Samsung has been known for pushing updates to older phones for many years. Most Samsung phones nowadays get software support for more than 3 years, and this includes even budget devices. Some, like the flagships, get even 5 or as high as 7 years of software support!
However, all good things and all updates slowly but eventually come to an end. Unfortunately, this is true for Samsung, too.
It has been seen that a few legacy Samsung devices have reached the end of their software support as per the company’s security documentation for the April 2024 security patch rollout.
The Samsung devices which have reached the end of their software support include:
- The LTE version of the Galaxy Z Flip
- Galaxy M21
- Galaxy Tab A 8.4 (2020)
All of these devices were released four years ago, in March 2020.
It is important to note here that the LTE version of the Galaxy Z Flip will no longer receive updates. The Galaxy Z Flip 5G, released almost 6 months after the LTE version, is still scheduled to receive quarterly updates until August 2024.
The Galaxy Z Flip LTE will remain on Android 12, receiving only two major OS updates.
To recall, the Samsung Galaxy M21 was a budget phone launched in March 2020 with Android 10, and it eventually received the One UI Core 3.1 (Android 12) update.
It is important to note that there is currently no clarification on whether the Galaxy M31, released alongside the M21, has reached the end of its software support.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab A 8.4 was released in March 2020, and the Exynos 7904 chipset powered it. It launched with Android 10 and eventually received the Android 11 (One UI 3.1) update.
I feel that the Galaxy Z Flip LTE users are the worst victims. Even after paying USD 1380, they received only 2 major OS updates. Thankfully, the situation is much better nowadays, with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 receiving 4 major OS updates.
