Huawei Android 9 Pie update: EMUI 9 stable now available for P20, P10, Mate 10, Honor 10, View 10, Honor Play, Honor 8X, and Honor 8 Pro across the globe

Huawei is the second leading Android smartphone vendor after Samsung, meaning just like its counterpart, what it chooses to do with software updates will determine how fast the new Android 9 Pie update arrives on eligible devices.

If you own any of Huawei’s smartphones or tablets and would like to know if and when your device will be upgraded to Android Pie, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we have details of Huawei Android 9 Pie update release date, what to expect when the OS arrives, the devices that are guaranteed to receive the update as well as some information that those whose devices aren’t featured in the table below will relish.

Device list

Device	Android Pie eligibility	Expected release date
P20	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
P20 Pro	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
P20 Lite	Eligible	Q1 2019
P10	Available	Released on 25 March 2019
P10 Plus	Available	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
P10 Lite	Eligible	Q2 2019
Mate 10	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
Mate 10 Pro	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
Mate 10 Porsche	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
Mate 10 Lite	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Mate RS Porsche	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
Mate 9	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Mate 9 Pro	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Mate 9 Porsche	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Honor 10	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
Honor View 10 (V10)	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
Honor Note 10	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Honor 9	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Honor 9i	Eligible	Q3 2019
Honor 9N	Eligible	Q1 2019
Honor 9 Lite	Eligible	Q1 2019
Honor Play	Available	Released on Nov 10 in China, Dec 18 globally
Honor 8X	Available	Released on 11 March 2019
Honor 8X Max	Eligible	Q1 2019
Honor 8 Pro	Eligible	Released on 17 April 2019
Honor 8 Lite	Eligible	Q3 2019
Honor 7X	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Honor 7A	Eligible	Q3 2019
Honor 7C	Eligible	Q3 2019
Honor 7S	Eligible	Q3 2019
Nova 3	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Nova 3i	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Nova 3e	Eligible	Q1 2019
Nova 2S	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)
Nova 2	Eligible	Q3 2019
Nova 2 Plus	Eligible	Q3 2019
Nova 2i	Eligible	Q3 2019
P Smart+	Eligible	Q1 2019
P Smart	Eligible	Q1 2019
Y9 2018	Eligible	Q3 2019
Y7 2018	Eligible	Q3 2019
Y7 Prime 2018	Eligible	Q3 2019
Y7 Pro 2018	Eligible	Q3 2019
Y6 2018	Eligible	Q3 2019
Y5 Prime 2018	Eligible	Q3 2019
Y3 2018	Eligible	Q3 2019
MediaPad M5	Eligible	Q1 2019 (Beta available)

Huawei rolls out two major OS upgrades to its flagship phones in the Mate and P series, something we don’t expect to change with respect to Android Pie update. To guarantee yourself an update to Pie on your Huawei device, it must be one of the Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, Mate 10 Porsche Design, P20, P20 Pro or the premium Mate RS Porsche Design. In fact, all of these devices, including the Honor 10, Honor V10, and Honor Play can already access the stable EMUI 9 based on Android Pie in China, with a global rollout expected very soon.

If your Huawei/Honor device isn’t any of the above and has Android Oreo running the show out of the box, you also stand a chance of getting an update to Android Pie at some point in future, however, this might not be true for entry-level devices like the Huawei Y3, Y5 and Y7 Prime 2018, all of which are based on Oreo out of the box.

Owners of premium Huawei Honor devices such as the Honor Nova 3 and Honor Note 10 can also be sure to receive the update to Android Pie, but the same cannot be said about the likes of Honor 7A, Honor 7C, and Honor 7S, yet they have Oreo out of the box.

Related:

Release date

Stable EMUI 9 based on Android 9 Pie released on December 18, 2018

After weeks of tests, Huawei began rolling out Android Pie for the Huawei P20, P20 Pro, Mate RS, Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, Mate 10 Porsche Design, Honor 10, Honor V10 and Honor Play in China as software version 9.0.0.125. The update first came out on November 2nd, but the initial rollout was limited. It was on November 10th that the mass rollout kicked off and later, on December 18th, the global rollout commenced.

