Samsung recently upped its lead over every other Android manufacturer, including Google, when it comes to software support by announcing that it would provide up to four years of OS upgrades to some of its devices. The new policy doesn’t just extend to devices launching this year and beyond – all 2021 flagship phones, like the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3, are also included.
I’ve been at SamMobile for a long time, and I’ve seen countless announcements about the company’s products. But among all the announcements I’ve sat and watched over the years, this is the only one that managed to give me butterflies as I sat and thought about exactly what Samsung is offering here: software support that's getting unbelievably close to what Apple gives its customers!
Android users have always been jealous of how long Apple supports its iPhones with new versions of iOS. The iPhone 6S launched in 2015 and is eligible for iOS 15, which is its sixth major software update. Apple’s advantage, of course, is that it has much fewer devices to support. Samsung and other Android manufacturers launch a new phone every other day in comparison – keeping track of just how many Galaxy smartphones Samsung has launched till date is a task most accountants would fail at.
Yet Samsung has decided that it will now provide four years of proper OS updates to its devices. That’s just two years less than what the iPhones currently get. While we can’t be sure Apple won’t extend support for the seventh year for some of its iPhones this year or at some point in the future, just the fact that Samsung has gotten so close is a pretty big deal and worth all the praise.
Some will complain that Samsung is too late to the party, and that’s a valid point. But better late than never is better than never, and I’d say we should be pleased with Samsung’s newfound commitment to ensuring its phones and tablets – especially the premium ones — don’t become outdated just two or three years down the line. I certainly am.
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