Software updates — Extended software support phones
Android phones used to be bad at getting software updates. But things have gotten much better in the last five years.
Now, most high-end Android phones get a few years of updates, and even cheaper phones usually get at least one.
People are keeping their phones longer, so getting new software and security updates is really important.
Some phone makers are much better than others at this. A few are even as good as, or better than, Apple, which has always been known for good updates. Let’s look at which brands offer the best software support in 2025.
Which phone brand has extended software support?
1. Google
Google’s Pixel phones are the best Android phones for long-lasting software. The latest Pixel 9 phones will get updates for seven whole years!
This includes new Android versions, security fixes, and even new features.
That’s longer than even Apple supports their phones. What’s really cool is that Google also gives extra updates to older Pixel phones, like the 6 and 7.
They’re also good at getting these updates out quickly. If you want a phone that will stay up-to-date for a long time, a Pixel is a great choice.
2. Apple
Apple has always been known for good software updates. Even when Android updates were a mess, Apple always gave their iPhones several years of updates.
For a long time, they’ve given about five years of updates. Apple doesn’t usually say exactly how long they’ll support a phone.
Sometimes they surprise us and give even more updates than we expect. For example, the iPhone 6S got updates for much longer than anyone thought.
Now, because of some rules in the UK, Apple has said that the iPhone 15 Pro will get at least five years of updates.
But they often do even better than that, keeping older iPhones updated as long as the phone can still handle it.
3. Samsung
Samsung is right up there with Google when it comes to software updates for their top-of-the-line phones. Samsung also promises seven years of updates (new Android versions and security fixes) for the Galaxy S24 series and newer, including their foldable phones and tablets.
While their high-end phones get this great support, some of their cheaper Galaxy A-series phones also get six years of updates, which is better than what many other brands offer for their flagship phones.
Even better, Samsung is good at getting these updates out quickly, whether it’s for their expensive phones or their budget phones.
So, if you care about getting regular software updates, Samsung is a good Android brand to consider.
4. Fairphone
Fairphone focuses on making phones that last a long time, and that includes software updates.
The Fairphone 2, which came out in 2015, got updates for over seven years! That’s almost unheard of for Android.
The newer Fairphone 5 gets five years of Android version updates and eight years of security fixes. They even say they’ll try to stretch the security fixes to ten years if they can. However, Fairphone’s updates don’t come out as regularly as other brands.
Sometimes the new Android versions and security fixes are a bit slow, even though they support the phones for a long time.
Finally
Even though Google, Samsung, and Apple are doing well with software updates, other brands could do better. Companies like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and OPPO haven’t made enough progress, and Motorola still struggles to give consistent updates even to its high-end phones.
Right now, Google and Samsung are the best because they promise seven years of updates.
Apple is still a solid choice, especially if you already use other Apple products.
