Is Samsung and Google’s 7-year update promise just marketing?

Google and Samsung lead the way these days, with both brands now offering seven consecutive years of updates for nearly all of their phones and tablets. Even Motorola recently introduced it the first device with a seven-year updatealthough it is less clear whether this is a one-time change.

I have to admit that I was once tempted by the promise of updates, and that’s a big reason why I’ve mostly stuck with the Samsung and Google brands for the past few years. In fact, many Android fans and industry insiders have criticized companies for not breaking the four-year mark at least. I understand that the promise of more will always be attractive, but actually having seven years of operating system updates and security fixes is too much for most of us.

As much as I love my Samsung Galaxy S24, there’s no way I’m shaking it off as my daily driver in 2031.

Promises of updates sound great on paper, but so are requests Reviews.org suggests that most people keep their phones for about two and a half years. That said, upgrade cycles are slowly getting wider, and there’s certainly a minority that hangs on devices for longer than that.

The real reason Google and Samsung are committing to seven years is to avoid security issues, issues with app store capabilities, and ensure a more consistent Android experience for their users. It’s also because Android has a terrible history of breaking, so the bailout helps convince people that most of those days are behind us. There are other reasons beyond that, I’m sure, but there’s no denying that it’s just great marketing.

People like the idea of ​​buying something that won’t wear out once they get it, and seven years is a long time. It also gives you peace of mind. You may be the type of person who prefers to upgrade phones every two to four years, but some of us are on tight budgets, so it’s nice to know we won’t feel pressured to upgrade if our circumstances change. Still, the vast majority will upgrade to a new device within half a decade.

Even if you want to keep your phone for seven years, there are other hurdles beyond just software updates when it comes to keeping a phone that long as your daily driver.

Battery degradation is huge. I can personally attest to the fact that many phones will still be technically strong in ten years if not aggressively used, which doesn’t mean they’ll hold a charge well enough to be practical. Most people will see the battery seriously degrade between 3-5 years. At this point, you’ll either have to put up with the ever-decreasing battery performance or replace it.

Another obstacle in the way is the internal decisions made by your chosen manufacturer. Samsung and Google often retain some of the flagship features of older hardware. Sometimes it’s due to real hardware concerns, sometimes it’s a way to keep customers hooked on a newer device. For example, Gemini Exploration was recently announced and offers many advanced features, but only if your device supports Gemini Nano V3. This means that devices like the OnePlus 15R and One Find X8 support these features, but Google’s own Pixel 9 likely won’t.

Consequently, even if you have the latest security update and Android version, that doesn’t mean you’ll have the same experience as someone with a newer device.

If you’re shaking your head and saying, “I’ve had my phone for six years or more without a problem,” you’re not wrong. People can absolutely stretch the experience that much, but only if you don’t mind missing out on features or potentially reducing battery life. You’ll have security fixes and all the latest Google Play apps and services should work, you just might miss out on some of the most advanced aspects of Android.

While I’ll always appreciate a long update guarantee, I feel that fast, consistent delivery of updates and overall stability are more important. If Samsung and Google missed out on both of these, I wouldn’t have much to complain about. unfortunately it is not so.

Recently, we’ve seen Google ramp up updates and new features. This is great in theory, but the problem is in execution. Bug issues and other stability issues are becoming more and more common, so installing a Pixel update feels like a bit of a gamble. Samsung may not have many bug issues when it comes to introducing new features, but its update cadence has slowed dramatically over the past few years. One UI 7 was delayed by several months, and One UI 8 and 8.5 had a more mixed launch.

I don’t know about you, but if I had to choose between seven years of updates with inconsistent bug testing and other issues over a four to five year update cycle with better stability? I’d choose the latter every time.