TL;DR
- Samsung has promised seven years of Android and security updates for the Galaxy S24 series.
- The extended update policy only applies to the new flagships as of now.
- Samsung hasn’t confirmed if all Galaxy flagships will get the same treatment in the future.
Samsung has good news for Galaxy S24 series buyers. All three phones in the lineup now come with a promise of seven years of Android and security updates, matching Google’s update policy for the Pixel 8 series.
Until Google’s latest flagships came along last October, Samsung was the leader in smartphone software updates with four years of Android and five years of security updates for all recent flagships as well as select mid-range phones. The four-year update policy still applies to older Samsung devices like the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and others. Unfortunately, Samsung is not extending its new seven-year update pledge to older phones just yet.
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That means if you want a Samsung flagship with the longest software updates, you’ll have to choose between the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, or S24 Ultra. All of these will get updates right up until Android 21, which is a heck of a lot of updates. Samsung’s new policy is actually better than Apple’s unofficial update promise for iPhones. Not only will it ensure you hold on to your Galaxy S24 for longer, but it could also bring you better value for the phones when and if you plan to sell or exchange them after a few years.
As for future Galaxy phones, like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Flip 6, it’s unclear if Samsung will put them on the same seven-Android-update plan or if this advantage will be reserved for the S series flagships.
Samsung Galaxy S24
Slimmer than ever • Victus 2 glass • Bright display
Powerful AI smarts and slimmer bezels
The Samsung Galaxy S24 series focuses on added AI technology. With a 6.2-inch, 120Hz display, 128GB or 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, and up to 2,600 nits peak display brightness, the S24 is promising to be a quality update in the line. The new AI features go deep, improving your experience with the camera, search, and much more.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus
Big bright display • Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy • Thin bezels
New hardware, powerful AI tools
Packed with a lengthy suite of new AI features, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus is the 6.7-inch-sized base-model of the S24 series. Sharing most specs and features with the standard S24 model, the S24 Plus offers a larger battery, more storage space, 12GB of RAM, and a bump to Quad HD resolution. Built for those that want a larger display, but are not interested in the very best features available only in the S24 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
200MP camera • ProVisual Engine • Up to 1TB of storage • New AI tools
The best of the best in the S24 series
Samsung’s true flagship device, the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers the very best specs and features from any Galaxy phone to date. Ai and camera functions are the name of the game, with a 200MP primary camera, 50MP 5x telephoto, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide shooters. Smaller display bezels, 2,600 nit display, 5,000 mAh battery, an advanced cooling vapor chamber, up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, and 12GB of RAM make for a powerful mobile computing system. The new ProVisual Engine offers AI-powered camera tools for photo and video capture.
