Don’t ever let anyone in this business tell you that updates aren’t a big deal. They are. There is a reason that we’ve spent years talking about the number of years of support for each device that’s released, because it matters to customers when they prepare to spend up to and over $1,000 for their next smartphone.
After years of being behind Samsung, Google finally stepped up with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro to offer a full 7 years of OS updates and security patches. It allowed them to take the crown for “King of Android Updates” for a brief moment. I say “brief moment” because Samsung has now matched Google with the launch of the Galaxy S24 Series.
As a part of their full Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra announcement, Samsung says they will offer “seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates.” This extended support lets users “reliably experience the optimized performance of their Galaxy devices for even longer,” they added.
That’s huge. Samsung was previously doing 4 years of OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches, so this is a large jump. If you buy a Galaxy S24 today, it should see updates into 2031.
There are a few things to note here. First, Samsung isn’t saying the security updates will be monthly forever. I will try to get clarification on that, but they kept it simple in their announcement, stating the years and not the general release cadence throughout those years. It could be monthly, just let us confirm.
Another note is in the fine print, where Samsung says that “Availability and timing of Android OS upgrades and security updates may vary by device model and market.” They are giving themselves some wiggle room in this area depending on device and market, but being in the US, we will likely see the full support.
Finally, Google’s Pixel devices get a third bonus of regular Pixel Feature Drops in addition to regular updates. These quarterly releases often bring new software features to Google devices and are a treat for owners. I would just point out that Samsung typically updates its One UI skin at the beginning of each year with new features (like One UI 6.1 that is launching on the S24 Series) and again with big Android releases. At these times, Galaxy owners almost always get new tools and goodies to play with from Samsung.
So recapping, we now have Samsung matching Google with 7 years of OS upgrades and security patches. We’ve come a long way, Android friends.
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