During its Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event where it revealed the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra and a bevy of other devices, Samsung let slip that it was getting its act together with regards to future update plans for the devices it had announced at the event.
Under 2 weeks later, Samsung is clarifying what its executive really meant by saying that the company would be supporting its devices across three generations. It is even going a step further to confirm an expanded list of devices that will benefit from the extended support terms.
According to Samsung, these are the smartphones it will be supporting with major Android OS upgrades over 3 generations. Having been made available in the market running Android 10, at least for the newer devices (older devices like those in the Galaxy Note 10 family arrived running Android 9 Pie), we are looking at guaranteed updates up to 2022 when Android 13 should be coming out.
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S20+
- Samsung Galaxy S20
- Samsung Galaxy S10+
- Samsung Galaxy S10
- Samsung Galaxy S10e
- Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
- Samsung Galaxy Fold
- Samsung Galaxy A71
- Samsung Galaxy A51
- Samsung Galaxy A90
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
Things to note:
- 5G variants of the above devices are also included.
- Upcoming devices in the respective series (Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Z, Galaxy A and Galaxy Tab S) are also guaranteed upgrades for 3 generations of Android.
Bar the Samsung Galaxy Tab A series, the above represents pretty much Samsung’s entire series lineup that is officially available in the Kenyan market and that should bode well for existing and future customers.
It will be interesting to see how Samsung pulls this off in coming months, starting with the Android 11 rollout later in the year. The company is already testing the upcoming version of Android on the Galaxy S20 devices in select markets.
Traditionally, Samsung has supported its premium devices over a period of at least 2 years, releasing major Android operating system upgrades and monthly security updates over the 24-month period. For devices that aren’t in Samsung’s high-end segment, the support has been somewhat unpredictable over the years. With the assurance that Galaxy A series devices will be supported across three generations of Android, that is now changing.
There is no word on another budget smartphone series from the company, the Galaxy M devices sold in India, which isn’t included above.
Recently, Microsoft also threw its hat in the ring promising guaranteed software updates for its new Surface Duo smartphone.
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