Update 18/01/2024: Samsung has officially confirmed during the launch event of Galaxy S24 series that all three models in the lineup will receive 7 years of major Android OS updates and security patches.
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Samsung had set an industry standard back in 2021 when it became the first Android OEM to offer 4 years of major OS upgrades to its flagships and mid-rangers. The brand was followed by its competitors in doing the same. However, last year, Google took over the situation by offering 7 years of major OS updates for its Pixel 8 series which is more than what any other company in the industry offers, and Samsung seems to be following Google’s footsteps now.
A report by Android Headlines says that Galaxy S24 series could receive updates until 2031, which equals to 7 years of updates. In other words, if you purchase a Galaxy S24 series, it’ll be up to date till version 21 of Android. This policy aligns with that of the Google Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro. Samsung would also be dethroning them from receiving the most major OS updates.
It is also currently unclear whether Samsung would extend this policy to its older flagships including the Galaxy S23 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Z Flip 5 and more. Whatever the case may be, it’s impressive to see that Samsung is longing to provide better after-sales support to its customers.
However, just like we had our doubts with the Pixel 8 series, we have those with the Galaxy S24 series also. Two of the devices in the lineup, including the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+, are expected to be powered by the Exynos 2400 SoC. Samsung’s history with Exynos hasn’t been a memorable one and people have requested the brand many a times to phase out the Chipset due to heating issues, less overall efficiency as well as throttling problems also.
If Samsung were to support the Galaxy S24 series with 7 years of OS updates, it will have to work a lot on Exynos chip in terms of how it ages. The efficiency and power factors will have to be balanced out in a significant manner.
Furthermore, it is also possible that Samsung could limit new features in the future to the newest generation of the Galaxy S series handsets and may not bring them to the Galaxy S24 series. As these are just possibilities, only time will tell how well the Galaxy S24 series will handle 7 years of major OS updates.
