Samsung Galaxy S24 rumored to match Google Pixel 8's 7 years of Android OS updates

Starting with the Pixel 8 series, Google launched an extended software support policy where these devices will receive up to 7 years of Android updates. Now, a new report suggests that Samsung could adopt a similar policy upon the launch of the Galaxy S24 series.

After Google, Samsung is the other major Android manufacturer with the best performance in terms of software updates. For some years now, the company has offered extended support not only to its flagships, but even to its mid-range and low-range phones, this being one of the main attractions of Galaxy devices in terms of longevity. And, the company could take this even further by offering up to 7 years of updates to the Galaxy S24 lineup.

It is no secret that Samsung and Google have strengthened ties and worked closely in recent years on joint developments that benefit not only their devices but also the Android ecosystem. For example, Wear OS is the result of the unification of Android Wear and Tizen, while they recently launched the ‘Quick Share’ solution for wireless file transfer.

The Tensor chips in the Google Pixel devices have things in common with Samsung’s Exynos, and being custom-made chips, they allow Google to have much more control over the support they offer, something that may not be possible when depending on chips from third-party vendors. So, after seeing that Google significantly extended its update support policy, Samsung could have decided to take a similar path.

But, if the report (from Android Headlines) is true, does this mean that Samsung will rely heavily on its own Exynos hardware from now on, leaving behind chipsets from third-party vendors like Qualcomm? It would not be surprising, since third-party chip suppliers do not usually offer such long-term driver and binary support.

Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to find out if the Galaxy S24 series will actually receive 7 years of updates, since the launch will take place in just a few days (January 17).