Samsung’s software update policies are a major selling point in 2023. The flagships sometimes receive One UI updates much faster than Google’s security patches, which is an impressive feat considering Google makes and develops Android.
The 4-year major update policy applies to all flagship Samsung phones, beginning with the S21 lineup. Phones released before that will still get security patches but not major Android upgrades. Older update policies were notoriously bad, supporting only two or three years of major Android updates.
Brief Overview of Galaxy S20 Series
The S20 lineup was the first with the new Snapdragon 865 (Or Exynos 990) chip, and the phones had impressive numbers on paper.
The S20 Ultra had a 1440P 120Hz AMOLED display with a 4X periscope capable of 10X hybrid and 100X digital zoom. The new 108MP HM3 sensor was gigantic for the time, with a 1/1.33″ sensor size.
The phone also had a massive battery and 45W charging, which was suitable for the time. The S20 and S20+ were mostly similar phones. They were smaller than the Ultra and had some slight camera downgrades.
The telephoto was only 1.1X optical zoom but could do 3X with AI and hybrid zoom. The vanilla S20 was a great compact phone for the time. The entire S20 series came out with Android 10 out of the box.
When writing, the S20 lineup is on the latest Android 13 based on One UI 5. The question arises: will it receive Android 14 and One UI 6?
Galaxy S20 Series Software Update History
The promise for the S20 lineup was 3 years of software support. Samsung didn’t include the S20 lineup in the 4-year policy. Since April 2020, the S20 lineup has received regular security updates and bug fixes every few months.
In December 2020, the S20 series got the stable One UI 3 update (Android 11). There was a slight visual redesign throughout the UI, and there was better customization.
The ability to add new and improved widgets to the home and lock screen was introduced with this version. More Bixby routines were added, and the phone was smoother with better transitions and animations.
The camera app had new image editing tools and quicker focusing and capturing time. There were some new productivity features and improved media control too.
Between December and January 2021, the phones received the One UI 4 update (Android 12).
One UI 4 brought the popular Material You color theming, new home screen widgets, a new design for the quick panels, better multitasking, better Bixby routines, and new lock screen widgets. There were some smoothness refinements too.
In 2022, Samsung made the updates even faster. In November 2022, the S20 lineup received the Android 13 update based on One UI 5.
One UI 5 brought new camera features, a more brilliant gallery, more editing features, better and easier lock screen customization, new widgets, better Bixby routines, and improvements to multitasking, notification management, and accessibility.
This is where the major Android updates for the S20 lineup end. The latest update, which came out in March, brings the stable February patch based on Android 13. The phones are yet to get the March security patch.
Is the Galaxy S20 series eligible for the One UI 6 update?
- No, Samsung has promised three years of major Android updates for the Galaxy S20 series, which ends with Android 13. Therefore, Samsung will not release Android 14/ One UI 6 for the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.
Samsung has started rolling out the One UI 6 stable update based on Android 14 for its latest Galaxy S23 series phones. The company also shared a list of eligible devices in a blog post, but the Galaxy S20 series was not included. It should be noted they’ll still receive security patches, which bring some new features to older phones, even if they don’t have the latest Android version.
