The HTC Desire 816 and 610 will be getting Android Lollipop, but not too soon

According to a recently leaked roadmap for HTC’s Android Lollipop updates, a lot of popular HTC smartphones will be indeed getting the new Android OS over the course of the next few months. While many smartphones are already running Android’s candy-themed, highly desirable OS (Motorola and Nexus smartphones being first-in-line, as usually the case), most major smartphone manufacturers like LG, Samsung and HTC are taking awhile longer. These delays usually come because of tweaks and implementations to each manufacturer’s individual UIs, which generally take longer.

That being said, the primary HTC flagships, such as the One M8 and M7 are already receiving small testing batches for the Android Lollipop 5.0 OS, with carrier employees receiving preliminary versions for feedback purposes. The mid and budget-range isn’t ignored completely either by HTC, and according to the reliable information emerging from the Asian smartphone scene, some popular HTC Desire models will be getting Lollipop by spring, including the HTC Desire 816, Desire 610 or 820s.

Among Desire phones, first-in-line seems to be the HTC Desire 816, which will receive a version of Lollipop by mid-March, together with the 820u and the Desire EYE. Older models, such as the HTC Desire 610, 820s or 510 will have to wait until early April to receive the new Android operating system. While the release schedule refers to Android Lollipop 5.0, it’s uncertain whether this will or will not be the actual version we’ll be getting. There are newer versions of Android Lollipop out there already, and many manufacturers are skipping the preliminary, buggy versions and going straight for the more polished Lollipop 5.1. HTC might go down this route as well, and given that they are still going to work on their own update for at least two months (as far as mid-tier HTC smartphones are concerned, at least), the company might decide to jump straight to 5.0.2 or 5.1.

If you’re the owner of a HTC Desire 816 for instance, the lengthy wait might be frustrating, especially when other smartphones are getting the update. Still, while Android Lollipop is extremely desirable (it brings a plethora of improvements and changes), its current state is often problematic, causing UI bugs, crashes and even excessive battery drain, so waiting a little longer might not be such a bad thing. Ultimately, we’re confident HTC will provide a stable, well-tested OS for the Desire-line, be it the 816 or the 610, and if we have to wait until spring to get it, so be it. The good news is, it’s coming to older and cheaper smartphones too, and that’s what ultimately matters!