PhoneLifespan

How long do Samsung phones get updates?

7 years of OS + security updates (Galaxy S24 and newer, recent A-series: 6 years)Official

Samsung's current flagships (S24 generation onward, including the S25 family) get seven years of OS and security updates — the joint-best promise in Android. Recent mid-rangers like the A56 and even the $199 A16 get six years. But this is new: the S21–S23 era got four OS upgrades + five years of security, and S20-era phones got just three + four. That's why a 2021 Samsung is already unsupported while a 2025 one runs to 2032 — check the phone, not the brand.

Source: Samsung's policy documentation · verified 2026-07-19

The generation matters far more than the brand

Samsung now offers the joint-longest support in Android, but only on recent hardware, and the gap between generations is dramatic. Galaxy S24 and newer flagships, including the S25 family, receive seven years of OS and security updates. Recent mid-rangers are close behind: the A56 gets six years, and even the roughly $199 A16 gets six. Step back a generation or two and it collapses — the S21 through S23 era received four OS upgrades and five years of security, and S20-era phones got three and four. That is why a 2021 Samsung flagship is already out of support while a 2025 mid-ranger runs to 2031.

Why the A-series is often the smarter longevity buy

Measured by cost per month of safe use, Samsung's budget A-series frequently beats its own flagships. The Galaxy A15 5G launched at $199 with four Android upgrades and five years of patches to December 2028, and now sells used for well under half that with years of cover remaining. The A56 pairs a six-year window with an aluminium frame and a 120Hz AMOLED for under $500. Neither is fast, and neither will satisfy a gamer — but if the question is how long the phone stays safe to bank on per dollar spent, the A-series is consistently the strongest answer Samsung offers.

How to check your Galaxy's support status

Open Settings, then About phone, then Software information to see the security patch level. Samsung publishes a public list of which models are on monthly, quarterly or biannual patch cadence, and phones move down that ladder as they age rather than stopping abruptly — a device dropping from monthly to quarterly is an early signal that it is entering the back half of its supported life. Find your model in the table below for its exact recorded end-of-support date.

Samsung phones losing support in 2026 and 2027

These Samsung phones lose their security updates this year or next — plan a replacement before the date, not after.

Samsung
Galaxy S21 5G
$113
2021◆ Buy-by Jan 20242026
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
$320
2021◆ Buy-by Jan 20242026
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy S21+ 5G
$250
2021◆ Buy-by Jan 20242026
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy M23 5G
$160
2022◆ Buy-by Mar 20242026
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy F23 5G
$130
2022◆ Buy-by Mar 20242026
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy A13 4G
$90
2022◆ Buy-by Mar 20242026
Avoid buyingSupport ended

Don't buy these new anymore

Their Buy-By date (end of support minus 24 months) has passed — a purchase today gets less than two years of safe use. 169 in total; the worst offenders:

Samsung
Galaxy S4
$40
2013◆ Buy-by Apr 20142016
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy S5
$45
2014◆ Buy-by Apr 20152017
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy Note 4
$70
2014◆ Buy-by Oct 20152017
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy Note Edge
$110
2014◆ Buy-by Nov 20152017
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy S6
$60
2015◆ Buy-by Apr 20162018
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy S6 edge
$75
2015◆ Buy-by Apr 20162018
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy J Max
$40
2016◆ Buy-by Jul 20162018
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy On5 (2016)
$30
2016◆ Buy-by Jul 20162018
Avoid buyingSupport ended
Samsung
Galaxy Note5
$90
2015◆ Buy-by Aug 20162018
Avoid buyingSupport ended

The remaining 160 are in the full list below, each marked with its status.

Every Samsung phone we track

Sorted by how much safe life is left — soonest to die first. Tap any for the full breakdown.

