What It Really Means When Google Gives Pixel Phones More OS Updates Than iPhones
The Google Pixel 8 series was unveiled on Wednesday, and the devices will also be available in India. The cameras and Google’s AI technology were hot topics. The crucial information, however, was supplied by Rick Osterloh, SVP, Devices & Services at Google, at the conclusion when he provided an update on software support.
He said that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will get OS updates for 7 years, essentially keeping the Pixel 8 series competitive in the market beyond 2030.
With five years of iOS support for iPhones, Apple has been the market leader and has kept its word the whole time. However, Google’s major announcement implies it has eclipsed Apple by a few years, which may make Pixels even more tempting to purchasers.
Since the release of the Pixel 6 series, Google has been using its own Tensor chip. And now it seems to be able to handle prolonged phone software support. Apple has reaped great benefits from using its own hardware since it has more control over performance and other factors.
Google uses open-source software, but since it has complete control over the engineering and performance, the Android version on the Pixel is certainly among the finest available. Although it is encouraging to see Google modify their position on OS upgrades, we still have some concerns. First, will the Pixel 8 series phones come with 7 years’ worth of OS upgrades, and how many of them will get security updates?
Second, won’t the other Pixel phones that use Tensor technology get additional OS updates? We’re hoping Google would provide more clarification on this so that customers can decide whether they want to purchase the new Pixel phones or not.
After we have figured out these technological details, we want to know whether these phones will be able to withstand the demands of regular use for so many years while still providing dependable performance. After all, hardly one uses a phone these days for more than three to four years. Including updates for seven years is great, but only if the gadget can last that long.
