It’s funny how much a popular narrative can differ from reality once you start bringing cold, hard data into the equation.
Over the past couple years, Samsung has worked hard to improve its reputation as a reliable provider of software updates in the Android arena. And to be sure, it’s made some meaningful strides along the way.
But when you go beyond the broad impressions and objectively measure the company’s commitment to timely Android operating system rollouts — well, the story gets a teensy bit more complicated.
That’s precisely why I started doing these Android Upgrade Report Cards way back in the platform’s prehistoric ages. From the get-go, we’ve seen some wild variance in how well different device-makers support their products after you’ve finished paying for ’em — and as an average phone-owner, there’s no great way to know what’s gonna happens six months or a year after you shell out your dollars for a top-of-the-line phone.