For Android phones I've cared about, I have gone with the Pixel and friends because they:1) Don't come with vendor bloat2) Get updates both rapidly and for a reasonable amount of time.
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For Android phones I've cared about, I have gone with the Pixel and friends because they:
1) Don't come with vendor bloat
2) Get updates both rapidly and for a reasonable amount of time.I've heard that the Android world has changed and that major vendors support their devices just fine.
I recently acquired a Samsung Galaxy S26, and I was disappointed to see that the device, despite being fully up to date, is at the Android security patch level of February 5, 2026. It's almost May.
Is this just how it (still) is with non-Pixel Android phones still? Even with a major product from a major vendor, you're likely months out of date with security patches?


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For Android phones I've cared about, I have gone with the Pixel and friends because they:
1) Don't come with vendor bloat
2) Get updates both rapidly and for a reasonable amount of time.I've heard that the Android world has changed and that major vendors support their devices just fine.
I recently acquired a Samsung Galaxy S26, and I was disappointed to see that the device, despite being fully up to date, is at the Android security patch level of February 5, 2026. It's almost May.
Is this just how it (still) is with non-Pixel Android phones still? Even with a major product from a major vendor, you're likely months out of date with security patches?


@wdormann I cannot answer you. I'm an average ill-informed duped buying public who just finds Androids more intuitive than iphones. *shrug* it updates when it updates.
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For Android phones I've cared about, I have gone with the Pixel and friends because they:
1) Don't come with vendor bloat
2) Get updates both rapidly and for a reasonable amount of time.I've heard that the Android world has changed and that major vendors support their devices just fine.
I recently acquired a Samsung Galaxy S26, and I was disappointed to see that the device, despite being fully up to date, is at the Android security patch level of February 5, 2026. It's almost May.
Is this just how it (still) is with non-Pixel Android phones still? Even with a major product from a major vendor, you're likely months out of date with security patches?


@wdormann can't expect to much of a budget model π€¬
it should be illegal, anything that lags behind more then ~ 2 weeks is ready for "does it blend". -
For Android phones I've cared about, I have gone with the Pixel and friends because they:
1) Don't come with vendor bloat
2) Get updates both rapidly and for a reasonable amount of time.I've heard that the Android world has changed and that major vendors support their devices just fine.
I recently acquired a Samsung Galaxy S26, and I was disappointed to see that the device, despite being fully up to date, is at the Android security patch level of February 5, 2026. It's almost May.
Is this just how it (still) is with non-Pixel Android phones still? Even with a major product from a major vendor, you're likely months out of date with security patches?


@wdormann
I have a cheap Motorola. Last update was end of last month. It updates only once a month (excluding all the stuff that Google updates without a reboot). I consider this up to date and about the same experience i remember when i had Nexus phones.It should update for a couple of years I'm hoping since they usually do. Then again, it was cheap and I'll just buy another.
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For Android phones I've cared about, I have gone with the Pixel and friends because they:
1) Don't come with vendor bloat
2) Get updates both rapidly and for a reasonable amount of time.I've heard that the Android world has changed and that major vendors support their devices just fine.
I recently acquired a Samsung Galaxy S26, and I was disappointed to see that the device, despite being fully up to date, is at the Android security patch level of February 5, 2026. It's almost May.
Is this just how it (still) is with non-Pixel Android phones still? Even with a major product from a major vendor, you're likely months out of date with security patches?


@wdormann i forget what the new version of open handset alliance is called or if it's even still around. my HMD/Nokia has gotten security updates for more than the three years promised and they were usually 2-3 weeks behind the release date at most. and no hefty overlay or auto-installed cruft, pretty much pure android
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@wdormann can't expect to much of a budget model π€¬
it should be illegal, anything that lags behind more then ~ 2 weeks is ready for "does it blend".@RonnyTNL
I recall getting eye rolls from people after mentioning that I stick with Pixels for Android. "It's not like that anymore" was the response.Yes it is, seemingly.
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R relay@relay.infosec.exchange shared this topic
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For Android phones I've cared about, I have gone with the Pixel and friends because they:
1) Don't come with vendor bloat
2) Get updates both rapidly and for a reasonable amount of time.I've heard that the Android world has changed and that major vendors support their devices just fine.
I recently acquired a Samsung Galaxy S26, and I was disappointed to see that the device, despite being fully up to date, is at the Android security patch level of February 5, 2026. It's almost May.
Is this just how it (still) is with non-Pixel Android phones still? Even with a major product from a major vendor, you're likely months out of date with security patches?


@wdormann That's been my experience too. My current One Plus seems to fall somewhere between Pixel and Samsung with patching and vendor bloat.
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For Android phones I've cared about, I have gone with the Pixel and friends because they:
1) Don't come with vendor bloat
2) Get updates both rapidly and for a reasonable amount of time.I've heard that the Android world has changed and that major vendors support their devices just fine.
I recently acquired a Samsung Galaxy S26, and I was disappointed to see that the device, despite being fully up to date, is at the Android security patch level of February 5, 2026. It's almost May.
Is this just how it (still) is with non-Pixel Android phones still? Even with a major product from a major vendor, you're likely months out of date with security patches?


@wdormann I'm on April 5. With S24 Ultra. Location Switzerland.
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@wdormann That's been my experience too. My current One Plus seems to fall somewhere between Pixel and Samsung with patching and vendor bloat.
@cR0w
I thought I knew how to use "Android".
And then I got this thing.