Samsung has announced that its Galaxy devices will now receive regular security updates for a minimum of four years after their initial launch. The new change is applicable to over 40 Galaxy phones and tablets launched since 2019. Previously, the South Korean giant offered security updates for at least two years to most of its devices. Samsung provides security updates on a monthly and quarterly basis — depending on the device. This means that flagships and premium models get monthly updates, while mid-range, budget options, and earlier flagships receive updates on a quarterly basis.
The list of devices that are eligible for the four-year security updates cycle includes 31 smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, and the Galaxy A10e. It also includes 12 tablet models, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019), Galaxy Tab S6, and the Galaxy Tab S7+.
Below is the list of eligible Samsung devices for four years of security updates:
- Galaxy Foldable devices: Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Fold 5G, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G, Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Z Flip 5G
- Galaxy S series: Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10 5G, Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 5G, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20+ 5G, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S20 FE 5G, Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy Note series: Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 10 5G, Galaxy Note 10+, Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, Galaxy Note 10 Lite, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20 5G, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G
- Galaxy A series: Galaxy A10, Galaxy A10e, Galaxy A10s, Galaxy A20, Galaxy A20s, Galaxy A30, Galaxy A30s, Galaxy A40, Galaxy A50, Galaxy A50s, Galaxy A60, Galaxy A70, Galaxy A70s, Galaxy A80, Galaxy A90 5G, Galaxy A11, Galaxy A21, Galaxy A21s, Galaxy A31, Galaxy A41, Galaxy A51, Galaxy A51 5G, Galaxy A71, Galaxy A71 5G, Galaxy A02s, Galaxy A12, Galaxy A32 5G, Galaxy A42 5G
- Galaxy M series: Galaxy M10s, Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30, Galaxy M30s, Galaxy M40, Galaxy M11, Galaxy M12, Galaxy M21, Galaxy M31, Galaxy M31s, Galaxy M51
- Galaxy XCover series: Galaxy XCover4s, Galaxy XCover FieldPro, Galaxy XCover Pro
- Galaxy Tab series: Galaxy Tab Active Pro, Galaxy Tab Active 3, Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019), Galaxy Tab A with S Pen, Galaxy Tab A 8.4 (2020), Galaxy Tab A7, Galaxy Tab S5e, Galaxy Tab S6, Galaxy Tab S6 5G, Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy Tab S7+
Samsung said with the new announcement, it is extending security updates rollout on a monthly or quarterly basis. The existing criteria for the security updates rollout, however, varies — depending on which model you have. So, for instance, if you have a Galaxy Note or Galaxy S model, you’ll get security updates on a monthly basis, but this won’t be the case with a budget Galaxy A model or an earlier flagship like the Galaxy S8 that is scheduled to receive quarterly security updates.
It is important to point out that Samsung hasn’t made any promise on whether it will provide security updates on a monthly or quarterly updates for the period of four years. It instead mentioned that the devices would receive “regular security updates for a minimum of four years”.
But nevertheless, Samsung’s commitment of providing four years of security updates to its Galaxy devices looks promising against other Android manufacturers that normally provide security updates for two to three years. Google itself also promises to deliver “at least three years” of security updates on its Pixel phones.
Samsung’s latest announcement doesn’t mean that the eligible Galaxy devices will receive new Android OS updates for four years. However, the company last year promised to offer at least three “generations” of Android OS updates to almost 40 devices, including the Galaxy Note, Galaxy S, Galaxy Z, Galaxy A, and Galaxy Tab S devices.
Is Samsung Galaxy S21+ the perfect flagship for most Indians? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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