This is very true and very disappointing. I am seriously thinking to buy different device (SuperNote/LikeBook which are very promising), if there is no certain news about Android 9.0.
It’s very sad.
But hope is the last thing to die, so I’m getting my hopes up for Onyx.
I think Android 9.0 will be the actual next 3-5 years, despite that android 10 was released already.
SuperNote is very fresh on the marked and comes with a Linux based OS that has not so many features at the moment. For example syncing data to Dropbox, using Chrome as a browser, reading in Kindle, using Android apps in general is not possible.
LikeBook is even worser in customer relations than Onyx. There is no support forum, not even an English webpage for non Chinese customers. The Twitter account is only used for promotion. Finding information about firmware releases ist almost impossible. Since you are complaining about Android 6 on the last year’s Boox devices, you should know that all LikeBooks run Android 6 and none of their devices ever get an OS upgrade. Actually even firmware updates with bugfixes are very rare.
I can understand that you are waiting for Android 9. Since they promised to deliver it in November 2019, it is very disappointing. Nevertheless Android 6 is still one of the most frequently used Android OS versions and therefore the app support shouldn’t end in the next years. Even Android 5.1 is still widely supported.
Besides, the latest Boox devices are the only devices that support 5G wi-fi, which is very important for me. At home, at work and even in the University there is no 2.4 wi-fi due to performance issues. There are only 3 undisturbed channels available in 2.4 wi-fi networks and those channels are heavily used. Since the range of 2.4 wi-fi can extend over 100 meters, even distant networks can disturb your own network.
Unfortunately Onyx is actually the best e-ink tablet supplier on the market. They have customer support via forum, Facebook, email and Twitter, a distribution partner in Europe (Amazon) and they release firmware updates more frequent than any other competitor.
When will you release update to android 9 for nova pro ?
There is a lot of announcement for the same but no expected date. Earlier it was November now there doesn’t seem to be even an estimate of the date if there will even be an update at this point.
Our R&D department is working on updating those devices with Android 6.0 to Android 9.0 now. Please be patient.
Please make enough testing to be sure the performance doesn’t suffer
Every time my older android devices were updated to newer version it didn’t run as well
Anyway I think Android 6.0 is just fine for basic use as e-reader
What are the highlights of Android 9? Will it have better battery life, better performance or some special features that aren’t present in Android 6? What will the update mean in actual visible terms besides the OS number jump?
Android 9 has better security settings, a more intelligent battery manager and a better abstraction between kernel, drivers and vendors. In short: Android 9 is more secure, has a better battery management and delivers a platform that allows Onyx create faster and more stable firmware releases. Also Android 9 ist the second latest Android release and will have a longer EOL.
From a user view you won’t notice so much difference. The notification bar is slightly different but due to the same launcher that’s almost the only noticeable change. For Onyx on the other side this will have a great impact in development. All current devices will run on a similar platform. This will made software development easier and all devices should have the same bugs and features when having the same firmware version.
Android 6 is still widely support and there is no hurry, but Android 9 is an important upgrade. For Onyx and for users.
Thanks.
How about split screen for all apps in Android 9?
I remember having read something about that, which would be a major improvement.
Well, I have the response about Note:
We are in mid january, do you have any new info?
I’ve just bought a Nova Pro and am now concerned that I should return it and wait for the next iteration. It’s very important to me that the device receive 9.0 — though I am perfectly fine with waiting, so long as it is coming. Is this update guaranteed?
Getting Android 9.0 is very critical - I have been using Note P for corporate emails and a few months back support for pre Android 9.0 was withdrawn due to security issues. Please release Android 9.0 for me to be able to use the device.
Hi,
any update? bumping up for visibility ??
Our R&D team are still working on it. Please be patient.
Please ensure that the pending bugs are fixed before releasing the Android 9 version!
Good evening. I finally fell for a Boox Note Pro reader mainly to comfortably read pdf documents and insert handwritten notes, for example with Assimil’s exercise books in Chinese in Japanese. I am far from having explored all of its functions. The device works very well with Assimil’s Mantano applications (English, Greek, Japanese and Chinese). I hope that the update to Android 9 will soon be effective for my device. The current global health crisis should not simplify the work of the developers of Onyx Boox even if teleworking is still possible. So I will wait. Courage!
PS - I am astonished that e-readers operating on Android are not better known in France. I was very loyal to Kobo for a long time, but since I began to learn Greek, I had to find a solution to make up for the lack of a Greek-French dictionary. I thought of Google Translate which is doing its job better and better. But for that, I had to find a reader running Android. It was like this, “thread by needle” (in French : “de fil en aiguille”), that I ended up opting for a Boox reading light. I couldn’t go back now. I am no longer a prisoner of an ecosystem (Kobo, Kindle etc.) and I can continue to use Android applications without ruining my eyes. Black and white allows better concentration. I also read a lot of articles found on the net on my e-reader, via the Pocket application.
Yes, this would be really useful, and I think this function exists (but hidden) in Android 6, too.
Actually I only would like to have the possibility to use Note App with other apps,overall for study purposes… I hope this feature will be implemented in the future! (but I tried a Note 2 with Android 9 and it’s not available)
ciao, v.
I have the plain Nova - not the Pro. I, too, hope that Android 9.0 will be available for my Nova soon. One app that I use with the Nova - one of the main reasons I purchased a Nova in the first place - has just raised its minimum Android version to 6.0 in the last update.
I am very satisfied with my Nova and have no need to buy another device now. I also do not want to buy a new Onyx device every time I need to upgrade my Android version!
That said, I wonder if the snag on Onyx’s end is not the upgrade to 9.0 itself, but how to do it successfully and reliably with a simple OTA update.