![]() Kyle Bradshaw and Ben Schoon contributed to this post. Even a bump to just five years of OS updates for Pixel would be enough and let the Google phone be at the top of the ecosystem, with anything beyond that squarely going after the iPhone’s record. For example, the Galaxy line has, in the past, adopted a quarterly approach towards the end. Of course, the devil is in the details, especially in those later years. We’re hearing that Google plans to competitively boost how many years of OS updates the Pixel 8 series and presumably future devices will get.įrom what we’re hearing, Pixel 8’s update promise should surpass Samsung’s current policy on flagships and meaningfully match the iPhone. ![]() The iPhone 6S (and 7) from 2015 is still getting security releases on iOS 15 and currently stands at just shy of 8 years of updates.Īndroid’s update story paling in comparison to the iPhone has been an easy knock, and Google is working to address that with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. ![]() Then there’s Apple, with the iPhone XS released in September 2018 with iOS 12 that will get iOS 17 this fall. So letting the dust settle on overcoming the biggest problems before they promise extra years was likely the approach. Unforeseen design flaws, like how awful the modem was in the first one, aren't things they want to get saddled with supporting for too long. My assumption is that Google needed time to feel confidence in the new Tensor chips, a sense of how well they age, and a sense of how their own development is likely to be able to handle the issues. Of course, many new features on Android are delivered via app updates and Google Play services, so your phone will not be left too far behind. Google touts “5 years of Pixel updates” on existing Tensor-powered devices as, after Android 13, 14, and 15 (for example), the Pixel 6 will get two more years (24 monthly security patches) that should let you comfortably keep using your phone albeit without major operating system updates during those last two years. Google is moving in that direction with Tensor, though the first three generations of Tensor are heavily based on Samsung Exynos. Other Android-powered devices like the Nvidia Shield are up to eight years of updates in large part because Nvidia wholly controls the (aging) Tegra X1 and X1+ chips. ![]() Looking at the mobile Android landscape, three years of OS updates – which was also the case on Qualcomm-powered Pixel phones from 2017-2021 – is less than Samsung’s promise of four, which started last year with the Galaxy S21, S22, Flip 3, and Fold 3 and continued through devices released this year, including some of the company’s more affordable releases. Quick Links A Brief Android Version History The Latest Version of Android is 14.0 How to Check Your Version of Android How to Update to the Latest Version of Android Key Takeaways Android 14 is the most recent version of Android. Google hopes to change that on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro with noticeably more OS updates. While the Pixel 6 ushered in three years of major Android OS version updates and an additional two for security patches, that’s still nowhere near the longevity of the iPhone. ![]()
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