While Samsung’s smartphones are among the best on the market, they come with one major issue which for customers who aren’t willing to upgrade every once in a while is quite a deal-breaker.
More specifically, Samsung’s phones only receive two new Android versions besides the one that they ship with, after which the only thing they get is monthly security updates until they are discontinued.
In other words, despite the premium price of a Samsung flagship, it’s technically supported for Android upgrades for just two years, after which the only way to go if you want to experience the latest and greatest of Google’s mobile operating system is to purchase a new phone.
Given the Galaxy Note10, for example, can cost more than $1,000, this isn’t an approach that customers liked, and the Galaxy S8 itself is living proof in this regard. The S8, which can still be purchased from various retailers today, has already been abandoned and didn’t even receive Android 10.
Needless to say, Samsung’s upgrade policy doesn’t make any sense when comparing it to the approach used by its rivals. Apple, for example, is getting ready to roll out the iOS 14 update all iPhones starting with the iPhone 6s and newer. The iPhone 6s launched in 2015, so it’s five years old but still getting OS and security updates.
Samsung, however, looks like it learned from its own mistakes and is preparing a massive change as to how upgrades are shipped to its smartphones.
The company is upgrading the policy from two years of OS updates to three years, which means that its smartphones would no longer receive just two new Android versions but three.
Samsung confirmed this at the Unpacked event a few hours ago, and then provided more information for AA, explaining that the new update policy comes in effect beginning with the release of the Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
The South Koreans, however, haven’t provided too many details on its Android upgrade plans, but in theory, this means that the Note20, which will ship with Android 10, will then be upgraded to Android 11, Android 12, and Android 13. Previously, the device would have been abandoned at Android 12.
There’s a chance that Samsung takes everyone by surprise and considers the Android 11 update the starting point since it’s supposed to ship this fall, in which case the Note20 would even get Android 14 in 2023.
A similar approach will also be used for the previous-generation flagships, namely the Galaxy S10 and the Note10, both of which will be upgraded until Android 12 or Android 13 depending on how the company handles the original Android version that came pre-installed on the device.
But at the end of the day, it’s pretty clear that Samsung has learned from its past mistakes and wants to resolve what was likely one of the biggest deal-breakers for anyone considering buying one of its smartphones.
Things are clearly improving for Samsung as far as updates are concerned. A few years ago, the company struggled with monthly security updates too, as many of its devices, including the high-end models, sometimes skipped one, two, or even several months of updates, all for reasons that weren’t exactly clear.
At this point, everything seems to be working properly, as the majority of devices are updated on time every month and in many cases, these security updates land in the first days of each month, especially for flagships.
So yes, this is a new Samsung. And to be honest, it’s hard to find a reason not to like the new Samsung.