Leaked Samsung update commitment is just what Google should’ve offered with the Pixel 6
It all started in August 2020, as Samsung had just finished unveiling theGalaxy Note20series, theTab S7, and theWatch3. It followed the announcements with a surprise,promising up to “three device generations” in OS updates. At the time, we weren’t too sure if the term “generation” was the company’s attempt at using wordplay to have its way with consumers, but the rest is history. New leaks suggest a similar occurrence at the next Unpacked event, but this time the company is adding another year of OS upgrades — and no, they haven’t changed the wording.
A tweet fromJoshua Swinglereveals information about Samsung’s upcoming launch event, courtesy of serial leaker Evan Blass (Evleaks). The attached image resembles a press release of some sort, detailing Samsung’s plan to provide four OS upgrades instead of three andfive years of security updates instead of four. If the leak turns out to be accurate, the incomingGalaxy S22andGalaxy Tab S8series will receive new OS versions up to Android 16 and still be supported for another year, security-wise. It’s made even more impressive by the fact that Samsung is extending this support to last year’sGalaxy S21 series(including theS21 FE) and theZ Fold3andZ Flip3as well. Considering thatmost OEMs attempt to shrug off update commitments, it’s astounding that Samsung is embracing them.
Google had the chance toset a new update timeline, but it didn’t take it. Ambiguous update claims left us hoping that the company’sPixel 6would be the one to break the three-year OS update cap, especially with the launch of theTensor chip, its first self-branded SoC that doesn’t rely on Qualcomm’s support when it comes to updates. But that clearly didn’t happen. Samsung didn’t fail to snatch the opportunity, though. If other manufacturers want to compete, they will be forced to offer similar or better support, benefiting consumers even more.
Samsung has become so good at updates that it’s hard to think they once sucked at it. The company has been staking its claim as the true number one over the last few years by beating its own schedules and even Google sometimes. This change would keep current and upcoming Galaxy phones and tablets relevant for a considerably longer period. This is certainly exciting news, but let’s not get carried away just yet. The new update promise is not official, so we’ll have to wait for theGalaxy Unpacked eventjust to be sure.
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