at the center of the system. The separation of the home screen and the app launcher confuses many users because, for example, they can still find the app in the launcher even if they delete it on the home screen.

Similar to Samsung's One UI, Huawei has also enriched the Android system with other features not provided by the Google version. For example, you can connect your phone to a display and use EMUI in a desktop-like mode. You can clone the Messenger app, for example, to use two different accounts on a dual SIM phone. In addition, Huawei also provides its own ecosystem around EMUI, called Huawei Mobile Services. In the long run, this should make Google services on your phone redundant. At the core is the Huawei Application Library. The current version of EMUI is EMUI10. In Huawei P40, EMUI 10.1 will be introduced.

These Huawei devices are planned or available for Android update

The following list contains all Android-based Huawei smartphones and tablets released in Germany since 2011. Here you can find the equipment of the subsidiary Honor as well as the equipment of Nexus 6P made by Google. If the error has climbed into the list or the device in the list is forgotten, please let us know in the comments.

Huawei smartphone

Huawei tablet

To install Android updates on Huawei devices, follow the instructions in the linked tutorial. Is your smartphone or tablet no longer receiving updates? Don't be disappointed you can still boot your device and install an alternate firmware based on a newer version of Android. You can find it in our tutorial "How do I root my smartphone?"

If you are still unsure or need a new smartphone, find our smartphone for you in our article "Best Smartphone".

Security patch

In addition to version updates, Huawei regularly provides security patches for its Android phones and tablets three years after its release. The following table shows which devices and how often they receive security patches: