Qualcomm finally unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite after weeks of rumors and leaks. After the announcement, smartphone brands began teasing the launch of their upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite powered smartphones. It isn’t just one of the fastest chips for Android, but also supports long OS updates as well.
Snapdragon 8 Elite: Android Software Support Getting Longer?
The chipmaker unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite with impressive upgrades in CPU, GPU, and AI performance. But that’s not all, Christopher Patrick, Qualcomm’s SVP and GM, announced that the Snapdragon 8 Elite supports 8 years of Android OS updates. The brand is building new ways for manufacturers to extend software support. So Qualcomm and smartphone makers can work together to offer longer software support to end users.
So for those who shell out good money on premium phones and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon, these next gen flagship devices might be the perfect fit. There are plenty of people who don’t upgrade every year just for new software features. So the new Snapdragon platform is great since most key features are now either software only or AI based. Keep in mind that Qualcomm isn’t the one promising 8 years of Android OS updates. It is just building an infrastructure and hardware support to aid brands that offer longer software support.
As of right now, most devices arrive with about 2 major Android OS updates although more devices are now getting 3 years of support. Samsung and Google take things even further with 7 years of software support. Unlike Google, Samsung’s flagship lineup will feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite, so there’s a chance that the Galaxy S25 series may debut with 8 years of Android OS updates. This would mean it has the longest software support out of any smartphone, surpassing even Apple which offers 6 to 6 years of software support.
Comments