It is reported that Google’s future Pixel phones may receive software upgrades for seven years, which is delightful news for Pixel users. This quickly makes us think about the Pixel 8 series. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are the upcoming Pixel smartphones from Google, which are set to launch on October 4, 2023. This may result in Google overtaking the South Korean giant in offering the updates. Though Google will cut the gap greatly, it won’t be able to compete with Apple, as it has a record of giving iPhones security upgrades for up to ten years after their release.
The thing is that the upcoming series will support the rumor of getting seven major Android updates or not. Nothing has been made clear whether there will be seven years of software upgrades or whether Google is just extending the time between security patches. The likelihood of it being a hybrid of the two is highest; the firm may expand the number of years that its devices receive security upgrades in addition, extending the number of major Android version updates that Pixel phones receive now from three to four or five.
One UI 6 Exclusive Features That Android 14 Doesn’t Have Non-Samsung Phones
The question of whether Samsung will adopt Google’s new policy of seven years of upgrades for its own phones has naturally been on the minds of Galaxy customers. However, we can’t expect Samsung to react to this anytime soon, and if it does, there will be great excitement. It comes as too little for smartphones produced by the same firm that holds a strong hand in bringing up the operating system; for instance, the $1799 Pixel Fold is eligible only for three major Android upgrades. Instead of Samsung having to repeatedly lead Google and other manufacturers in the right direction, Google should have already been releasing OS upgrades for at least four years.
Samsung may anytime regain control and pledge for five or six significant OS upgrades along with more than five years of security patches, even though it is not needed. For smartphones that cost between $300 and $1800, Samsung already announced that it would be providing five years of security updates and four years of major Android OS updates for select Galaxy devices. This is a significant improvement over the company’s previous policy of three years of software support, and it puts Samsung ahead of most other Android manufacturers.
