Huawei has released the latest version of EMUI 9, its custom UI based on Android 9 Pie, for the P20 Pro smartphones. The update is available only in China, and international owners of P20 and P20 Pro will have to wait a bit longer. The Chinese smartphone maker has promised to release Android 9 Pie for the P20 Pro before the end of this year, and that means just a matter of few weeks.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro, the latest flagship smartphone from the Chinese tech giant, already runs EMUI 9 based on Android Pie. The update brings a number of new design changes and system-level updates on top of Huawei’s own customizations. One of the most prominent changes is the gesture-based user navigation on the P20 and P20 Pro, which will be similar to the one seen on the Mate 20 series.
The update also brings support for second-generation GPU Turbo, which promises improved and smoother gameplay. The update will also bring Android Pie-specific features like redesigned settings menu, further tweaked by Huawei and updates to system interface. It should also bring the security patch for month of November or December depending on the release timeline.
To recall, Android 9 Pie was made official by Google in August as an OTA update for Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. The update has been pushed to other devices such as Nokia 7 plus, OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 6, Mi A2, Motorola One Power among others. The update brings a number of new features but is yet to register in Android distribution numbers.
One big feature being introduced with Android 9 Pie is called Digital Wellbeing. It allows users to track the amount of time they spend on their digital device including statistics for things like amount of time spent using the screen, number of times you unlock the device and total number of notifications received during the day. It also lets users to limit time spent using any app and a feature called Wind Down turns the phone into grayscale.
Watch: Huawei Mate 20 Pro First Look
The feature was limited to Google Pixel devices initially and was later expanded to include Android One devices as well. Huawei is also supporting the feature but it is called Digital Balance, and does the same work as Google’s own implementation. It is not clear when the update will arrive for the international variants but it should come in few weeks’ time.
