OnePlus 3, 3T get Android Nougat in time for the new year
Just in the nick of time. OnePlus gave itself an end of the year deadline and it has just beat the deadliest of deadlines. With just a few hours to spare, at least from OnePlus HQ, the high-profile Chinese OEM announced the incremental rollout of Oxygen OS 4.0, which brings Android 7.0 Nougat not only to the OnePlus 3T as promised but also to the OnePlus 3 as well. A fitting way to start the new year and end the old one, provided the update actually gets to users quickly.
There was a bit of voices raised when the OnePlus 3T was unveiled. It was basically what the OnePlus 3 could have been had it been delayed by a few months, sporting some higher specs. Naturally, there was some concern regarding the attention the original OnePlus 3 would get, particularly regarding software updates. OnePlus quickly promised that the development for the two models would be in sync after Nougat was pushed out. Fortunately, it seems they decided to start even earlier.
And as if to emphasize how equal the OnePlus 3 and 3T are in terms of software, the changelog for the two are exactly the same. The core focus is, of course, on Android 7.0 and its features, including multi-window support, direct notification replies, and more. OxygenOS 4.0 also has its own share of improvements, like app shelf and status bar icons options.
OnePlus warns that, like all its other updates, the rollout is incremental and won't reach everyone at the same time. Which might be good as it gives the update some chance to be tested for bugs first.
The speedy release of the Nougat update for OnePlus' flagship is already being praised to high heavens by its fans and will probably be seen as damning evidence against the now practically defunct Cyanogen Inc. In hindsight, OnePlus dodged a bullet when it switched to its in-house custom ROM after a messy falling out with CyanogenOS' owners.