Huawei Android 9 Pie update

Related:

Android Pie feature: Feature flags
Android Pie feature: Digital Wellbeing
Android Pie feature: App actions

Unofficial Android Pie update

Not all Huawei phones from the recent past will be upgraded to Android Pie, but as noted at the beginning, we have some information that will be relished by those who won’t get an official upgrade to Pie. We are talking about unofficial Android Pie update thanks to custom ROMs and high on the list is LineageOS.

A good number of Huawei phones are already supported on LineageOS 15.1 that is based on Android 8.1 Oreo. With the upcoming LineageOS 16 that will be based on Android 9 Pie, we expect even more Huawei phones to get support for the custom ROM especially now that Google Project Treble has made light work of the whole process.

This also means that more Treble-inspired custom ROMs will be ready from as early as Q3 2018, probably before the official Huawei Android 9 Pie update begins rolling out to some eligible devices.

Update [August 21, 2018]: The Treble ROM GSI for Android 9 Pie is now available. If you have a Huawei or Honor device with an unlocked bootloader, running EMUI 8.0, then most probably, you can install the unofficial Android 9 update already thanks to the Android 9 Pie GSI ROM (here).

Huawei P20 Pie update

Available globally as from December 18, 2018

Huawei P20 series, excluding the P20 Lite, received the update to Android 9 Pie stable in China on November 2nd on a limited basis and on November 10th on a wider scale. The global rollout began on December 18, 2018. If you own the P20 Lite, we think the update to Pie will begin rolling out in early 2019, stable or beta, although we cannot guarantee this.

Huawei P10 Pie update

Stable update expected in Q1 2019
Beta version available for download

Huawei P10 and P10 Plus will receive their second major OS upgrade in Q1 2019, at least based on our estimation. EMUI 9.0 beta is already available, meaning the stable version should begin rolling out before the end of Q1 2019.

As for the P10 Lite, which is also known as Nova Youth, we also expect Huawei to release a second major OS upgrade. Like the P10 and P10 Plus, the Lite variant has already been upgraded to Oreo and we’ve recently seen the company pushing at least two major OS upgrades even to its midrange phones, which suggests that an update to Pie could be in the pipes for users of the Huawei P10 Lite.

Huawei P9 Pie update

Not eligible for Pie

The Huawei P9 series won’t be upgraded to Android 9 Pie. Launched in 2016, the P9 and P9 Plus have Android Marshmallow preinstalled and received their second major OS upgrade to Android Oreo in July 2018. This marked the end of the road for this 2016 flagship series from Huawei as far as major OS upgrades are concerned.

But all is not lost, especially since the market has plenty of enthusiastic Android developers that might just be cooking something. You might want to keep an eye on the pages below for updates on if and when unofficial Pie updates will be made available for the P9 family of devices.

Related:

Huawei Mate 10 Pie update

Available globally as from December 18, 2018

Huawei Mate 10 series, excluding the Mate 10 Lite, received the update to Android 9 Pie stable in China on November 2nd on a limited basis and on November 10th on a wider scale. The global rollout is here, beginning December 18th.

For those who own the Huawei Mate 10 Lite, a device that has multiple names that include Honor 9i (India), Huawei Nova 2i (Malaysia), Huawei Maimang 6 (China), or Huawei G10, the update to stable Pie, which will be its second major OS upgrade, could arrive somewhere in late Q1 2019. If you are into beta testing, the unfinished version of the OS is already available.

Related:

Huawei Mate 9 Pie update

Stable update expected in Q1 2019
Beta version available as of 23 October 2018

Huawei Mate 9 is expected to get a second major OS upgrade. The device came pre-installed with Android Nougat and has since been upgraded to Oreo. Looking at the Mate 8, the device got a second major OS upgrade to Oreo in July 2018, suggesting that we could see the Pie update arriving on the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro somewhere in Q2 or Q3 2019.

