[Honor 8 Guides, News, & Discussion] pirx73:
I want to offer some thoughts on the matter but knowing human reaction i have to start with disclaimer:

Everything below is just my take on why Huawei decided to omit Oreo for our phone. Explanation does not mean i justify or agree with what they did.

Some basic things first, obvious to everyone, sorry if i am repeating well-known facts:

1. Huawei are in it for the money. Nothing else. If they can make more money by selling us a new phone they will go for it.

2. EMUI is more than a skin, it is heavily customized software layer atop of Android, thus making every upgrade quite complicated involving lot of development and testing=spending money. Money which Huawei wants to earn not to spend. HTC fell for it long time ago with their SenseUI.

3. There is also a factor of Google requirements. Let's not idolize this company. It is not like they are "Light side Jedis" while Apple are "Evil Siths". Nope. Both parties want to make as much money as possible only their approach differs.

Case: Sony Z3 and Z2 series not receiving an Android 7.0 upgrade. Sony gave pretty good explanation pointing at Google. Sony was testing Nougat on Z3 and Z2 series but during Nougat development beta phase Google changed their hardware spec requirements for device to be Nougat-certified. If i remember correctly for Nougat certification device must have hardware encryption for internal storage. Z3 and Z2 SoC lack such capability. Thus Sony had to scrap Nougat beta for Z3 and Z2. Same factor could apply here only Huawei did not mention that. Although Google does not hide those facts. In Sony case it could be also a Qualcomm's issue, not willing to write Nougat drivers for their Snapdragon 801, but again - we do not know if it is "do not want to do" thing or "it just can't support this" thing. Emulating hardware features via software could be big performance hit. Huawei write their own Kirin 950 drivers of course.

4. Please do not mix terms "update" and "upgrade". They are not interchangable. Update for Android phones usually means receiving firmware updates, bug fixes and Android security patches for the Android version phone currently has. Nothing more.

Upgrade on the other hand means all that above+new Android version(s). Huawei promised 2 years of "updates", thus they are basically saying "no new Android version for this phone". At least they do not guarantee new Android versions. Only if they please to do so. Even then - only 8.0 when latest is 8.1 already? Huawei likes to skip minor versions.

Sony provided several upgrades: my Z2 Tablet and Z3 Compact phone went from 4.4.4(4.4.2) to 6.0.1 through 5.0.2 and 5.1.1 but not Huawei. But Sony flagships cost a lot more than Honor 8.

Previous Huawei devices my family owned (Ascend P7 and P8) only had 1 major Android upgrade each. So it is safely to assume that Honor 8 might not get Oreo..

But please keep in mind that Z2 and Z3 series were Sony flagships of that time, quite expensive. Midrange Sony phones are not so lucky with upgrades.

5. Kirin 950 and 960 might have a lot more hardware differences than just "having faster speeds". 960 might have some hardware which is required for Oreo which 950 has not - see #3 again. Why Huawei could not communicate that IF this is true, i have no idea. Kirin 950 processing power is more than enough for Oreo.

Would be nice to have at least "consolation upgrade" from Huawei to Android 7.1.2 at least. With EMUI 5.1 (or 5.1.1 if that exists) but i am not hoping for that.

I will stay positive and still hope for the best. If Oreo won't arrive - i will not be mad. If it will - nice.

One thing is clear for me even more than before: if you want latest Android version on your phone - get Google. Although i am reluctant to advertise this company, not a fan.

Of course there is always an option of custom mods if that is your thing.

I keep in mind that no phone manufacturer guarantees that you will receive every possible Android version for 2-3 years. Even Google.