I sometimes forget that there’s only a two-year gap between my Galaxy S22+ and S24+. Somehow, the newer model often feels exponentially better. For one, I’m so accustomed to the idea that my Galaxy S24+ benefits from Samsung’s 7 OS upgrade policy that I find it hard to believe my S22+ is almost at the end of the One UI road.
But the end is indeed drawing very near for the Galaxy S22+. If you’re still using this awesome device from 2022, you’re only half a step away from being limited to security patches. Thankfully, the Galaxy S22+ should receive One UI 8.5 sometime next year. Because the phone went on sale in early 2022 with a promise of five years of security patches, it will technically be supported until the first quarter of 2027.
However, as far as major Android OS upgrades go, the S22+ and the rest of the S22 series have already reached the end of the line. Android 16 was its last big OS push, and it went live not long ago with One UI 8.0 on top. Thankfully, Samsung is usually kind enough to release “point” updates before pulling the plug on old devices. Since both One UI 8.0 and One UI 8.5 are based on Android 16, the Galaxy S22+ is eligible for both and will likely get version 8.5 next year.
### My Galaxy S24+ Really Puts Things Into Perspective
Owning both the Galaxy S22+ and the S24+ has been an interesting experiment, to say the least. That’s especially true because the S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra were the first Galaxy phones to benefit from Samsung’s new policy promising seven major OS upgrades. Before that, even premium phones were limited to just four.
Because I can see how the S22+ and S24+ are aging side-by-side, I must say that Samsung’s enhanced update policy seems even more valuable the more time passes. Here’s a fun way to put things into perspective:
At the time of writing, nearly two years after release, my Galaxy S24+ is still eligible for more Android OS updates than the S22+ could have ever received over its entire lifetime.
In other words, the Galaxy S22+ went from Android 12 to 16 over a period of three and a half years. Meanwhile, the S24+ has received two major Android upgrades so far and has five more to go. It should be supported up to Android 21.
For the Galaxy S24+, the end of support is still so far into the future that we can’t even be sure Google will call its future OS update “Android 21.”
### Final Thoughts
To wrap this up, it seems to me that any flagship Galaxy phone that missed the seven OS upgrade policy is starting to feel outdated at an accelerated rate. And once the S22 series reaches the end of support, the S23 won’t be far behind.
Samsung’s extended update policy is clearly a game-changer for longevity, and it’s making a noticeable difference in how these devices feel as they age. If you’re buying a new Galaxy phone now, getting one with the seven-year upgrade promise is definitely worth considering.
https://www.sammobile.com/opinion/end-of-galaxy-s22-android-updates-highlights-the-value-of-samsung-newer-policy/