Samsung had a surprising announcement for us at the Galaxy Note 20 series launch, as it confirmed a lengthier commitment to updates for its recent smartphones, foldable devices, and tablets.

More specifically, the firm says it’s now offering three years/generations of Android version upgrades instead of two. This applies to the Galaxy S10 series onwards (including the S10 Lite), the Galaxy Note 10 family onwards (including the Galaxy Note 10 Lite), the Galaxy A51 and higher, the Galaxy Tab S6 range and upwards, and all the firm’s foldables.

In other words, that means if you bought a Galaxy S20 series phone, you can expect to get Android 13 when it launches.

Solving one of Android’s biggest issues
The significance of this announcement can’t be overstated. Android OEMs have long stuck to a two-year period of Android version updates for the most part.

Aside from Google — Android’s owner and gatekeeper — there have been very few companies that stretch beyond the two-year update cycle. OnePlus is one outlier, recently evidenced by updates for the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. These two phones received three version upgrades, with Android 10 arriving earlier this year. But more often than not, we’ve seen brands try to weasel their way out of delivering even two updates rather than overdeliver.

One of the more disappointing examples of this was Motorola initially saying its Edge Plus smartphone would only be guaranteed a single Android version update. The company later changed its mind after media and consumer pressure began to mount, eventually promising it would offer two updates. The mere fact that the company tried to get away with one update for a $1,000 phone is indicative of the wider issue facing consumers.

Samsung's move to offer three years of Android updates come as some OEMs struggle to deal with two years of updates.

We’ve even seen companies like Xiaomi only updating their MIUI Android skin for some lower-tier devices rather than updating the underlying Android version too. Although this is better than no updates at all, it still means your device won’t be compatible with some apps sooner rather than later and won’t be getting the same security patches as other Android devices.

As the biggest name in Android by market share and by reputation, Samsung is incredibly influential. Time will tell if others follow in its footsteps and commit to longer updates, but for now, it’s an important step in the right direction.

https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-android-updates-opinion-1149708/

A good one but what's so hard in updating their phones? Why not produce 1 or 2 flagship phone in 1or 2 years

Jeffy1206:
A good one but what's so hard in updating their phones? Why not produce 1 or 2 flagship phone in 1or 2 years

You think it's cheap?
Millions of dollars goes into the coding and manufacturing of phones

TECNO left the WhatsApp group

Interesting....
This will lead to drop in Android phone sales if it becomes widely used by other smartphone makers

Bloooody:

You think it's cheap?
Millions of dollars goes into the coding and manufacturing of phones

and it doesn't affect Apple that supports up to 5 years?

Stanl3y:
Samsung had a surprising announcement for us at the Galaxy Note 20 series launch, as it confirmed a lengthier commitment to updates for its recent smartphones, foldable devices, and tablets.

More specifically, the firm says it’s now offering three years/generations of Android version upgrades instead of two. This applies to the Galaxy S10 series onwards (including the S10 Lite), the Galaxy Note 10 family onwards (including the Galaxy Note 10 Lite), the Galaxy A51 and higher, the Galaxy Tab S6 range and upwards, and all the firm’s foldables.

In other words, that means if you bought a Galaxy S20 series phone, you can expect to get Android 13 when it launches.

Solving one of Android’s biggest issues
The significance of this announcement can’t be overstated. Android OEMs have long stuck to a two-year period of Android version updates for the most part.

Aside from Google — Android’s owner and gatekeeper — there have been very few companies that stretch beyond the two-year update cycle. OnePlus is one outlier, recently evidenced by updates for the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. These two phones received three version upgrades, with Android 10 arriving earlier this year. But more often than not, we’ve seen brands try to weasel their way out of delivering even two updates rather than overdeliver.

One of the more disappointing examples of this was Motorola initially saying its Edge Plus smartphone would only be guaranteed a single Android version update. The company later changed its mind after media and consumer pressure began to mount, eventually promising it would offer two updates. The mere fact that the company tried to get away with one update for a $1,000 phone is indicative of the wider issue facing consumers.

Samsung's move to offer three years of Android updates come as some OEMs struggle to deal with two years of updates.

We’ve even seen companies like Xiaomi only updating their MIUI Android skin for some lower-tier devices rather than updating the underlying Android version too. Although this is better than no updates at all, it still means your device won’t be compatible with some apps sooner rather than later and won’t be getting the same security patches as other Android devices.

As the biggest name in Android by market share and by reputation, Samsung is incredibly influential. Time will tell if others follow in its footsteps and commit to longer updates, but for now, it’s an important step in the right direction.

https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-android-updates-opinion-1149708/

If you really understood what they meant, they already know they are losing the android market and these latest phones they intend supporting for a longer time might be their only saving grace. It is a market strategy.

No mo

Minsk24:
Interesting....
This will lead to drop in Android phone sales if it becomes widely used by other smartphone makers

Well may be, but android update is an achievement, others include better camera features and megapixels, ram and rom, processors, design, battery capacity and many more. The s20 of this year will be old when s30 and s40 come, so the urge to buy the latest phone continues

Cc Lalasticlala Ishilove Semid4lyfe

Chuksteric:
TECNO left the WhatsApp group

Looool
But the Pouvoir 4 recently received Android 11 beta update

Jeffy1206:
and it doesn't affect Apple that supports up to 5 years?

Apple Is worth 2 trillion dollars.

The way most of you narialand people are foolish eh

Abiodunspectre:

Looool
But the Pouvoir 4 recently received Android 11 beta update

Lol .. The spark 3 , camon c8, phantom 6all had beta releases but never released a stable update... Talk to the guys at your HQ... People deserve better

I'm not sure I'll ever buy Samsung again. It's either Redmi or Xiaomi .
Their (i.e. Samsung's) phones are overpriced!

The only reason iPhone is better than Android.
iPhones get 5 years of iOS upgrade.
Kudos to Apple.

Bloooody:

Apple Is worth 2 trillion dollars.

The way most of you narialand people are foolish eh

just imagine this empty skull talking?

Other brands supposed to commit na...
Any brand shipping with Android 11 up got to support seamless updates a.k.a. A/B partitions whether they like it or not.
If OEMss don't supply updates, it's their fault, not Google's fault.

Some idioots saying that Apple has money bla bla... What they have is good thinking and ideas. They have a motive: to produce and support for a long term, while other brands motive is to keep dishing out the same flagships every month

RenaissanceGuy:
I'm not sure I'll ever buy Samsung again. It's either Redmi or Xiaomi . Their phones are overpriced!

I swear. Xiaomi's just save me from the bondage of UK used phone.
I know say affordable and ozidyphones go don miss me

RenaissanceGuy:
I'm not sure I'll ever buy Samsung again. It's either Redmi or Xiaomi .
Their (i.e. Samsung's) phones are overpriced!

na wa for this life, and me i wan switch from xiaomi to Samsung. Xiaomi dor dey produce heavy fones like infinix.. Nah it's time to move

Nokia has been updating their phones for 3 years...are they having two heads?

Youngpo413:
Nokia has been updating their phones for 3 years...are they having two heads?

Nokia is android one. Just like Pixel devices.

Bloooody:

Apple Is worth 2 trillion dollars.

The way most of you narialand people are foolish eh

Na wa o. For small question wey dem ask you without insult?