14 DAY TRIAL // News about the Android 5.0 Lollipop rollout to some mid-range HTC smartphones emerged last week. Although the information did not come through official channels, the source was reliable and stated that HTC Desire EYE and HTC Butterfly S started to receive Lollipop in Taiwan.
Today, HTC UK has announced that it has started the deployment of Android 5.0 Lollipop update for at least two mid-range smartphones: HTC Desire 816 and HTC Desire EYE.
Unfortunately, there's still no word on Lollipop for HTC Desire 820, one of the most popular mid-range Android smartphones launched by the Taiwanese handset maker in the last couple of years.
The update is released globally in all stages, so it might take a while until it reaches all countries. It's also worth mentioning that Android 5.0 Lollipop is only available for unlocked versions of HTC Desire 816 and Desire EYE.
The update brings HTC Sense UI 6.5 and other Lollipop improvements
The carrier-branded units might get the update slightly later, as they will need to be approved by network operators after testing.
Android 5.0 Lollipop brings lots of new features and improvements, but Sense 7.0 UI is not among the enhancements included in this update yet.
However, Desire 816 and Desire EYE will still get an update to HTC Sense 6.5 UI. The newest version of HTC's user interface, which is now available in One M9, will come to these mid-range smartphones at a later date.
In other news, rumor has it that HTC One Max, One mini 2, and One mini will receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update as well, but an exact release date has yet to be determined.
HTC One E8, on the other hand, has already received the update in Hong Kong and is likely to start getting it in other countries too. Stay tuned for more info on the matter.