One of the things to consider when buying a phone is manufacturer support. The price does not matter: there are devices that will accompany us for years, and there are users who use them until the terminal can no longer use them. Therefore, it is a guarantee that it will continue to receive updates years after launch.

Currently, in the Android segment, Google and Samsung are examples of long-term support terminals, but we can’t forget Fairphone in this particular battle to see who offers better support through updates.

Five years of updates, seven years of support

When we talk about support for mobile devices, Apple took the cake. The iPhone XS was released in 2018 and will receive the latest version of the operating system, iOS 17. It may be the last item you buy (iPhone X released a year ago was delisted), but this will mean: five years of updates.

Looking at the Android environment, Google has confirmed that Pixel 6 and later will receive updates for five years, including support, security and software. For example, it will have a Pixel 7a Android version updates until May 8, 2026. Pixel 6 until October 2024.

Until this policy change, Samsung has excelled in terms of Android updates It applies as it confirms that all Galaxy product lines will have updates for up to four years, with an additional update for security updates. The normal thing is three years of updates plus additional support will be available on the recently released Nothing Phone (2), which we’ve already seen on Xataka.

But, Fairphone surpasses almost all other companies. And via the company’s Twitter announced Fairphone 3 will provide software updates until 2026. Released in 2019, this means they will receive Android updates for seven years. It’s impressive but there are two things to keep in mind.

The first is ethical. The Fairphone 3 (and other brand name products such as phones or headphones) is built to last and to be easily repaired. So the purpose of the company create non-disposable devicesit allows the basic functions of a phone to be performed without the feeling that we need something new as the software expires after two or three years.

They don’t assemble the best components and It is clear that the 2019 mobile phone will be extremely outdated by 2026 with the latest Android update, but for applause. Also, if any manufacturer comes up with an excuse that the SoC is outdated or similar, for not updating a model, Fairphone is there to show that it can be an excuse.

Now, while this update policy should be applauded, the truth is that neither security updates come to Fairphone with the same enthusiasm as other models nor software updates are regular. For example, as we read in Arstechnica, Fairphone 3 skips Android 12 and goes straight to Android 13.

But hey, however, the fact that a manufacturer has offered seven years of Android updates shows that anyone can do it. Actually, on Android, but in another segment, we have the Nvidia Shield with eight years of support.

Xataka on Android | How many years does each mobile brand promise Android updates?

Xataka on Android | What happened to the Nvidia Shield Portable, one of the first consoles with Android?