The State of Phone Software Support 2026
Published June 18, 2026 · data as of June 17, 2026 · methodology
An original analysis of every phone in the PhoneLifespan database — how many years of updates each brand really promises, how many phones on sale are already dying, and which cost the least to own safely.
72% of budget phones still on sale will be unsafe within 2 years
Of the 247 phones under $300 still getting updates today, 178 lose all software support within two years of June 17, 2026.
The state of the catalog
Across all 790 phones we track — 29% 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 A07$1.61/mo
- Xiaomi Poco C71 4G$2.23/mo
- Samsung Galaxy F16 5G$2.38/mo
- Samsung Galaxy M16 5G$2.66/mo
- Samsung Galaxy F05$2.95/mo
Most expensive to own
Highest cost per month — short support or a steep price.
- Huawei Mate XT Ultimate$95.91/mo
- Vivo X Fold3 Pro$58.61/mo
- Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition$57.78/mo
- Huawei Mate X6$57.49/mo
- Huawei Pura 70 Ultra$56.78/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 790-phone PhoneLifespan database as of June 17, 2026; support windows follow each brand's published policy (Apple modeled from its documented track record). Re-verified monthly.