Software support for the top Android phones has become a non-issue in recent years. This includes expensive models and many excellent budget options. Many phone brands are bringing extended software support to their devices, with Google, Samsung, and Honor offering an impressive seven years of updates.
This is great news. Phones get longer lives, which reduces e-waste. However, keeping track of how long this is for each device from each phone brand can be tricky. Here are the popular Android phone brands and the OS and security update plans for their smartphones.
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10
Google
7 years of OS updates and 7 years of security updates
It makes sense that the company that produces Android would have the best update cycle for its devices. While that is the case now, it wasn’t always. Starting with the Pixel 8 series, Google moved to the current seven and seven update plans. Any device starting with the Pixel 8 line and beyond will get at least seven Android version updates and seven years of security updates. You can expect your Pixel 8 series device to update to Android 21.
As for the earlier Pixel devices, Google slotted these devices to get three years of OS updates and two years of security patches. However, the company backed out of that plan for a reason: extending the update schedule to five years. In December 2024, Google announced that starting with the Pixel 6 lineup through the 7 series, users could expect a full five years of OS and security updates.
9
Samsung
A lot to update
Aside from Google, the next brand to offer long-term support is Samsung. As the largest OEM for Android-related devices, including phones, tablets, and wearables, Samsung has the biggest lift in terms of the number of devices to support. Its move to seven years of Android software support starting with the Galaxy S24 series and the other phones released in 2024, including foldables like the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, is impressive.
Devices before the 2024 cycle were slated to receive three years of updates in 2019, but this was extended to four years. All phones between the Galaxy S21 and S23 series, Galaxy A15 5G and A55 5G, and Z Flip 3 through Z Fold 5 will get four Android updates. Devices before these will stay on the three-year update schedule.
Regarding its tablets, Samsung is giving four years of Android updates to the Tab S8 series and beyond as well as its Galaxy Watch 4 series and newer.
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8
Honor
Welcome to the club
In the US, Honor is unknown to the average consumer. However, the brand’s offerings in recent years have been impressive. The Honor Magic 5 Pro is still my favorite and is gaining traction even though it isn’t sold in carriers. The brand had offered the standard two years of Android OS updates and three years of security patches. However, it moved to three years of OS and five years of security patches, starting with the aforementioned Magic 5 Pro.
As of MWC 2025, Honor pushed the support of its devices further to join Google and Samsung with seven years of software support. Honor announced that this move is to ensure users of its Magic Series devices “enjoy access to cutting-edge AI features and innovative functionalities for years to come.” The first device to receive this commitment is the Honor Magic 7 Pro, the latest flagship from the brand.
7
OnePlus
Staying fresh
OnePlus has had a great last couple of years. The OnePlus 12 set the tone for the company last year, and it kept rolling with the impressive Open and Watch 2. With the OnePlus 13 and Watch 3 out, 2024 was no fluke for the brand. Still, the company has more than a couple of phones and watches it must consider regarding its software update strategy.
You shouldn’t expect seven years of updates. The company’s president compared this plan to a stale sandwich. Starting with last year’s flagship OnePlus 11, users can expect four years of Android OS updates and five for security patches. Moving to the devices preceding this, you’re looking at three years of OS upgrades and four years of security patches. When we look at what the Nord series of devices will get for updates, OnePlus offers two years of Android updates and three years of security. When moving to the Nord N line, you can plan on getting one Android update and two years of security patches.
6
Motorola
Do better
Motorola is a legacy brand in Android smartphones and cell phones. While this excitement over the brand has cooled since the early days of the original Moto Droid, the company continues to offer some of the best budget devices with phones like the Moto G (2025) and innovative options like the Moto Razr+. However, its software support isn’t as impressive and follows a path that’s closer to what phones had in 2009.
Most Moto flagship devices get two years of software support, while most budget devices get one Android upgrade and two years of security patches. Aside from not offering long software support, maxing out three years of OS support and four years of security patches for the Edge Plus (2023), or five years of support for the Edge 50 Neo, which is only available in Europe and India, remembering what support each device in the Motorola portfolio is as bad. With so much uncertainty around the support plan for each device, Motorola provides a website where you can look up your device.
5
Nothing
Could be worse
Nothing is something with its unique approach to product design and focus on user experience. Though the company is still young, it has grown into a popular brand with a budding product portfolio. From impressive flagship devices like the Phone 2 and the upcoming budget-conscious Phone 3a, Nothing is staking its claim as an Android OEM to watch.
A bonus of being young in the Android space is that the company can take advantage of improved software programs from the likes of Google and a smaller product catalog. This leads to commendable, though not class-leading, software support for its devices. Nothing offers three years of Android OS upgrades and four years for security. The growing company is working to provide users the chance to participate in beta testing Nothing software, to improve and speed up stable releases.
4
Oppo
Solid support
Though not known in the US, Oppo is a powerhouse in other parts of the world. The brand makes impressive devices, like the anticipated Find N5. While I don’t have access to these products, many do and enjoy a solid software support plan from the brand.
Flagship products from Oppo from 2023 and on get four upgrades and five years of patches. Devices before 2023 get three upgrades and four years of patches. Beyond the premium handsets, Oppo users get the same treatment as those from OnePlus, in which midrange devices are set up for two upgrades and four years of patches. Budget devices in the A series mostly get one upgrade and three years of patches. Not all Oppo’s budget devices get this, some receive zero support.
3
TCL
It’s not great
Though TCL is known for its TVs, the company has its hands in the mobile device space. The company’s latest entry into the smartphone market is the 60 XE NXTPAPER 5G. While this isn’t a powerhouse device, it uses the brand’s NXTPAPER technology that gives an E Ink-like viewing experience without the drawbacks of one.
The TCL phones offering this unique feature don’t get the support to match other Android OEMs. The outline for Android OS updates is unclear, with some devices getting no updates and others getting one. According to TCL’s website, “Typically, we will maintain the security updates for at least 2 years after the first shipment of a certain device model.” It also says that some devices could get three years or longer depending on regulations and other factors.
2
Xiaomi
Expect average
Xiaomi makes some of the best smartphones on the market, assuming you can access one. However, the software support for most of its phones is vague to bad, by not fully committing to Android updates on its lower-tier devices and up to two years of security patches. For Xiaomi’s premium line of devices, expect three upgrades and four years of patches. The latest Xiaomi 14 Ultra nets four years of OS updates and five years of security updates.
1
Sony
Short support for expensive phones
Sony settled into being a high-end niche Android phone brand. Unlike some luxury brands that take an existing device or a white-label phone and add premium materials to the outside and a terrible UI, then mark up the price, Sony takes a different angle. It makes a device with top-tier specs and goes full pro-mode with the camera aspect of the device. Topping the sundae is a hard-to-get phone costing $1,400, at least at launch. As for the updates, you can expect, at best, two years of Android OS updates and two to three years of security patches.
Bit of a mixed bag
When it comes to how long an Android phone will get software updates, the question of when it will get that update can be confusing. It’s great to see brands like Honor stepping up to match brands like Samsung and Google. Hopefully, it will push other manufacturers to do the same. While newer devices are supported for longer, some aren’t sure that’s a good thing. Still, your phone may need to be updated before then. If you’re unsure, there are signs. Knowing that the company that makes my phone stands behind it enough to support it long after I’ve given my money to them means a lot to me, and it should also mean a lot to you.
