From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android
This was posted to the Apple newsgroup way back in March because the Apple posters wanted to compare Apple's full support to that of Pixel/Galaxy S.
Newsgroups: misc.phone.mobile.iphone,comp.sys.mac.advocacy,comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: [Correction] Apple's iOS full support is exactly as long as expected.
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 02:18:24 -0400
Message-ID: <10q2j3g$2v5d$
1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
Please correct or improve where I err or omit as this type of data is very
hard to obtain in one place on the Internet so it's a lot of work to get.
(verbatim)
Here's my first pass at the data that Tom Elam & Chris just asked me for. (Please check it out to see if I made any errors as this is my 1st look.)
1. Samsung Galaxy S (The Original)
Shipped for retail sale on June 4, 2010.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 2.3.6 in Jan 2012.
585 days / 365 = 1.60 years for full support.
2. Samsung Galaxy S II
Shipped for retail sale on May 2, 2011.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 4.1.2 in April 2013.
708 days / 365 = 1.94 years for full support.
3. Samsung Galaxy S III
Shipped for retail sale on May 29, 2012.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 4.3 in Dec 2013.
560 days / 365 = 1.53 years for full support.
4. Samsung Galaxy S4
Shipped for retail sale on April 27, 2013.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 5.0.1 in April 2015.
730 days / 365 = 2.00 years for full support.
5. Samsung Galaxy S5
Shipped for retail sale on April 11, 2014.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 6.0.1 in April 2016.
731 days / 365 = 2.00 years for full support.
6. Samsung Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge
Shipped for retail sale on April 10, 2015.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 7.0 in Feb 2017.
672 days / 365 = 1.84 years for full support.
7. Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge
Shipped for retail sale on March 11, 2016.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 8.0 in May 2018.
791 days / 365 = 2.17 years for full support.
8. Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8+
Shipped for retail sale on April 21, 2017.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 9.0 in Feb 2019.
651 days / 365 = 1.78 years for full support.
9. Samsung Galaxy S9 / S9+
Shipped for retail sale on March 11, 2018.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 10 in Jan 2020.
671 days / 365 = 1.84 years for full support.
10. Samsung Galaxy S10 / S10+ / S10e
Shipped for retail sale on March 8, 2019.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 12 in Dec 2021.
1,018 days / 365 = 2.79 years for full support.
11. Samsung Galaxy S20 Series
Shipped for retail sale on March 6, 2020.
Last Full-Parity release: Android 13 in Nov 2022.
999 days / 365 = 2.74 years for full support.
12. Samsung Galaxy S21 / S21+ / S21 Ultra
Shipped for retail sale on Jan 29, 2021.
Last Full-Parity release: Jan 2026 Security Update.
1,831 days / 365 = 5.02 years for full support.
(Note: Completely abandoned by Samsung on Feb 3, 2026).
13. Samsung Galaxy S22 / S22+ / S22 Ultra
Shipped for retail sale on Feb 25, 2022.
Lost Full-Parity: Feb 3, 2026.
1,439 days / 365 = 3.94 years for full support (now quarterly).
If the data above is correct, the average Samsung main competitor to the
iPhone between 2010 and 2020 appears to have 2.48 years of FULL support.
That 2.48 years sucks compared to the iOS full support of 4.89 years.
But please check my math as I'm trying to apply the same rules to Samsung's iPhone competitive phones as I did to the iPhone itse4lf (Apple's rules).
a. Either a phone is fully patched with all known CVE's,
b. Or it's not.
Since Tom Elam & Chris asked for the Pixel, here's my first pass at that.
1. Google Pixel / Pixel XL
Shipped for retail sale on Oct 20, 2016.
Last Full-Parity release: Dec 2019 Security Patch.
1,137 days / 365 = 3.12 years for full support.
2. Google Pixel 2 / 2 XL
Shipped for retail sale on Oct 19, 2017.
Last Full-Parity release: Dec 2020 Security Patch.
1,168 days / 365 = 3.20 years for full support.
3. Google Pixel 3 / 3 XL
Shipped for retail sale on Oct 18, 2018.
Last Full-Parity release: Feb 2022 Security Patch.
1,208 days / 365 = 3.31 years for full support.
4. Google Pixel 4 / 4 XL
Shipped for retail sale on Oct 24, 2019.
Last Full-Parity release: Oct 2022 Security Patch.
1,096 days / 365 = 3.00 years for full support.
5. Google Pixel 5
Shipped for retail sale on Oct 15, 2020.
Last Full-Parity release: Feb 2024 Security Patch.
1,213 days / 365 = 3.32 years for full support.
6. Google Pixel 6 / 6 Pro
Shipped for retail sale on Oct 28, 2021.
Lost Full-Parity: July 2025 (Demoted to Quarterly Updates).
1,341 days / 365 = 3.67 years for full support.
(Note: Currently missing 66 March 2026 CVE fixes).
7. Google Pixel 7 / 7 Pro
Shipped for retail sale on Oct 13, 2022.
Lost Full-Parity: Feb 2026 (Demoted to Quarterly Updates).
1,208 days / 365 = 3.31 years for full support.
(Note: Currently missing 66 March 2026 CVE fixes).
Did I miss any?
If the data above is correct, the average Samsung main competitor to the
iPhone between 2016 and 2022 appears to have 3.28 years of FULL support.
Both Tom Elam and Chris (and everyone else) should note that I don't
care what the answer is, since all I care about are the facts.
It doesn't matter to me if Apple comes out ahead or not.
I just want to know what the answer is.
Apparently, all iPhones averaged 4.89 years of FULL support.
All Samsung iPhone competitors averaged much less, at 2.48 years.
The Pixel competition to the iPhone was in the middle, at 3.28 years.
Please remember I'm nothing like most of you who post to the Apple
newsgroups in that I don't defend any company to the death, no matter what.
I simply care about knowing what the correct answer is.
My assessment?
a. Apple full iOS support used to be much better than Android was.
b. But moving forward from today, Apple full iOS support is not.
--
I only care about the facts. I don't defend any OEM mothership.
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