Google’s Pixel 9 series is official with pretty new AI stuff. The most notable thing that changed with this year’s Pixel phones is the Android installation. I guess, Google took a sip of poison to push Samsung Galaxy’s Android OS superiority further.

Pixel 9 series comes with Android 14, rather than the latest OS. Pixel 8 series and later devices are supported by seven years of OS updates. However, the Pixel 9 will get one less Android upgrade than that it deserves to have.

Google’s decision puts the Pixel 9 together with last year’s Pixel 8 series. Both lineups will end their major upgrade life at Android 21. Well, Pixel phones are neither durable nor Google provides satisfactory support, so don’t expect more than 1 year of service.

The decision, however, aligns with Samsung’s superiority, let’s decode.

The Galaxy S25 series will be the first (imp) to come with Android 15 pre-installed. You can guess how things have been decided by downgrading the Pixel 9 lineup. As a Samsung fan, I always wanted H2 Galaxy products to come with the latest OS.

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 also come with Android 14. The OS was released in October last year and is still arriving pre-installed. Google ultimately filled the OS gap between Galaxy foldables and Pixel phones at a cost of Pixel downgrade.

Android 15 might be released on the official channel in October as last year. Eligible Pixel phones will start getting the major firmware update. Samsung is also expected to begin the One UI 7 update rollout for Galaxy models by the end of October.

In the first phase, Samsung’s Android 15 will arrive on flagship phones. However, the Korean tech giant won’t make other users wait much. The One UI 7 update rollout may begin for all eligible Galaxy models before 2024 ends.

Samsung replicated Google’s promise of Android updates, but the plus point is that mid-range and budget Galaxy phones are eligible for at least four major OS upgrades. The upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 will also be honored with 7 major Android updates.

The Korean tech giant offers the longest software update support in the Android industry. Google’s OS update promise starts from the Pixel 8 series. While mid-range and budget Samsung phones get four Android updates, the premium Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 will get 7.

Earlier this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series smartphones. The lineup is guaranteed for at least seven OS upgrades. The strategy was earlier expected to be applied to Galaxy A55, but the company kept it limited to the flagship phones.

Samsung doesn’t officially consider Galaxy Z as flagship lineup, but it’s the most premium segment. All the novelties that Galaxy S receives also come to foldable phones. Therefore, it’s certain that the company will support its upcoming Galaxy Z phones for 7 years.

Will they survive 7 years?

Sporting a foldable display entirely ends the discussion of longevity. Besides, the pre-applied screen protection film starts to damage within a year of normal usage. Samsung’s innovative foldables are available internationally but support isn’t.

Samsung Care+ plan is also offered by the phone maker for additional protection. However, it still requires the owner to pay the processing fee, which isn’t considerable. Also, the Care+ plan doesn’t cover the Samsung-slapped screen protector film.

So if the Korean phone maker is willing for longer software support, it should rather offer a two-year replacement guarantee on manufacture defects. It would push consumers to prefer foldable phones as they won’t have to worry about display concerns.

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When it comes to Android updates, Samsung is leading the Android world. However, this could be the last day of Samsung’s leadership as Google is expected to double up its current Android updates support for Pixel smartphones launching today.

2020 was a remarkable year in Samsung’s history when the company extended Android updates support from two years to three. A few months later, the company extended the security support as well, totaling it to four years for flagship Galaxy devices.

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In 2022, Samsung launched the Galaxy S22 series, which offers four generations of OS upgrades. In its announcement, the company listed all flagships launched in 2021 and later along with select Galaxy A series smartphones for 4 OS and 5 years of security patches.

With this decision, the South Korean tech giant surpassed Google’s support policy, which owns Android. To be noted, Tensor-powered Pixel smartphones come with three years of Android and five years of monthly security updates support.

Today, Google will launch the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones. And as per the leaks, both phones will offer up to 7 years of software support, surpassing the longest support provided by Apple to its iPhones. Pixel 8 and later might be eligible for 7 major OS upgrades, which sounds a bit confusing.

There are speculations that there will be five major OS versions and 7 years of regular security patches and quarterly Pixel Feature Drops for the latest flagship smartphones. If it happens, it will force other Android vendors to further extend their support.

While Pixel phones are limited to support 3 major OS versions, Samsung is offering 4 generations of OS upgrades to cheaper Galaxy devices that costs approx $249. Samsung won’t take too long to beat Google yet again in terms of software support.

Let’s see, what Google has to offer to the Android world!