Samsung will now support select Galaxy devices for 3 generations of AndroidOS upgrade

Davy

Samsung Electronics reinforced its commitment to offering the best mobile experiences possible for Galaxy users by supporting for three generations of Android operating system (OS) upgrades on millions of Galaxy devices1.



Eligible Galaxy devices include2:



Galaxy S series: Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, S20 Ultra, S20+ 5G, S20+, S20 5G, S20 in addition to S10 5G, S10+, S10, S10e, S10 Lite and upcoming S series devices

Galaxy Note series: Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, Note20 Ultra, Note20 5G, Note20, Note10+ 5G, Note10+, Note10 5G, Note10, Note10 Lite and upcoming Note series devices

Galaxy Foldable devices: Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, Z Fold2, Z Flip 5G, Z Flip, Fold 5G, Fold and upcoming Z series devices

Galaxy A series: Galaxy A71 5G, A71, A51 5G, A51, A90 5G and select upcoming A series devices

Tablets: Galaxy Tab S7+ 5G, Tab S7+, Tab S7 5G3, Tab S7, Tab S6 5G4, Tab S6, Tab S6 Lite and upcoming Tab S series devices


“Samsung is committed to supporting our users to fully enjoy the latest mobile experiences while they are using Galaxy devices,” said Janghyun Yoon, Senior Vice President and Head of Software Platform Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “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, 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.”



For example, the Galaxy S20 lineup, announced in February 2020 powered by Android 10, will get support for three OS upgrades starting with Android 11 to give users a refreshing phone experience. The Galaxy S20 line-up will also be the first Galaxy devices to receive the Android 11 upgrade later this year5, with other devices to follow shortly thereafter.

.

JH_raheny

It's good news and good thing that they finally clarified it as there's been a good bit of confusion about it.
Bit of a shame they didn't include the Note 9 as well but they people have a good excuse for upgrading to the 10/10+

Sonics2k

Keep in mind that depending on the network you purchase the phone from, there can be absolutely massive delays. When possible, buy directly from Samsung to ensure you get the updates in a timely manner.

Frankly it's about time Samsung did this, and hopefully other OEM's do the same too. It's always annoyed that Android phones get very short support and updates.

JH_raheny

Sonics2k wrote: »

Keep in mind that depending on the network you purchase the phone from, there can be absolutely massive delays. When possible, buy directly from Samsung to ensure you get the updates in a timely manner.

Frankly it's about time Samsung did this, and hopefully other OEM's do the same too. It's always annoyed that Android phones get very short support and updates.

You don't have the same delays anymore with Samsung software, not even when bought through a phone service provider rather than Samsung.

Davy

JH_raheny wrote: »

It's good news and good thing that they finally clarified it as there's been a good bit of confusion about it.
Bit of a shame they didn't include the Note 9 as well but they people have a good excuse for upgrading to the 10/10+

They have to draw the line somewhere. If they included the Note 9, then people would say the same about the Note 8 :pac:


With this, anyone with a Note 10/10+ doesn't have much reason to update to the Note 20 so the reverse can also be true.

coylemj

That list shows that the marketing exercise of extending the 'Galaxy' brand to the A6 and similar midpriced models was all a sham.

AngryLips

Sonics2k wrote: »

Frankly it's about time Samsung did this, and hopefully other OEM's do the same too. It's always annoyed that Android phones get very short support and updates.

Three years is still a ridiculously short support time for a major OS like Android. Unless you buy the phone when it's first released, chances are most purchasers will experience 1-2 years of supported updates at most.

coylemj

AngryLips wrote: »

Three years is still a ridiculously short support time for a major OS like Android. Unless you buy the phone when it's first released, chances are most purchasers will experience 1-2 years of supported updates at most.

+1 another good reason to buy midrange and upgrade every two years.

JH_raheny

JH_raheny wrote: »

You don't have the same delays anymore with Samsung software, not even when bought through a phone service provider rather than Samsung.

No real delays between Samsung direct and carriers, but usually a massive delay for Samsung to release in the first place. I think my Note 9 finally got Android 10 after 6 months.

ED E

Sonics2k wrote: »

Keep in mind that depending on the network you purchase the phone from, there can be absolutely massive delays. When possible, buy directly from Samsung to ensure you get the updates in a timely manner.

Frankly it's about time Samsung did this, and hopefully other OEM's do the same too. It's always annoyed that Android phones get very short support and updates.

Unless you're broke nobody should get phones on contract. Like buying your car from Maxol.


Treble should mean that carrier branded handsets get quicker updates following OEM release.
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/05/here-comes-treble-modular-base-for.html
Should. Still requires the carrier to not be eejits.

AngryLips

ED E wrote: »

Unless you're broke nobody should get phones on contract. Like buying your car from Maxol.


