Very recently, we told you about how the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge could still get an upgrade to Android Oreo. This was based on a Redditer’s chat with a few Samsung customer representatives, where the latter confirmed that they have Galaxy S6 lined up for Android Oreo update in future. If this turns out to be true, then it means that Samsung would provide at least 3 years of software updates for its smartphones.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are now more than 3 years old, so if they’re going to get an Android Oreo update, then that’s pretty great. No Android smartphone maker does this currently, except for Google, and that too in a limited way.
Google announced in April this year that the Pixel 2 and 2 XL would receive software and security updates till October 2020. That’s three years of guaranteed updates for your device. The original Pixel and Pixel XL would get guaranteed updates for 2 more years as well. This is one of the things that Google is proud of, as owning a Pixel device will guarantee software and security updates for the longest time period. You will also be the first to receive a new Android OS or the latest Google Security patch.
On the other side, Apple is known to provide the longest support for its devices. For example, the iPhone 5 got software update for about 5 years, only just stopping with iOS 11. That’s just insane, no Android manufacturer has ever done anything close to that.
Usually, with Android OEMs, software updates are only guaranteed for the first two years or 18 months after purchase. And that’s only with the big names and high-end models. Some Chinese companies don’t even bother to provide updates for their devices. So you see, the situation with software updates on Android is pretty grim, unless you own a Pixel.
Most of the Android phones can run the latest Android 8.0 OS, but they don’t get enough support from the manufacturer. They also take much longer than Google to deliver the updates. But, starting with Android Oreo, the delivery of software updates by OEMs should get better thanks to the implementation of Project Treble. This separates Android OS framework updates from the driver updates from chipset makers, allowing OS updates to arrive faster, and drivers to be updated later via the Play Store.
Check out: OnePlus smartphones won’t include support for Project Treble
Now, if Samsung plans on doing this, we are definitely going to tip our hats with respect. The Korean giant will be taking a really big step by doing so. It will also mean that app developers can add new features to their apps for newer version of Android.
Most importantly, it would help reduce Android fragmentation a bit. Project Treble already aims to do that, and if Android manufacturers such as Samsung, and others, can guarantee longer software update support for their smartphones, things will definitely improve.
Let’s hope Samsung does plan on releasing the Android Oreo update for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Samsung will soon release the Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, followed by the Note 8, and the Galaxy S7 series.