Well, it seems Huawei has a surprise for us, folks! The EMUI 9 beta program is already open for the Mate 9, Mate 9 Pro and Mate 9 Porsche Design, suggesting that the stable Pie update may arrive in early 2019.

As for the Mate 9 Lite, which also sells as the Honor 6X or Huawei GR5 2017 in some markets, it has already received two major OS upgrades because unlike the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro, the Lite version came with Marshmallow preinstalled.

Related:

Huawei Mate 8 Pie update

Not eligible

Huawei Mate 8 was updated to Android Oreo in July 2018, the second and final major OS upgrade for the 2015 handset. That said, we don’t expect an update to Android Pie for those using the Mate 8, but of course, you can always turn to the Android development community for Pie-based custom ROMs, although it’s still unclear whether popular LineageOS 16 will have a place for the Mate 8. You can keep an eye on this and other unofficial Pie developments via this link and this link.

Honor 10 Pie update

Available globally as from December 18, 2018

Huawei Honor 10 received the update to Android 9 Pie stable in China on November 10th and over a month later, beginning December 18, the global rollout was announced. As for those in India, the stable release may arrive in January 2019 especially since EMUI 9 beta only arrived a few weeks ago.

Related: Honor 10 software update news

Honor 9 Pie update

Stable update expected in Q1 2019
Beta version available in China

We expected the Honor 9 to switch to Android 9 Pie somewhere in Q2 or even Q3 2018, at least based on how things went with the Honor 8’s update to Oreo, the second major OS upgrade. However, Honor has surprised many by rolling out a new Android 9 Pie beta program, suggesting that the stable version may be here in early 2019. Hopefully, we are right.

Honor 9 Lite Pie update

Eligible for Android 9 Pie update

The Honor 9 Lite will receive a first major OS upgrade in Android 9 Pie since it comes preinstalled with Android Oreo. Assuming Google’s Project Treble and Huawei’s recent efforts with software updates work magic, we should see the stable update arrive in early 2019, but we can’t give you any specific date.

Related: Honor 9 Lite Pie update news

Honor 9i Pie update

Eligible for Android 9 Pie update

Huawei sells the Mate 10 Lite in India as the Honor 9i. Names aside, the device comes with Nougat and has already received an update to Oreo. An update to Android Pie is expected, but it could take a long wait for it to arrive, probably somewhere in Q2 2019. We will update this space in case of official communication.

Related: Honor 9i Pie update news

Honor 9N Pie update

Eligible for Android 9 Pie update

The Honor 9N sells in China as the Honor 9i. The device comes preinstalled with Android Oreo and thus rightly eligible for an update to Android 9 Pie. With the help of Treble, an update to Pie should be ready as early as Q1 2019, but we can’t say for sure. Keep an eye on the page below for an up to date coverage on the Honor 9N software updates.

Related: Honor 9N Pie update news

Honor 8 and Honor 8 Pro Pie update

Honor 8 Pro and Honor 8 Lite should get Pie
Standard Honor 8 won’t get past Oreo

Huawei Honor 8 has multiple variants. The standard Honor 8 launched mid-2016 with Marshmallow preinstalled. It has since been upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo, the second and final major OS upgrade. As for the Honor 8 Lite, it came out in 2017 and it has only received one major OS upgrade from Nougat to Oreo, meaning it has a chance of getting an update to Android 9 Pie. Huawei has been rolling out two major OS upgrades to some of its low-end devices in the Honor sub-brand, so we hope the Honor 8 Lite will benefit from this change.

As for the Honor 8 Pro, which has Nougat preinstalled and has only received one major OS upgrade to Android Oreo, we expect an update to Pie to arrive somewhere in Q2 2019.

