The Samsung Galaxy S24 is already tipped to be packed with features, but the newly-rumored seven years of updates it will receive (via Android Headlines) will mean even more to play with down the line.
Samsung was already one of the more generous Android makers, offering four years of full updates and five years of security updates for its most recent devices. Upping this to seven would be an even better deal for users who want to stretch out the life of their new phone for as long as possible.
It seems likely that Samsung picked this particular length of time because Google promised the Pixel 8 series seven years of full updates. It's also conveniently longer than the five years that Apple tends to target for iPhones updates.
Hopefully this applies to more than just the Galaxy S24 series too. When Samsung last extended its update schedule in 2022, it made it partly retroactive to include a few devices from the year before. If Samsung follows the same pattern, perhaps the current Galaxy S23 series or Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be blessed with extra updates too.
Full updates, or just security patches?
Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. It's unclear in the wording of Android Headlines' report if the seven years applies to overall Android updates, or just security updates.
It would be good to get seven years of protection against potential security risks, as that would still be an upgrade over the five years Samsung currently offers. But it would not be as good as getting new software features every year up to (presumably) Android 21, like the Pixel 8 is promised to get. Hopefully Samsung will clarify this once the Galaxy S24's actually launched.
Speaking of, the Galaxy Unpacked even where we should see the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Ultra debut is happening this Wednesday. We'll be reporting on the launch live from San Jose, so make sure you're back here for then to read about all the new phones and features as they're announced.