Treble should mean that carrier branded handsets get quicker updates following OEM release.
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/05/here-comes-treble-modular-base-for.html
Should. Still requires the carrier to not be eejits.

While in many cases this is true, there are many times when buying through network isn't any more expensive than buying on credit through any other means, and sometimes even cheaper.

AngryLips

AngryLips wrote: »

While in many cases this is true, there are many times when buying through network isn't any more expensive than buying on credit through any other means, and sometimes even cheaper.

Buying on credit? Just buy the phone with cash. Contracts are a complete rip-off.

I always refer back to the value I used to have in the UK. £25/month for 18 months + £70 upfront for the phone (which was worth £450). My entire contract cost was £520 with a £450 phone.

These days you could easily spend over €2k on a contract over 2 years. It's always going to end up cheaper buying a phone outright and going onto something like GoMo with unlimited everything.

AngryLips

Basil3 wrote: »

Buying on credit? Just buy the phone with cash. Contracts are a complete rip-off.

Well if you don't make a distinction between the people who have the money up front versus those who don't then you're just comparing apples with oranges really.

gzoladz

AngryLips wrote: »

Well if you don't make a distinction between the people who have the money up front versus those who don't then you're just comparing apples with oranges really.

Those who don't have the money up front should carefully consider if a high end phone should be one if their priorities when it comes to committing to a long term contract.

Not suggesting it should not be, just that it should be assessed vs other needs.

listermint

AngryLips wrote: »

Well if you don't make a distinction between the people who have the money up front versus those who don't then you're just comparing apples with oranges really.

Don't be buying thousand euro phones on credit. That's just absymal financial management.

AngryLips

AngryLips wrote: »

Well if you don't make a distinction between the people who have the money up front versus those who don't then you're just comparing apples with oranges really.

Maybe. If you can't afford to buy the phone upfront, maybe you should think about whether it's something you need. It doesn't take away from the fact that you'll probably end up paying hundreds more for the device over the course of the contract.

AngryLips

Basil3 wrote: »

Maybe. If you can't afford to buy the phone upfront, maybe you should think about whether it's something you need. It doesn't take away from the fact that you'll probably end up paying hundreds more for the device over the course of the contract.

listermint wrote: »

Don't be buying thousand euro phones on credit. That's just absymal financial management.

gzoladz wrote: »

Those who don't have the money up front should carefully consider if a high end phone should be one if their priorities when it comes to committing to a long term contract.

You all realise that this is pretty much how most of the postpay market works right? Like the entire market is based off people buying really expensive phones on credit and paying it off over time. You can be pious about it all you want and imply that it's a poor life choice, but it's also the reality of the situation and the cost of doing it through networks isn't necessarily higher than buying it on credit through some other means.

_Kaiser_

AngryLips wrote: »

You all realise that this is pretty much how most of the postpay market works right? Like the entire market is based off people buying really expensive phones on credit and paying it off over time. You can be pious about it all you want and imply that it's a poor life choice, but it's also the reality of the situation and the cost of doing it through networks isn't necessarily higher than buying it on credit through some other means.

It also extends into areas like car financing, appliances and anything on a HP-style plan. You could even argue a mortgage is the ultimate post-pay plan.

There's nothing at all wrong with debt, so long as it's manageable debt. Indeed, a good credit/repayment record is often a bonus in many cases.

listermint

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

It also extends into areas like car financing, appliances and anything on a HP-style plan. You could even argue a mortgage is the ultimate post-pay plan.

There's nothing at all wrong with debt, so long as it's manageable debt. Indeed, a good credit/repayment record is often a bonus in many cases.

Not at all.

A phone is a far larger risk far larger. Easily stolen. More easily dropped on it arse. I actually know people still paying bills on phoned they smashed the screen on and it's dead months ago.

So paying for something you can't even joy. Not very comparible to a mortgage or a car .. at all.

Cina

it's welcome news but Android is still lagging way behind Apple who generally offer 5 to 6 years. Even google themselves only offer 3 years on Pixel devices. It's becoming a bigger issue now than it used to be because people are holding on to their phones longer so it makes sense that Samsung are jumping on board with it.

unhappys10

listermint wrote: »

Not at all.

A phone is a far larger risk far larger. Easily stolen. More easily dropped on it arse. I actually know people still paying bills on phoned they smashed the screen on and it's dead months ago.

So paying for something you can't even joy. Not very comparible to a mortgage or a car .. at all.

Well if you insure big purchases like a car and a house, why wouldn't you insure a €1,000+ phone?

Anyone who smashes, loses or has stolen something like that and doesn't have insurance is an idiot and deserves what they get.

statto25

My Note8 is still going strong and is in daily use. However if I flash a custom rom ill trip the Knox or ill lose my pen functionality. If they arent going to update it why not let developers have the source code to create a better range of custom ROMs