The Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL Will Receive 3 Years of Updates

The support page for the Google Pixel 2 has some interesting information regarding device upgrades. It seems that the Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL will actually be receiving 3 years of OS upgrades, meaning that they may potentially reach up to Android R, including security patches. Initially the specs sheet mentioned it, however it has only been confirmed now not to be a mistake.

Android devices are usually known for having two years of updates, then nothing but security patches. For the previous Google Pixel and the Nexus line of devices, you received two OS upgrades and three years worth of security patches. This may sound like a short enough time even when compared to the likes of Apple, but it’s the best you can get on Android… Or, at least, it was.

This comes with the addition of project Treble, likely the reason why the devices will receive an extra year of updates. This modularization not only helps OEMs and Google push faster updates, but it’s also smart of Google to set a precedent for longer-lasting software support in an effort to nudge OEMs into doing the same. These same capabilities are now available to other OEMs if they wish to support their devices with a few years of major upgrades as well, so we hope customers take notice and demand better software support as well.

This is one of Google’s many avenues of trying to improve itself against the competition. Increasing the time the device will receive updates for places it in a respectable position with the enthusiast market. A certain subset of users certainly care about updates. The only thing is, even though the device will be upgraded for three years, will the hardware actually handle that? Phone hardware advances rapidly, and batteries also deteriorate. A flagship phone from 3 years ago now isn’t going to be the best device around, to put it that way. It could be considered that device advancement has slowed down since, so I guess all there really is to do is wait and see.

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Via: AndroidPolice

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