Samsung has announced it will support “three generations” of Android OS updates for select Galaxy phones, with its affordable mid-range A-Series potentially set to lose out in some cases.
Speaking to The Verge, Samsung has confirmed the guarantee will apply to its “S, N and Z Series”, with the A Series to “support until hardware allows.”
The arrangement will encompass the Samsung Galaxy S10 and newer.
It remains to be seen whether Samsung’s lower end A Series devices will be able to handle the grunt of future updates, which is why Samsung is reluctant to etch a promise.
The promise was made towards the end of Samsung’s keynote during its Unpacked event overnight, after it unveiled a plethora of new devices including the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Samsung has continued to gain ground in the acceleration of its Android update roll-out, despite being restrained by Google. Commentators claim the guarantee was phrased to reference ‘generations’ to offer some flexibility in exact timing.
The guarantee has largely been well received by the tech community, with Samsung previously only pledging two years of updates.
Samsung is reportedly selling around twenty smartphones that would rest within this guarantee at current.
Galaxy A Series smartphones have continued to gain ground in recent months, with budget-conscious customers opting for the mid-range devices amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
The Samsung Galaxy A51 was dubbed the best selling Android phone in the world during Q1 according to Strategy Analytics.
It comes after Samsung made a pledge to ramp up its mid-range portfolio, sometimes deploying new functionalities before flagship devices.