Honor 8X and 8X Max Pie update

Beta update available for Honor 8X in China
Stable rollout expected in Q1 2019

If you own the Honor 8X or Honor 8X Max, expect to receive an update to Android Pie. Even better is that a beta version is available for the Honor 8X. The stable update to Pie should arrive somewhere in Q1 2019. We expect Project Treble to play a huge role in speeding up this update.

Related:

Honor 7X Pie update

Pie expected in Q1 2019

The Honor 6X got its second major OS upgrade to Android Oreo in Q3 2018, but things are looking different with respect to the Honor 7X update to Android Pie, the device’s second major OS upgrade. The beta version of Pie with EMUI 9.0 is already available for those in China with an expected global rollout of late Q1 2019, if not early Q2 2019.

Related: Honor 7X Pie update news

Honor 7A/7C/7S Pie update

Pie expected in Q3 or Q4 2019

Launched with Android Oreo pre-installed, the Honor 7A, Honor 7C, and Honor 7S are also expected to receive an update to Android Pie. However, we cannot guarantee this given how dotted these devices’ predecessors performed with respect to software updates. With that said, it shouldn’t be a surprise if the trio is forced to wait until Q3 or even Q4 2019 before receiving the update to Pie.

Honor 6X Pie update

Not eligible

Some users of the Honor 6X were very concerned that Huawei won’t upgrade the device to Android Oreo. Well, this did happen, making it the second major OS for this popular phone. With that said, don’t expect another upgrade to the OS to come from Huawei, but you can expect Pie-based custom ROMs to add support for the Honor 6X, among them LineageOS 16. You can also check out these Android Pie GSI ROMs if and when something related to Honor 6X pops up in future.

Honor View 10 (V10) Pie update

Available globally as from December 18, 2018

Huawei Honor View 10 (Honor V10) received the update to Android 9 Pie stable in China on November 10th. On December 18, the stable version arrived on the global edition, but those in India may still have to wait a little longer considering that EMUI 9 beta hasn’t been around for long.

Honor V9 Pie update

Stable Pie expected in Q1 2019
Beta version available

In China, the Honor 8 Pro goes by the name Honor V9. Having launched with Nougat, the update to Android Pie will be the device’s second major OS upgrade and is expected to arrive somewhere in Q4 2018 or Q1 2019. A beta program is already underway in the home country, which adds weight to the possibility of a late 2018 rollout for the stable version.

For those who own the Honor V9 Play, a device people in EMEA region know as Honor 6C Pro, there won’t be an upgrade to Android Pie, unless Huawei has other ideas we don’t know about.

Honor V8 Pie update

Not eligible

The update to Android 9 Pie won’t be coming to the Honor V8. The device came with Marshmallow installed back in 2016 and has since been discontinued as far as major OS upgrades are concerned. Whether the V8 will stand a chance when LineageOS 16 or other Pie-based custom ROMs start flocking the market is still unknown, but we hope so. You can keep an eye on this development via the links below.

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Honor Note 10 Pie update

Stable update expected in Q1 2019
Beta version now available

Huawei announced the Honor Note 10 in August 2018 and comes preinstalled with Android 8.1 Oreo. Like its predecessor, the Note 10 is a high-end device that we expected to be among the first from the company to receive the update to Pie, but Honor saved it for the second batch. Those willing can now join the EMUI 9 beta program that brings Android 9 Pie beta to the Note 10. This means that a stable release should begin in early 2019.

Honor Note 8 Pie update

Not eligible

The Honor Note 8 was announced in 2016 and came with Marshmallow running the show. The phone, being a flagship device from 2016, has since been upgraded to Android Oreo, the second major OS upgrade. This means that it won’t be upgraded to Pie, just like most devices from 2016.

Oh, just so you know, the Honor Note 8 is known as Honor V8 Max in some markets and despite the name change, the V8 Max won’t get past the current Oreo. Whether developers will bring about Pie-based custom ROMs for this device is still unknown. It’s also worth noting that the was no Honor Note 9 released in 2017.

