Samsung officially axes software support for Galaxy flagships from 2021

With just a few weeks remaining for the launch of the Galaxy S26 and S26 Ultra lineups, Samsung has sunset software support for its flagship smartphones from 2021 - the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra, as spotted by Phandroid.

End of the software-line for the Galaxy S21 family

This is rather unsurprising, since at launch of these devices, Samsung had promised software updates for four years. By comparison, the Apple iPhone 13, which came out in the same year, will continue getting software updates till at least 2027, going by previous trends. Since the S21 family is unlikely to continue getting security patches, current users are definitely advised to upgrade to newer devices for continued security and protection.

That said, things changed with the launch of the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25, which is when Samsung began to promise up to a whopping seven years of major updates. The Google Pixel 10 (currently $649 on Amazon) also sports seven years of promised updates.

Considering how powerful flagships are becoming in terms of compute performance, compounded with ever-improving battery technologies, keeping a flagship smartphone usable for the longest possible time is a no-brainer - for both the environment, as well as our pockets.

Owners of the S21 FE, however, can rest easy for a while longer since that device started shipping almost a full year later. The same applies to Samsung's foldable range from 2021, consisting of the Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3.