Google has reached an settlement with smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm to supply as much as 4 years of replace help for Android gadgets.
This may successfully kill the issue of solely getting a typical two years of replace help for Android gadgets; an enormous frustration for individuals who prefer to preserve a maintain of their telephones for so long as potential.
The underside line is that future Android telephones will be capable of help as much as 4 years of safety and software program updates.
“These initiatives are designed to allow quicker Android OS upgrades with fewer assets and a predictable software program lifecycle for Snapdragon primarily based gadgets, which collectively are anticipated to lead to extra customers with Snapdragon primarily based gadgets operating the most recent Android OS model,” Qualcomm explained.
Successfully doubling the replace help you’ll be able to often count on from Android gadgets comes courtesy of “Challenge Treble.” This Google and Qualcomm collaboration is mainly an settlement to make the software program portion of Android totally backward suitable with older parts for as much as three generations of Android.
Because of this, you are more likely to get rather more use out of your telephone earlier than it may well now not obtain Android updates and begin operating into compatibility points and safety dangers. Hopefully, it will additionally imply you will get massive Android updates quicker too all year long.
Doing this might put Android telephones on a extra even enjoying discipline with Apple’s iPhones, which generally get software program help for as much as 5 years. That is in all probability why you are extra more likely to see extra individuals utilizing older iPhones than aged Android handsets.
There are a few caveats to Challenge Treble. First off it’ll solely apply to telephones with Qualcomm chipsets; granted a whole lot of Android telephones use Snapdragon chips.
However that leaves the likes of the Exynos-powered Samsung telephones the wayside. Whereas flagship Samsung telephones just like the Galaxy S20 FE now have software program help that extends past two years, mid-range Galaxy handsets do not.
The second caveat is that this new replace initiative will solely begin with telephones which have the Snapdragon 888 and launch with Android 11, such because the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21 and certain the OnePlus 9. Meaning older telephones, even the spectacular OnePlus 8T with its Snapdragon 865, might be left on the wayside.
The ultimate downside is that including the additional help is on the discretion of every producer. We are able to assume that since Google’s concerned, you’ll use the Pixel 6 for lengthy whereas, however we’ll need to see if different Android telephone makers get on board or resolve they do not need to trouble.
With that in thoughts, 2021 is likely to be time to improve your Android telephone in the event you plan to have a handset that’ll final a handful of years. Make sure that to test again our best Android phones record within the new yr, as we’ll flag the telephones which can be value upgrading to.