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Honor Play Pie update

Available globally as from December 18, 2018

Huawei Honor Play received the update to Android 9 Pie stable in China on November 10th and an update for the global variant was made available on December 18th. In India, EMUI 9 beta is available, with the stable version expected in early 2019.

Huawei Nova 3 Pie update

Beta update available for Nova 3 and 3i
Stable expected in Q1 2019
Nova 3e may get it in late Q1 or Q2 2019

Huawei Nova 3, like a bunch of other Huawei phones, has multiple variants – Nova 3, Nova 3i (aka Huawei P Smart+) and Nova 3e (aka Huawei P20 Lite). We expect all three to be upgraded to Android 9 Pie, beginning with the Nova 3 and later followed by the Nova 3i and Nova 3e, in that order.

The three Nova 3 devices have Project Treble out of the box, meaning we can expect timely updates from Huawei, hence the early arrival of the beta version, at least for the Nova 3 and Nova 3i. As a result, we expect the stable version to begin rolling out somewhere in Q1 2019.

Related: Huawei Nova 3e Pie update news

Huawei Nova 2 Pie update

Eligible for Android Pie update
Beta version ready for Nova 2S variant

The Nova 2, like its successor, has multiple variants as well. There’s the Nova 2, Nova 2 Plus, Nova 2s, and Nova 2i, which is the same device as the Huawei Mate 10 Lite. All of these devices are eligible for an update to Android 9 Pie, but of course, some will get the update ahead of others.

The first to get the update would probably be the Nova 2s. A beta program is already open for the Nova 2S, suggesting that the stable update to Pie may be here in early 2019. As for the Nova 2, Nova 2 Plus and Nova 2i, the wait for Pie could go all the way to late Q1 or Q2 2019, which won’t surprise us considering that these are just midrange phones.

Other than the Nova 2s that comes preinstalled with Oreo 8.0, all other variants of the Nova 2 family have Nougat out of the box, which means an update to Pie would be their second major OS upgrade. It is, for this reason, we think Huawei won’t be in such a hurry to roll out Pie updates for users of the Nova 2, Nova 2 Plus and Nova 2i.

Huawei Nova Pie update

Not eligible

The OG Nova series was launched in 2016 and had Android Marshmallow preinstalled. Huawei has since updated both devices in the series – Nova and Nova Plus – through Android Nougat and Oreo, meaning the duo have reached the end of the road as far as software updates are concerned.

Whether we’ll see Pie-based custom ROMs for these devices is still unknown, but if we do, we shall update the pages below with this info, so make sure you keep an eye on them.

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Huawei P Smart Pie update

Both P Smart and Smart+ are eligible for Pie
The update may roll out in Q1 or Q2 2019

Huawei has two models under the new P Smart series – the Huawei P Smart and P Smart+. These two are also known as Enjoy 7s or Nova 3i, respectively, and come preinstalled with Oreo out of the box. This makes them definite contenders to receive Android Pie in early 2019 or maybe somewhere in Q2 2019, but we cannot be sure about the date.

Whether Project Treble will play a hand in speeding the P Smart and P Smart+ Pie updates remains unknown, but we hope that will be the case.

Huawei Y series

Android Pie expected on 2018 editions
There’s no guarantee, though

Huawei’s budget Y series has had a mixed track record when it comes to software updates. It is, for this reason, we cannot guarantee that even the 2018 editions that come preinstalled with Android Oreo will be upgraded to Pie, but our hope is that Huawei will make the Pie update available for these devices – their first (and perhaps only) major OS upgrade: Huawei Y9 2018, Huawei Y7 2018, Huawei Y7 Prime 2018, Huawei Y7 Pro 2018, Huawei Y6 2018, Huawei Y5 Prime 2018 and even the Huawei Y3 2018, which has Android Go running the show.

Note that while Huawei will for sure roll out Android 9 Pie update, the company hasn’t provided a comprehensive list of devices that will receive the update. That said, the release dates seen in this post are based on our own estimations from years of experience around Huawei phones and software updates, so don’t come for our necks just in case the dates don’t materialize as stated in this post.