Starting this year, select Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches will be eligible to receive up to four generations of operating system updates and five years of security updates. That includes last year’s Samsung Galaxy S21 series and tallies one more year of support to the company’s existing standard. Here’s a breakdown of what this change means to Galaxy users, why it matters, and how it fares with the likes of Apple and Google. When dissecting the official press release, Samsung states that it’s “offering up to four generations of One UI and Android OS upgrades on select Galaxy devices.” The “up to” wording should be noted here as it does leave the possibility for Samsung to end its suggested cadence earlier. Fortunately, Samsung has been nothing short of reliable with its updates the past year, so the outlook here is positive.
Galaxy S Series: Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, S22 Ultra as well as Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, S21 Ultra, S21 FE, and upcoming S series devicesGalaxy Z Series: Galaxy Z Fold3, Galaxy Z Flip3, and upcoming Z series devicesGalaxy A Series: upcoming select A series devicesGalaxy Tablets: Galaxy Tab S8, S8 Plus, S8 Ultra, and upcoming Tab S series devicesGalaxy Watch: Galaxy Watch4, Galaxy Watch4 Classic, and upcoming Galaxy Watch series devices
Beneath the shiny, glass builds and multi-camera setups is the software that powers a device. And with reliable and consistent software support, that phone, tablet, or laptop, can be: used for much longer, gain access the latest features, and see general improvements to its security. More importantly, the extended use of tech gadgets greatly reduces the amount of e-waste that plagues landfills annually. According to Google’s support page, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are guaranteed to receive Android version updates until at least October 2024, or three years after launch. As the creator of the Android platform and user of an in-house system on a chip (Tensor), you’d expect the Pixel lineup of smartphones to represent the premier Android experience. Putting Google’s update commitment next to the Samsung’s, however, reveals a significant advantage for the Galaxy-phone maker. Samsung’s four years commitment to OS upgrades falls short of Apple’s, but it’s encouraging to see the company continue to set its own standards and live up to them. Hopefully, it’s enough to pressure more Android manufacturers to follow suit.
