Samsung's mobile division has embraced sustainability even more through its seven OS upgrade policy. The latest high-end Galaxy phones, released in 2024 onward, are poised to have unprecedented longevity. They will enjoy OS firmware upgrades for seven years, and Samsung is supposed to provide replacement parts for just as long.
Because of these policy changes, people can, in theory, use their Galaxy phones for nearly a decade. It looks good on paper, but in reality, most smartphone users doubt that any mobile device could survive unharmed for seven or more years without proper protection. And that's where we hope Samsung will go the extra mile.
We need Galaxy phone cases for at least five years
The best way to increase your phone's chances of survival in the long term is to wrap it in a protective case. Some of us might not like it, and I've been among those who have used flagship phones without a case. But even I know seven years is a long time, and for a phone to survive for nearly a decade, it probably needs that extra layer of protection.
The good news is that Samsung offers many case designs. The bad news is that protective cases break, get scuffed, scratched, worn out, or unpleasant to look at. They're designed to take the beating instead of your phone, and they usually start falling apart in one or two years.
But the worst part is that, in most markets, you won't find Galaxy phone cases on sale for models older than a year or two. If you go to the Samsung online shop in the USA right now, you'll notice that cases older than the Galaxy S23 are no longer on sale.
That's going to be a problem if Samsung doesn't do anything about it. And as long as this seven OS upgrade policy exists, we believe the company should also consider selling protective cases for at least five years, if not more.
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As far as we know, Samsung hasn't said anything about its case policy in relation to the prolonged support select Galaxy phones benefit from. But if Samsung doesn't change its current strategy, people will have to turn to 2nd or 3rd-party case manufacturers sooner rather than later.
