Opinion
Samsung Galaxy S20 series deserves one more big OS upgrade
Samsung has just sent this year’s biggest gift to the Galaxy S20 series in the form of a new Android 13 OS. With this rollout, the company fulfilled the promise it did in August 2020 Unpacked. However, Samsung should consider delivering one more big OS upgrade for Galaxy S20 series.
Since the Galaxy S20 series debuted with Android 10, the recently released Android 13 is the third big OS upgrade for the devices, however, we want Samsung to give Android 14 as well. The S20 devices are still capable of running tasks and multitasking, thanks to the powerful chipsets and hardware.
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The company is promising up to 4 OS upgrades for mid-range phones including the Galaxy A73 and Galaxy A53, which makes flagship smartphone owners cry. Here, the policy appears to have biased as there’s a premium-like treatment to half-priced mid-rangers.
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2019’s Galaxy S10 and Note 10 series lineups already ended up their major Android upgrade support last year, while, affordable variants; Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite are receiving the Android 13. The reason is just, the pre-loaded operating system, which fired S10 and Note 10 flagships from Android 13 eligibility.
Related Coverage | Galaxy S10 has less Android support than A53
Lawmakers of the European Union also want smartphone vendors to give at least 3 OS and 5 years of software updates so people can keep phones longer. Samsung surpasses the EU’s proposal, but only for premium and select mid-range devices released in and after 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Are you agree with one more OS upgrade demand for Galaxy S20? If yes, help us send our voice to Samsung by sharing the story with more S20 purchasers.
Galaxy S20 Series
Following its multi-chipset strategy, Samsung shipped the Galaxy S20 series with Exynos 990 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G chipsets, in the Global market and the US, respectively. Both of these chipsets are manufactured by cutting-edge 7nm process technology, which was the most premium at that time.
In addition to hardware, the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra were shipped with the Android 10 operating system out of the box. In August 2020, Samsung announced that it will deliver three major OS upgrades to flagship devices released pre-loaded with Android 9, which included the Galaxy S20 as well.
Related Coverage | Sadly, Android 13 is the last major upgrade for Galaxy S20 series
Samsung’s relationship with Google is rock solid. Both companies collaborate on different products to benefit their consumer base. Is it the right time for Samsung to develop a Galaxy-dedicated OS or at least Android for Galaxy?
Google worked with Samsung to optimize Android for foldables and tablets. The company had even launched Android 12L, a version dedicated to large-screen devices. Now, Samsung should work with Google to optimize Android for Galaxy devices.
Samsung flagships are equipped with pro-grade hardware specifications. The company manages to optimize the One UI software accordingly. Meanwhile, there are still a lot of areas, that require significant improvements.
Benefits of Android for Galaxy
Samsung fine-tunes Android for Galaxy products. Meanwhile, Android for Galaxy will make things a lot better, eventually benefitting end users. It shouldn’t be the Tizen approach, but a collaborative progress.
Android optimized for Galaxy devices should allow users to enjoy the power and personalization of the OS. Its optimization level for Galaxy devices will offer faster app launches, performance improvements, and longer battery life.
Samsung owns Exynos, Galaxy AI, Good Lock, and a lot of stunning services. A combined approach can significantly uplevel the user experience. Functional capabilities would also be boosted, taking Galaxy’s experience to a whole new level.
Difficulties
Android’s presence is vast. It’s available across different brands including Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and so on. Samsung is unquestionably the biggest Android vendor but Google could find it difficult to optimize Android for all Galaxies.
The Korean tech giant itself tests and deploys security updates on Galaxy devices. Various applications are already available with better features than Google services such as the Internet. Even Google takes inspiration from Galaxies to develop features for Pixel phones.
Samsung not only has flagship phones, but also brings budget, mid-range, and premium mid-range phones. These products use different hardware such as camera and processor, requiring a need for unified software. Just a collective approach is required to end all kinds of difficulties.
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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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