Now that the Pixel 8 series is finally out, Google has also confirmed that the new phones will be getting seven years of Android OS, security, and feature drop updates. With this announcement, Google has finally made itself the leader in software once again because no other OEM is delivering updates like Google at this point.
With the Pixel 8 series, Google is finally taking the throne away from Samsung, at least as far as the software is concerned
If Google’s commitment stands true, it means that the Pixel 8 series will receive updates starting from Android 15 all the way to Android 21. Which, honestly, is impressive considering how seven years is a long, long time. This also is good news for people who don’t prefer frequently changing their phones, so if you are one of the people who prefer to use the same phone until it actually dies, this news is for you.
Google’s decision to offer seven years of updates easily trumps Samsung’s four years of updates. Samsung, for the longest time, has been leading the game, but it appears that Google wants to take the reign away from Samsung. It is worth noting, however, that Google’s policy only applies to the latest Pixel phones and the ones that will be coming in the future, perhaps. Samsung’s policy applies to all the phones that the company has announced or will be announcing.
Another thing to note here is that although this seven-year update policy is pretty stellar, we would have to wait and see just how well the Pixel 8 devices hold after such a long time. I can imagine the battery being replaced a couple of times, but that is not something that should be an issue because I am more concerned about how the performance will hold up, and honestly, I cannot wait to see someone with a Pixel 8 after 7 years.
