Although the Google Pixel phones should be the poster child for Android in terms of the update longevity, that is not the case. With the Pixel 6, we started seeing three years of major OS updates, but it was still behind Samsung by a year and definitely behind what the iPhone gets. However, with Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro launching in a little over a month, Google is planning on changing that.
Pixel 8 getting five years of OS updates is exactly what the Android market needs
According to a newly surfaced report, the Pixel 8 series will be the first that is going to receive five years of Pixel updates. This is definitely something promising and will set a new industry standard. Samsung, since the Galaxy S21, has been beating Google at its own game by giving four major OS updates, and now Google wants to catch up with the upcoming flagship phones.
While this might spell trouble for the rest of the Android OEMs, I believe it certainly is a good thing simply because the Android market is very competitive, and companies like Samsung will definitely step up and start offering better software support for their devices, too. While Android updates, in general, still have not caught up with the way Apple sends iOS to its devices, it is not all hopeless, as the Pixel 8 serves as the new beacon of hope that one day, Android will perhaps match Apple in terms of longevity, something that has been missing from Android phones for a long time.
Honestly, I am really glad that Google is going to change the update longevity with the Pixel 8 series because, as mentioned before, this should serve as a way to convince other Android OEMs, especially Samsung, to do the same. What we don't know is just how the frequency is going to be influenced by this decision. Considering how the reveal of Android 14 and new Pixel devices is not that far, we will be learning a lot more when the phones are unveiled. So far, the details we have show that the phones are going to launch in early October, and since September is just a couple of days away, you can expect a lot more information to surface in the coming days. This certainly is good news for all Android fans!
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