According to a Google's Support page, the company supports Pixel phones with major Android updates for at least 3 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store.
Additionally, the phones also get security updates for at least 3 years from when the device first became available. And if the duration is longer, older Pixel phones can also get security updates for at least 18 months from when the Google Store last sold the device.
Samsung is the smartphone manufacturer from South Korea. As one of the largest and the most popular, Samsung is upping its ante on delivering Android updates, surpassing even Google for its Pixel phones.
According to Samsung, it is starting to offer 3 years of major Android updates, and 4 years of security updates.
In a press release, Samsung said:
Samsung added:
It should be noted that despite Samsung is extending its support to its more than 130 smartphone models, the move does not necessarily mean that it is giving routine monthly security updates.
Samsung said that it's delivering four years of "monthly or quarterly" updates, depending on the age of the device.
But still, the move makes Samsung the Android phone manufacturer that offers support for Android security updates longer than anyone else in the Android business.
The phones include:
- Galaxy Foldable devices: Fold, Fold 5G, Z Fold2, Z Fold2 5G, Z Flip, Z Flip 5G.
- Galaxy S series: S10, S10+, S10e, S10 5G, S10 Lite, S20, S20 5G, S20+, S20+ 5G, S20 Ultra, S20 Ultra 5G, S20 FE, S20 FE 5G, S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G.
- Galaxy Note series: Note10, Note10 5G, Note10+, Note10+ 5G, Note10 Lite, Note20, Note20 5G, Note20 Ultra, Note20 Ultra 5G.
- Galaxy A series: A10, A10e, A10s, A20, A20s, A30, A30s, A40, A50, A50s, A60, A70, A70s, A80, A90 5G, A11, A21, A21s, A31, A41, A51, A51 5G, A71, A71 5G, A02s, A12, A32 5G, A42 5G.
- Galaxy M series: M10s, M20, M30, M30s, M40, M11, M12, M21, M31, M31s, M51.
- Galaxy XCover series: XCover4s, XCover FieldPro, XCover Pro.
- Galaxy Tab series: Tab Active Pro, Tab Active3, Tab A 8 (2019), Tab A with S Pen, Tab A 8.4 (2020), Tab A7, Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 5G, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+.
Not anymore than smartphones are manufactured using cheap plastics and weak chassis. Modern smartphones, especially those on the higher end, are made with materials that can make the phones last longer under normal usage.
With the hardware that becomes more durable, prolonged software updates simply make smartphones better and a lot more reliable.
However for Samsung, the downside of the company is its famed slow roll out.
The company is best known for being late when it comes to delivering Android updates.
For example, the South Korean conglomerate took three months to start the Android 11 rollout, while Google, OnePlus, Oppo, and Xiaomi were all faster. Samsung also isn't in Google's Android beta program, which is already used by all faster competitors. What's more, Samsung also refuses to follow Android's best practices and add seamless update support, which lets users apply all these updates without incurring significant phone downtime.
While Samsung is besting Google in delivering the lengthy support, the company still pales in comparison to Apple.
This big competitor of Samsung, Google and all Android phone manufacturers, still offers the lengthiest update plan in the industry.
At this time, the support for iOS 14 goes all the way back to the iPhone 6S, a phone released in 2015.
Further reading: The World Of Increasingly Expensive Smartphones: It's A Business, It's A Struggle