Samsung has taken some big steps in the approach to Android updates. In introducing the Note 20 series, Samsung has confirmed that it will offer three generations of Android for these devices – and it has now further outlined all devices that are currently suitable for this offer.
In the company’s statement on these details, Samsung also confirms that the first device in the series to be updated to Android 11 will be the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. This may not come as a surprise as it is an important flagship for the year – but it is encouraging that Samsung confirms that this will happen in 2020:
“The Galaxy S20 series will also be the first Galaxy devices to receive the Android 11 upgrade later this year5, with more devices to follow shortly thereafter,” Samsung said in a press release.
Samsung’s track record for updates is not good. There have often been significant delays as the company updates and deploys the updates, along with its own software customizations (now combined into a single interface), on devices worldwide.
Part of the problem is that it is not as easy to take the new version of Android and bring it to market – as it is with pixel devices, or to require only minor adjustments as with Nokia Android One devices. Instead, there is a lot of work to do, and Samsung has a huge number of devices and many device variations to take care of.
Anyone who has bought a Samsung Galaxy S20 device will welcome the fact that you will get Android 11 this year, but Samsung has added a small footnote to this news. This footnote reads: “This may vary by market or vendor.
Time will tell how significant these differences are.
