Using the example of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy A7, it is easy to understand that the Samsung system with the 3-year cycle described above follows a rough plan, but it does is not set in stone: Both models came on the market in 2017 – the Galaxy S8 also receives monthly updates about 3 years later (but probably no Android 10 anymore), while the Galaxy A7 is currently in the last category and probably in the will drop out of the list in the next few months.
The difference lies in the details: While the Galaxy S series represents the company’s high-end models, the A series is located in the middle class, which of course is also reflected in the retail price. That is probably why the S models (as well as the Note series) longer with regular updates provided. Therefore, it can also be assumed that Samsung will not switch off the support for the S8 completely after 3 years, but will only reduce it.
The Galaxy S7 (release date 2016) is still in the second category (quarterly updates) today, although according to the actual rhythm it shouldn’t get any updates anymore. With the Galaxy S6, which was released in 2015, support was discontinued after almost exactly three years (2018). It is conceivable that Samsung will ultimately make the procedure dependent on the active number of users.
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