From time to time around these parts, we throw around a title that goes by King of Android Updates. Samsung has had the crown since early 2021, but with Google’s announcement that the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are set to receive 7 years of both Android OS and security patch updates, it’s looking like there’s a new king in town.
Before this change, Google was committed to 3 year of Android OS version upgrades and 5 years of security patches. Pushing both of these to 7 years is essentially mind boggling, as there are no other Android smartphones that are currently receiving that type of support. As Android fans, this is the level of software support that has been expected from Google since the beginning. We’re glad it’s happening now.
Here’s the updated table straight from Google.
To think that a phone you can pre-order right now will still be getting software updates in 2030 is pretty cool. This must be what it feels like to own an iPhone. We could get use to this. Now the pressure shifts back to Samsung to match this, though, I don’t foresee Samsung matching 7 years quite yet. That’s a lot of resources, but we shall see.
We’ll update you when we’ve nailed down a coronation date.