How long does Samsung support their Galaxy tablets software update?

[myrcgarage]

How many years should I expect? Nexus usually gets 2 to 3 years of support. What about Samsung Galaxy tablets? I really like the S2 9.7, but I am afraid it won't be supported for more than 1 year.

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[itsnotmeitsyou]

Most Samsung devices are DOA when it comes to software support. We may see Marshmallow on it, but that's where it'll probably stop--regardless of any new bugs that marshmallow brings.

 

[myrcgarage]

That's sad though, don't you think?

 

[Hurrycanejohn]

Seriously, you kept your Nexus for 3 years? Even with the OS upgrades , how good could it have been running on a 3 year old processor?

You'll be lucky to get a year and a half support from Samsung, but I'm okay with that because technology is moving so fast that most tablets are obsolete in that time frame. I usually wear out my tablet in a year and half and end up replacing it with a newer one with a faster processor, more memory and better screen.

If your looking for long term support, you probably want to stick with Nexus.

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[NoahForeman]

Haha, reading this on my Nexus 7 (2013).

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[Hurrycanejohn]

Haha, reading this on my Nexus 7 (2013).

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Good for you. Glad you're still using it.

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[myrcgarage]

I bet you are pretty wealthy then. I usually keep my phone for 2 years, tablet for 2 to 3 years. Therefore, I want to buy something that could be supported by the company, in this case Samsung for more than 1 year.

 

[Hurrycanejohn]

I bet you are pretty wealthy then.

I wish I was rich, but I'm not.

I just know that I'll be looking for a new tablet in the next year and half, so I put aside 20.00 from each pay day and at the end of each year the money is available to purchase what I want.

I'm not saying everyone should buy a new tablet every year, but for some the lack of long term support by Samsung is not a reason, not to buy a Samsung.

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[itsnotmeitsyou]

That's sad though, don't you think?

It's very sad. If there's one thing I wish Samsung would copy from Apple, it's their streamlined OS.

Before I get attacked... I don't mean locked down. I mean keep the same software on all of their phones and tablets so they can update them all at the same time. Not only would we get updates faster, it would allow them to perfect one OS and make for a better experience all around. If any manufacturer wants to tap into the Apple market, this is how to do it.

 

[Soapm]

Seriously, you kept your Nexus for 3 years? Even with the OS upgrades , how good could it have been running on a 3 year old processor?

Good enough, us non-gamers don't need latest and greatest...

But the main reason they stop support is to get you to buy a new one since they don't make profit when you keep using the old one...

 

[myrcgarage]

Since it is $399 for the 9.7 on Amazon, I purchased the white one today. It will arrive on Thursday. Let's see how I will like it. Thanks for all the help!

 

[itsnotmeitsyou]

Since it is $399 for the 9.7 on Amazon, I purchased the white one today. It will arrive on Thursday. Let's see how I will like it. Thanks for all the help!

It's Friday. How do you like it?

BTW, for future reference, most stores price match Amazon now. So you don't need to wait for delivery.

 

[badkitties]

Since it is $399 for the 9.7 on Amazon, I purchased the white one today. It will arrive on Thursday. Let's see how I will like it. Thanks for all the help!

I bought my S2 9.7 from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. I paid $499. The next day, it dropped to $449.99. I called Amazon and refunded me the difference. It then went back up to $499, only to drop down to $399 a few days ago. I called Amazon again and they gave me a refund on the difference again. On top of that, the Amazon rep gave me a $10 goodwill promotional credit to be applied to my next Amazon purchase. So now my final cost is $389 plus 10.25% sales tax. I should just move to Delaware or something.

 

[myrcgarage]

So far I love it. I love 4:3 ratio because I use it a lot more than just video consumption. Also, screen is amazing. I installed Nova (purchased) as my launcher. It seems to be even better from an UI performance perspective.

I purchased the FYY case with hidden keyboard. I am loving it since it is hidden when not used, but I can reveal and use the keyboard whenever I want to!

Agree that I could have gone to Best Buy to do a price match. However, I didn't have time to do that during those 2 days. Plus I have Prime, so it was delivered to my door quickly.

 

[shstrang98]

Does android require the newest OS updates in order to continue to run currents apps that are updated?
iOS does just that.

 

[Equinsu ocha]

Does android require the newest OS updates in order to continue to run currents apps that are updated?
iOS does just that.

Android isn't as bad as iOS as far as that is concerned. My old Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.4.2 runs the same apps as my 5x with Android 6.01.

 

[M Stuart]

My Tab Pro 10.1 (£450 retail price, mind you) has never received a single major update from Samsung: it's still on Kitkat. If software support is of the highest priority, I usually suggest going with somewhere other than Samsung, which is otherwise a shame because I think they produce the best Android tablets around.

That said, it all depends. It will be a long while before Kitkat share numbers drop enough that developers can't afford to stop supporting Kitkat-based devices, so apps will keep running on this old OS for a long time and it's still functional enough. The major risk are security updates. You may want to avoid doing shopping or online banking, for example. But if you don't do anything critical of the sort, then it might be of little practical relevance.

Enjoy your Tab S2. I believe Samsung is trying to be a bit better with updates and I'm pretty sure it will get at least Marshmallow.

 

[badkitties]

If software support is of the highest priority, I usually suggest going with somewhere other than Samsung, which is otherwise a shame because I think they produce the best Android tablets around.

get Apple iPads... I have a 3-year-old iPad that is still regularly getting minor and major updates from Apple. Of course, I don't use it much these days. A 3-year-old tablet from any manufacturer is a museum piece. I have ditched iOS for Android. I upgrade to a new Samsung Galaxy tablet every year. (currently only have the S 10.5 and S2 9.7... got rid of the previous 3 Galaxy tablets) The technology changes too fast and I always want to be on top. No amount of software upgrade can make a 1-year-old tablet feel "new" again.

 

[M Stuart]

get Apple iPads... I have a 3-year-old iPad that is still regularly getting minor and major updates from Apple. Of course, I don't use it much these days. A 3-year-old tablet from any manufacturer is a museum piece. I have ditched iOS for Android. I upgrade to a new Samsung Galaxy tablet every year. (currently only have the S 10.5 and S2 9.7... got rid of the previous 3 Galaxy tablets) The technology changes too fast and I always want to be on top. No amount of software upgrade can make a 1-year-old tablet feel "new" again.

In my case it's going to take something spectacular from Samsung to get me to upgrade to a new tablet, it's just hard for me to justify the expense otherwise. On my wishlist is a 350+ ppi Amoled screen with the Pixel C's aspect ratio, plus UFS and at least some equivalent in performance to the Exynos 7420 on the Note 5. It's probably asking too much

 

[Mojofilter9]

I like the latest and greatest phone but tablets aren't as important.
I don't game on them so they last me quite a while - this S2 should be fine for browsing, Netflix and ebooks etc... for a good 4 years if not more IMO.

As for software updates I think you can expect Marshmallow but nothing after that.
I expect that I'll be rooting and installing Cyanogenmod when it's out of warranty and a stable version of whatever Android N is called is released.

That usually has the effect of making it feel new again.