In a nod to the fact that users are holding onto their smartphones for longer now, Samsung said it would provide three generations of Android updates to its recent Galaxy handsets.
“Samsung is committed to supporting our users to fully enjoy the latest mobile experiences while they are using Galaxy devices,” Samsung senior vice president Janghyun Yoon said in a prepared statement. “As people hold onto their devices for longer, we are working to bring secure protection and exciting new features to the devices already in their hands. By supporting up to three generations of Android OS upgrade[s], we are extending the lifecycle of our Galaxy products and making a promise that we will provide a simple and secure mobile experience that takes advantage of the latest innovations as soon as they are available.”
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Though the firm is among the best when it comes to keeping its devices up-to-date, Samsung previously only committed to two generations of Android updates. Samsung’s 2020 devices, like the Galaxy S20 line and the Note 20 line, will all receive three major Android updates starting with Android 11 in September.
Eligible Galaxy devices include:
Galaxy S series. The Galaxy S10 and S20 families of handsets plus any upcoming S series devices.
Galaxy Note series. The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 20 families of handsets plus any upcoming Note series devices.
Galaxy Foldable devices. The Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, Z Fold2, Z Flip 5G, Z Flip, Fold 5G, Fold, and upcoming Z-series devices.
Galaxy A series. The Galaxy A51, A71, and A90 families of handsets plus select upcoming A-series devices.
Tablets. The Galaxy Tab S6 and Tab S7 families of tablets plus any upcoming Tab S series devices.
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<blockquote><em><a href="#562226">In reply to RobertJasiek:</a></em></blockquote><p>If you want longer-support, choose Apple instead: the new iOS 14 (arriving late this year) is said to support the iPhone 6S (2015), iPad Air 2 (2014), iPad Mini 4 (2015) and some iPad Pro models from 2015.</p><p><br></p><p>Android devices are typically cheaper, so if you get a device that is supported for the full three-years (say the new Pixel 4a at $349) and keep it for the whole time, then upgrade at the end-of-life, that's around $700-800 for two devices and six years of support between them. Probably quite comparable price-wise to Apple when you think of it that way.</p>
dftf
<blockquote><em><a href="#562255">In reply to RobertJasiek:</a></em></blockquote><p>In-fact, looking at the "Android One" Wikipedia article it lists examples of phones each-year that are in the programme, and the cheapest I can see is the Nokia 2.3 which is currently £99 (£83 before VAT; approx $110), released fall 2019, or the Nokia 5.3, released April 2020, currently £149 (£125 before VAT; approx $165).</p><p><br></p><p>So while I do prefer Apple's model, as it means less e-waste overall, still purely considering cost you can get Android devices quite-cheap that will offer the three-years of support.</p>
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<blockquote><em><a href="#562276">In reply to red.radar:</a></em></blockquote><p>iOS being more-efficient and their own chipset efficiency likely means people can live with an i-Device for longer compared to Android.</p><p><br></p><p>The iPhone 11, for example, which launched September 2019, has a 3110mAh battery, whereas the new iPhone SE 2020, (April 2020), has a 1820mAh battery. So while I'd not like to still use the iPhone SE 2020 after 7 years, I'd imagine the iPhone 11 by that time will probably have only degraded to be the same battery-capacity as the iPhone SE 2020 was at new!</p><p><br></p><p>1820mAh is still crazy-low though: my original Moto G back from 2013 had 2070mAh…!</p>
dftf
<p>Google really ought to push more companies into using the Android One programme. Maybe offer some sort-of bulk-discount for those who do?</p>
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<blockquote><em><a href="#562264">In reply to Jester:</a></em></blockquote><p>"Android One" means from the date an Android phone or tablet first comes onto the market it gets Android OS updates for the first two years, and security-updates for the whole three years.</p><p><br></p><p>What Samsung have announced is their own scheme, and it sounds like they will offer Android OS updates during all of the three years since the device first went to market. So if a handset came-out two years ago, then yes, it will only be one year of new support added, not three years. But that device could now suddenly get the latest Android OS</p>