Showing all 220 phones

Avoid — unsupported or nearly
Samsung Galaxy S4$40
Samsung Galaxy S5$45
Samsung Galaxy Note 4$70
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge$110
Samsung Galaxy S6$60
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge$75
Samsung Galaxy J Max$40
Samsung Galaxy On5 (2016)$30
Samsung Galaxy Note5$90
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+$95
Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016)$45
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime Plus (J2 Prime)$35
Samsung Galaxy S7$70
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge$85
Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime (2016)$50
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)$60
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)$80
Samsung Galaxy S8$90
Samsung Galaxy S8+$110
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro (2017)$60
Samsung Galaxy On6 (2018)$55
Samsung Galaxy Note FE$140
Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt (2017)$45
Samsung Galaxy On8 (2018)$60
Samsung Galaxy J2 Core (2018)$30
Samsung Galaxy Note8$100
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)$65
Samsung Galaxy M10$55
Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro (2018)$35
Samsung Galaxy A2 Core$35
Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018)$35
Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo (2018)$60
Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)$70
Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)$90
Samsung Galaxy J4 (2018)$40
Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018)$50
Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018)$55
Samsung Galaxy A10s$40
Samsung Galaxy Note9$130
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)$70
Samsung Galaxy J4+ (2018)$45
Samsung Galaxy J6+ (2018)$55
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)$90
Samsung Galaxy A01$40
Samsung Galaxy M30$80
Samsung Galaxy A10$40
Samsung Galaxy S9$80
Samsung Galaxy S9+$100
Samsung Galaxy A20$45
Samsung Galaxy A40$75
Samsung Galaxy A20e$40
Samsung Galaxy M01$50
Samsung Galaxy M30s$90
Samsung Galaxy A20s$50
Samsung Galaxy A02$45
Samsung Galaxy M02$55
Samsung Galaxy A50$85
Samsung Galaxy M31$90
Samsung Galaxy A30$55
Samsung Galaxy S10$130
Samsung Galaxy S10+$160
Samsung Galaxy S10e$110
Samsung Galaxy A11$50
Samsung Galaxy M21$80
Samsung Galaxy A70$100
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G$220
Samsung Galaxy A41$90
Samsung Galaxy A80$130
Samsung Galaxy M11$70
Samsung Galaxy A21$55
Samsung Galaxy A21s$60
Samsung Galaxy XCover4s$110
Samsung Galaxy Note10$160
Samsung Galaxy Note10+$200
Samsung Galaxy A30s$55
Samsung Galaxy A50s$90
Samsung Galaxy A90 5G$160
Samsung Galaxy Fold$300
Samsung Galaxy A03 Core$45
Samsung Galaxy A51$90
Samsung Galaxy A12$65
Samsung Galaxy A02s$50
Samsung Galaxy A71$120
Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite$150
Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro$170
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite$130
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip$170
Samsung Galaxy A31$75
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G$200
Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G$210
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G$280
Samsung Galaxy A03s$55
Samsung Galaxy M51$120
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G$350
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G$150
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G$112
Samsung Galaxy F41$110
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G$110
Samsung Galaxy A03$55
Samsung Galaxy A32 5G$90
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G$190
Samsung Galaxy F62$160
Samsung Galaxy M62$230
Samsung Galaxy S20 5G$170
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G$250
Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G$200
Samsung Galaxy XCover5$160
Samsung Galaxy M12$80
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G$140
Samsung Galaxy A72$170
Samsung Galaxy F02s$55
Samsung Galaxy F12$70
Samsung Galaxy A22 4G$95
Samsung Galaxy M32$110
Samsung Galaxy A22 5G$110
Samsung Galaxy F22$85
Samsung Galaxy F52 5G$150
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G$150
Samsung Galaxy M32 5G$110
Samsung Galaxy A04$65
Samsung Galaxy F42 5G$140
Samsung Galaxy M52 5G$150
Samsung Galaxy A13 5G$90
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G$113
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G$320
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G$250
Samsung Galaxy M23 5G$160
Samsung Galaxy F23 5G$130
Samsung Galaxy A13 4G$90
Samsung Galaxy A23 4G$110
Samsung Galaxy M33 5G$130
Samsung Galaxy A73 5G$220
Samsung Galaxy M53 5G$170
Samsung Galaxy F13$95
Samsung Galaxy M13$90
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G$220
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G$450
Samsung Galaxy A23 5G$110
Samsung Galaxy A04s$70
Samsung Galaxy A04e$80
Samsung Galaxy M04$75
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G$90
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE$249
Samsung Galaxy F04$75
Samsung Galaxy A14 4G$120
Samsung Galaxy S22$149
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra$399
Samsung Galaxy S22+$290
Samsung Galaxy F14 5G$115
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G$71
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G$140
Samsung Galaxy M14 5G$140
Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro$420
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4$300
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4$600
Samsung Galaxy A05$80
Samsung Galaxy A05s$95
Samsung Galaxy S23$175
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra$339
Samsung Galaxy S23+$206
Buy with care
Samsung Galaxy M54 5G$220
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G$180
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G$230
Samsung Galaxy A24 4G$120
Samsung Galaxy F54 5G$230
Samsung Galaxy M34 5G$170
Samsung Galaxy F34 5G$150
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5$400
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5$750
Samsung Galaxy M05$90
Samsung Galaxy F05$80
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE$164
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G$160
Samsung Galaxy A15$150
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G$120
Samsung Galaxy XCover7$399
Samsung Galaxy F06 5G$95
Samsung Galaxy A06 5G$120
Samsung Galaxy M06 5G$110
Samsung Galaxy F15 5G$130
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G$300
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G$220
Samsung Galaxy M55 5G$270
Samsung Galaxy M15 5G$150
Samsung Galaxy F55 5G$250
Samsung Galaxy M35 5G$200
Safe to buy
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G$199
Samsung Galaxy S24$549
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$949
Samsung Galaxy S24+$699
Samsung Galaxy M16 5G$150
Samsung Galaxy A56 5G$425
Samsung Galaxy F16 5G$135
Samsung Galaxy A26 5G$250
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G$350
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6$720
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6$1150
Samsung Galaxy A17 5G$210
Samsung Galaxy A07$100
Samsung Galaxy F17 5G$155
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G$175
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE$499
Samsung Galaxy M07$80
Samsung Galaxy M17 5G$195
Samsung Galaxy A07 5G$175
Samsung Galaxy S25$599
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra$902
Samsung Galaxy S25+$849
Samsung Galaxy M17e 5G$155
Samsung Galaxy A37 5G$420
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G$500
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge$899
Samsung Galaxy A27 5G$349
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7$1000
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7$1900
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE$599
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold$2799
Samsung Galaxy S26$799
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra$1099
Samsung Galaxy S26+$899
Samsungvs every other brand's update policy →Longest-supported phones →The State of Phone Support 2026 →

Wondering about a specific phone? See the full master board →