Samsung promises four years of security updates and three years of OS updates for a number of its Galaxy devices. Android OEMs rarely ever support their devices for such a long time.
Here's the full list of Samsung devices eligible to receive four years of security patches and three operating system updates.
Which Samsung Devices Will Receive Four Years of Security Updates?
Samsung is the world's largest Android OEM, and the company promising four years of security patches for its devices is a big deal. Samsung's four-year commitment is even better than Google, which promises three years of security and OS updates for its Pixel devices.
Almost all Samsung devices launched since 2019, including budget ones, are eligible to receive four years of security updates. Below is the entire list of eligible Galaxy devices:
- Galaxy Fold series: Fold, Fold 5G, Z Fold2, Z Fold2 5G, Z Flip, Z Flip 5G
- Galaxy S series: S10, S10+, S10e, S10 5G, S10 Lite, S20, S20 5G, S20+, S20+ 5G, S20 Ultra, S20 Ultra 5G, S20 FE, S20 FE 5G, S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy Note series: Note10, Note10 5G, Note10+, Note10+ 5G, Note10 Lite, Note20, Note20 5G, Note20 Ultra, Note20 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy A series: A10, A10e, A10s, A20, A20s, A30, A30s, A40, A50, A50s, A60, A70, A70s, A80, A90 5G, A11, A21, A21s, A31, A41, A51, A51 5G, A71, A71 5G, A02s, A12, A32 5G, A42 5G
- Galaxy M series: M10s, M20, M30, M30s, M40, M11, M12, M21, M31, M31s, M51
- Galaxy XCover series: XCover4s, XCover FieldPro, XCover Pro
- Galaxy Tab series: Tab Active Pro, Tab Active3, Tab A 8 (2019), Tab A with S Pen, Tab A 8.4 (2020), Tab A7, Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 5G, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+
Going forward, all Galaxy devices that Samsung launch will also be covered under this commitment.
Samsung has promised four years of security updates for the above devices. This does not mean it will roll out monthly security patches for them.
The company will do so initially for its flagship and popular mid-range devices. Eventually, Samsung will roll out quarterly security patches before the devices reach their end of life in terms of software support.
Make sure to check out our Galaxy S21 review if you plan to buy it so that you know if the device is worth your money or not. If you have already purchased the device, check out the best Galaxy S21 accessories that are worth buying.
Which Samsung Galaxy Devices Will Receive Three Full Android Updates?
Samsung has also committed to providing three generations of operating system updates to selected Galaxy devices. However, not all Galaxy devices eligible to receive four years of security updates will also receive three OS updates.
Samsung promises three generations of OS updates only for its high-end and mid-range Galaxy devices. The list of eligible devices are as follows:
- Galaxy S series: S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G, S20 Ultra 5G, S20 Ultra, S20+ 5G, S20+, S20 5G, S20, S10 5G, S10+, S10, S10e, S10 Lite, and future S series devices
- Galaxy Note series: Note20 Ultra 5G, Note20 Ultra, Note20 5G, Note20, Note10+ 5G, Note10+, Note10 5G, Note10, Note10 Lite and future Note series devices
- Galaxy Fold series: Z Fold2 5G, Z Fold2, Z Flip 5G, Z Flip, Fold 5G, Fold, and future Z series devices
- Galaxy A series: A71 5G, A71, A51 5G, A51, A90 5G and select A series devices in future
- Galaxy Tab: Tab S7+ 5G, Tab S7+, Tab S7 5G3, Tab S7, Tab S6 5G4, Tab S6, Tab S6 Lite, and future Tab S series devices
None of the low-end Samsung Galaxy devices are a part of this program. Samsung will determine whether such devices can be updated to a newer Android version or not, depending on their hardware.
Another thing to note here is that Samsung is promising "three generations of OS updates." This leaves the room open for interpretation as Samsung can launch a device with Android 10 now and only update it until Android 13.
Every new version of Android will also be accompanied by a new version of Samsung's One UI software.
Samsung Sets the Benchmark in Software Updates
By providing four years of security updates and three generations of OS updates, Samsung has set the bar in terms of software support for other Android OEMs to follow.
The Korean company has come a long way from its Touchwiz days where it was criticized for its poor and slow software support policies. The company's One UI software is now among the best and most powerful among the whole Android ecosystem.
Image Credit: Samsung
