The Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is under works for a long time, but the company has been silent about the development though. Now, a build of Android 8.1 Oreo-based MIUI 9 Stable ROM has leaked only courtesy of folks at XDA Developers. A bunch of folks at XDA have managed to grab the OTA download link of the MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM based on Android 8.1 Oreo for the Note 5 Pro. The ROM, which for now, can be installed on a Note 5 Pro with unlocked bootloader and TWRP installed because the update is not yet verified by Xiaomi to be flashed through the Updater application.
We have been trying to install these leaked builds on our Note 5 Pro, however, didn't succeed, thanks to Xiaomi's cumbersome unlocking process. But we have actually used a Redmi Note 5 Pro with Android 8.1 Oreo installed for a brief period and we spotted some changes right away.
Firstly, the noticeable thing upfront is the gesture-based control. The Oreo update brings the gesture-based controls to the Note 5 Pro, which was recently added to the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi 5 smartphones with the MIUI 9.5 update. Next up, the dual 4G support. Yes, the Oreo update will bring the dual 4G and dual VoLTE support, but we were not able to test the latter, but the dual 4G worked like a charm during our testing.
Furthermore, the Oreo update will add Project Treble support to the smartphone, which we reported earlier as well. It's unknown when Xiaomi is going to release the Oreo update to the Note 5 Pro, and we're still wondering what's denying Xiaomi in rolling out the update to the public. For the unknown, the Redmi Note 5 Pro which was released in China as Redmi Note 5 arrived with Android 8.1 Oreo carrying dual VoLTE, Project Treble support and more. The update might land anytime in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.
