Given the huge prices that are slammed on flagship phones like Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, one would be forgiven for having similarly huge expectations as far as timely software updates are concerned.
In an Android world where software updates have always been a real problem, OEMs have given customers the notion that only high-end phones are entitled to not only receiving software updates, but also receiving them well ahead of other midrange and budget phones. This does make some sense, but it defeats meaning when the same phones are nowhere near the expected timely updates, especially after shelling out close to $1000 just to get your hands on the flagship.
The culprit here is Samsung and its latest Galaxy S8 and S8+ handsets. Priced at more than $700, those using these two phones expect to receive VIP treatment when it comes to software updates. While it’s true these will lead the way when Android Oreo starts rolling out, which is great, Samsung still lacks when it comes to monthly security updates.
Make no mistake. This isn’t to say that the likes of Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 and Galaxy C7 aren’t entitled to timely updates, but it doesn’t make sense when these two, especially since they are quite old, are receiving December’s Android security patch at the same when Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are just beginning to get last month’s security patch.
Yes, you read that right. Samsung has just started rolling out November’s security patch to the Galaxy S8 and S8+ users in India. The update is huge, weighing more than 500MB, and carries software version XXU1AQK7. This size means that it brings more than just November’s Android security patch, but you’ll also find Bluetooth stability improvements as well as a fix for the KRACK Wi-Fi exploit.
The current update is rolling out over the air, which means it will take some time before all units of the two Samsung Galaxy S8 handsets to be updated. Still, you can try a manual update by heading to Settings>Software update, but why all this hassle when you can sit back and wait for the OTA notification?
This is not the first time that the Samsung Galaxy S8 or even the newer Galaxy Note 8 is trailing the company’s cheaper handsets in receiving monthly software updates. It has, in fact, become a norm in the recent past, which essentially tells us that buying a pricey Android flagship won’t necessarily mean you will be the first to receive any software update, especially if it’s Samsung we are talking about.