TechPhonesAndroid PhonesGoogle Pixel 8 could be a better long term buy than the Samsung Galaxy S23Google is reportedly offering industry-leading software support for the latest Pixel phonesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechPhonesAndroid PhonesGoogle Pixel 8 could be a better long term buy than the Samsung Galaxy S23Google is reportedly offering industry-leading software support for the latest Pixel phonesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Google is reportedly offering industry-leading software support for the latest Pixel phones
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Operating system updates are crucial not so much because they add new features but because they get rid of problems that have emerged since, or that just weren’t fixed in, the initial OS release. Without them you’re increasingly exposed to malicious software, and you may ultimately find that the very latest apps won’t work on your phone. So this is a very big deal, and it’s another way Google is competing directly withApple.
Why don’t Android phones get the same support as Apple ones?
The short answer is because they don’t make the operating system; Google does. And that means whenever the OS is updated they need to do their own testing, and in some cases tweaking, to ensure that it runs properly on their own handsets.
That’s a huge job. For Apple, updatingiOSmeans testing on a few years of iPhones – so that’s four models per model year. The current compatibility list foriOS 17is 18 iPhones. The Samsung Android 13/OneUI 5.0 release was for 54 phones – and unlike the iPhone, which only comes in a half-dozen different sizes over those 18 devices, the Samsung phones come in lots of different form factors and configurations.
More phones means more tests means spending more money, and while every manufacturer is different they all agree that after a certain point, it doesn’t make sense to keep updating older devices.
According to9to5google, Google isn’t quite promising five years of operating system updates; rather, it’s promising five years of “pixel updates”. That suggests you might get three years of OS updates and then a further two of security updates only. Again, that’s similar to Apple: not all devices get the latest iOS features.
What it does mean is that if you’re planning to buy your phone and keep it for a long time, the Pixel 8 may be the better long term buy than theSamsung Galaxy S23, which has a slightly shorter support period.
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