Opinion
Opinion: Samsung improves and Apple misleads
While purchasing a new smartphone other than its specs users also expect its maker to provide a regular and genuine update. Updates are very important for any smartphone as it keeps the privacy of the device up to date and providing them without bugs is a responsibility of the manufacturer.
Nowadays, Samsung is becoming more concerned about providing regular firmware updates for its Galaxy devices and the company has also changed its policies regarding the entire software updates program.
But its rival, Apple doesn’t seem to be any conscious on this matter.
Some of the older mistakes of Apple have been recently popped up when the US tech giant has been fined for misleading its customers. The company has to pay a sum of $113 million to settle the case filed in 33 US states and the District of Columbia. (reports Washington Post)
How Apple did this? Well, Apple deceptively slowed the older iPhones with the help of a software update. Following these updates, the iPhone begins to shutdown randomly or their battery begins to drain faster.
This whole case is also known as Batterygate or iPhone throttling. In December 2017, Apple admitted it had been throttling some devices after customers discovered that replacing the battery in an older iPhone boosted its speed, which appeared to be confirmed by top iPhone benchmark developer Geekbench.
These actions caused iPhone users to get troubled and buy new and expensive iPhones. Eventually, an investigation caught this and the U.S. tech giant is now been fined for this.
Apple has always been the best for delivering software updates to its devices even to the oldest ones. The company rolls out updates for all of its users at the same time and guarantees four years of regular major upgrades for the iPhones.
Meanwhile, there is no other company to do so. The Android phone makers release updates to their devices in patches and it takes time to reach all the eligible smartphones. Even its biggest rival, Samsung lagged behind to do so.
But just providing updates is not enough, providing them with full honesty without any mislead should be the concern of the phone manufacturer which Apple had failed. At the same time, Samsung seems to be more genuine and improving its efficiency as well as services.
Although the Korean firm doesn’t provide the updates as fast as Apple but it does it with full sincerity and clarity which matters more. The Korean giant has also changed its updates policy and from now all the flagship models will be getting the major upgrades for three years and the security updates will be rolled out for up to four consecutive years.
This new step from Samsung shows how much it is concerned about the after-sales service for its products. By caring for the devices after-sales, increase its life, make them reliable, and also becomes the value for money to its user. This helps the OEMs to gain customer’s trust which adds to the goodwill of any company.
Apple should learn something from Samsung on how to gain customer’s support aside from deceiving them. Such practices may affect companies reputation badly and being the world’s largest brand in terms of earning, Apple should not do such tiny mistakes to gain more customers.
What do you think about this matter? let us know in the comments below.
Samsung’s relationship with Google is rock solid. Both companies collaborate on different products to benefit their consumer base. Is it the right time for Samsung to develop a Galaxy-dedicated OS or at least Android for Galaxy?
Google worked with Samsung to optimize Android for foldables and tablets. The company had even launched Android 12L, a version dedicated to large-screen devices. Now, Samsung should work with Google to optimize Android for Galaxy devices.
Samsung flagships are equipped with pro-grade hardware specifications. The company manages to optimize the One UI software accordingly. Meanwhile, there are still a lot of areas, that require significant improvements.
Benefits of Android for Galaxy
Samsung fine-tunes Android for Galaxy products. Meanwhile, Android for Galaxy will make things a lot better, eventually benefitting end users. It shouldn’t be the Tizen approach, but a collaborative progress.
Android optimized for Galaxy devices should allow users to enjoy the power and personalization of the OS. Its optimization level for Galaxy devices will offer faster app launches, performance improvements, and longer battery life.
Samsung owns Exynos, Galaxy AI, Good Lock, and a lot of stunning services. A combined approach can significantly uplevel the user experience. Functional capabilities would also be boosted, taking Galaxy’s experience to a whole new level.
Difficulties
Android’s presence is vast. It’s available across different brands including Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and so on. Samsung is unquestionably the biggest Android vendor but Google could find it difficult to optimize Android for all Galaxies.
The Korean tech giant itself tests and deploys security updates on Galaxy devices. Various applications are already available with better features than Google services such as the Internet. Even Google takes inspiration from Galaxies to develop features for Pixel phones.
Samsung not only has flagship phones, but also brings budget, mid-range, and premium mid-range phones. These products use different hardware such as camera and processor, requiring a need for unified software. Just a collective approach is required to end all kinds of difficulties.
"Android for Galaxy" ❤️
Should Samsung & Google embark on this stunning journey?#Samsung #Android #OneUI pic.twitter.com/HT2S5xfzfV
— Sammy Fans – We ♥ Samsung! (@thesammyfans) August 29, 2024
Google’s Pixel 9 series is official with pretty new AI stuff. The most notable thing that changed with this year’s Pixel phones is the Android installation. I guess, Google took a sip of poison to push Samsung Galaxy’s Android OS superiority further.
Pixel 9 series comes with Android 14, rather than the latest OS. Pixel 8 series and later devices are supported by seven years of OS updates. However, the Pixel 9 will get one less Android upgrade than that it deserves to have.
Google’s decision puts the Pixel 9 together with last year’s Pixel 8 series. Both lineups will end their major upgrade life at Android 21. Well, Pixel phones are neither durable nor Google provides satisfactory support, so don’t expect more than 1 year of service.
The decision, however, aligns with Samsung’s superiority, let’s decode.
The Galaxy S25 series will be the first (imp) to come with Android 15 pre-installed. You can guess how things have been decided by downgrading the Pixel 9 lineup. As a Samsung fan, I always wanted H2 Galaxy products to come with the latest OS.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 also come with Android 14. The OS was released in October last year and is still arriving pre-installed. Google ultimately filled the OS gap between Galaxy foldables and Pixel phones at a cost of Pixel downgrade.
Android 15 might be released on the official channel in October as last year. Eligible Pixel phones will start getting the major firmware update. Samsung is also expected to begin the One UI 7 update rollout for Galaxy models by the end of October.
In the first phase, Samsung’s Android 15 will arrive on flagship phones. However, the Korean tech giant won’t make other users wait much. The One UI 7 update rollout may begin for all eligible Galaxy models before 2024 ends.
Samsung replicated Google’s promise of Android updates, but the plus point is that mid-range and budget Galaxy phones are eligible for at least four major OS upgrades. The upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 will also be honored with 7 major Android updates.
The Korean tech giant offers the longest software update support in the Android industry. Google’s OS update promise starts from the Pixel 8 series. While mid-range and budget Samsung phones get four Android updates, the premium Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 will get 7.
Earlier this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series smartphones. The lineup is guaranteed for at least seven OS upgrades. The strategy was earlier expected to be applied to Galaxy A55, but the company kept it limited to the flagship phones.
Samsung doesn’t officially consider Galaxy Z as flagship lineup, but it’s the most premium segment. All the novelties that Galaxy S receives also come to foldable phones. Therefore, it’s certain that the company will support its upcoming Galaxy Z phones for 7 years.
Will they survive 7 years?
Sporting a foldable display entirely ends the discussion of longevity. Besides, the pre-applied screen protection film starts to damage within a year of normal usage. Samsung’s innovative foldables are available internationally but support isn’t.
Samsung Care+ plan is also offered by the phone maker for additional protection. However, it still requires the owner to pay the processing fee, which isn’t considerable. Also, the Care+ plan doesn’t cover the Samsung-slapped screen protector film.
So if the Korean phone maker is willing for longer software support, it should rather offer a two-year replacement guarantee on manufacture defects. It would push consumers to prefer foldable phones as they won’t have to worry about display concerns.
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