The State of Phone Software Support 2026
Published June 18, 2026 · data last verified July 20, 2026 · methodology
An original analysis of every phone we track: years of updates each brand really promises, how many phones on sale are already dying, and which cost least to own.
70% of budget phones still on sale will be unsafe within 2 years
Of the 304 phones under $300 still getting updates today, 212 lose all software support within two years of August 1, 2026.
The state of the catalog
Across all 1013 phones we track — 27% of phones still on sale are already in their final year of support.
Years of support promised, by brand
Average promised update window across each brand's phones (brands with 3+ models). Higher is better.
Cheapest to own safely
Lowest cost per month of supported ownership.
- Samsung Galaxy M07$1.29/mo
- Samsung Galaxy A07$1.65/mo
- Xiaomi Redmi 15C 4G$1.92/mo
- Xiaomi Redmi 15C 5G$2.27/mo
- Samsung Galaxy M17e 5G$2.30/mo
Most expensive to own
Highest cost per month — short support or a steep price.
- Huawei Mate XT Ultimate$101.38/mo
- Vivo X Fold3 Pro$62.75/mo
- Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition$62.16/mo
- Huawei Pura 70 Ultra$60.82/mo
- Huawei Mate X6$60.48/mo
Cite this report
Free to cite with a link back. Every figure is reproducible from our published methodology. Paste this anywhere:
<a href="https://phonelifespan.tech/report/state-of-phone-support-2026">The State of Phone Software Support 2026 — PhoneLifespan</a>Methodology: figures are computed live from the 1013-phone PhoneLifespan database as of August 1, 2026; support windows follow each brand's published policy (Apple modeled from its documented track record). Re-verified monthly.