Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Galaxy S24 shows Android is finally matching iPhone in one major way

During the Unpacked event on January 17, Samsung confirmed the Galaxy S24 range would match Google’s promise to deliver seven years of operating system updates.

Amid all of the nifty Galaxy AI tricks announced by Samsung yesterday, the announcement of this tangible benefit for Galaxy users is rooted in years of underachievement compared to Apple’s policy. iPhone users have traditionally gotten around six years of support for new versions of iOS.

Get the Galaxy S24 Ultra with double storage

Get the Galaxy S24 Ultra with double storage

This deal gets you the Galaxy S24 Ultra, with double the usual storage, on a sizeable 100GB contract.

  • Mobiles.co.uk
  • Double storage
  • £44.99 a month, £199 upfront
View Deal

Samsung’s policy until yesterday was to offer users a guaranteed four years of Android and One UI updates and five years in total of security updates. When Google announced the Pixel 8 range of devices back in October, it raised the stakes significantly for Android device owners.

Samsung has now matched Google’s commitment to users, meaning the Galaxy S24 will be supported by the latest Android updates as far into the future as 2031.

Samsung said it wants to show its commitment to “extending the product lifecycle” and “to help users reliably experience the optimised performance of their Galaxy devices for even longer.” So, if you’re not inclined to buy a new phone, you will still be able to experience the best of Android and the One UI interface built by Samsung.

It’s not clear whether the vow will apply to older devices like the Samsung Galaxy S23 or Galaxy Z Fold 5, but the commitment is likely to be from the Galaxy S24 devices moving forward.

Samsung’s commitment to extending the lifespan of devices extended to its use of recycled materials in building its new phones. The environmental savings include using 100% recycled rare earth materials in the speakers and 50% recycled cobalt in the battery.

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Trusted Reviews Logo

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the best of Trusted Reviews delivered right to your inbox.

This is a test error message with some extra words