5 Android Phones With The Longest Software Support Guarantees

Android may have had a bad reputation compared to the iPhone when it comes to software updates, but that has changed significantly in the past few years. Google and Samsung started offering software update guarantees for Pixel and Galaxy devices, with both companies promising seven years of Android releases and seven years of security updates for several flagships. These guarantees were even better than what Apple had been doing with the iPhone. Apple never offered similar promises, but iPhones routinely get long software support, extending a phone's life to five or six years after launch. For example, the 2019 iPhone 11 series will run iOS 27, an operating system that will be available to the public in mid-September 2026, around the handset's seventh birthday. Other Android vendors followed Samsung and Google's lead, raising the support ceiling significantly in recent years. Phones like the Motorola Signature, Honor Magic V6, Pixel 10a, and Galaxy S26 Ultra all offer seven-year software support guarantees.

But there's one Android handset that may surprise fans, because it offers slightly better support than most mainstream Android handsets that come with seven-year software support. The Fairphone Gen 6 is a modular, sustainable phone made by European smartphone vendor Fairphone that will offer users seven years of Android updates and eight years of security updates. This is slightly better than what most mainstream Android vendors can guarantee, as of this writing.

There's even better news for consumers who want handsets that can last several years without losing software support after two or three years. There are dozens of Android devices that ship with the same seven-year software guarantee. More importantly, vendors are also offering more years of support to midrange and entry-level Android handsets, with some such devices receiving up to six years of support.

The Fairphone modular handsets can be serviced with ease when a component needs repair or replacement, like a broken display or a degraded battery. Extended software support is a key piece of the puzzle in this strategy. A modular phone can only have a long life if buyers have access to replacement parts and long software support. Launched in the summer of 2025 in Europe, the Fairphone Gen 6 stood out because it offered even better support than its predecessor. The Fairphone Gen 5 offers buyers five years of Android updates and eight years of security updates. With Gen 6, the company increased the number of years of Android releases to seven.

There are a few caveats consumers should be aware of. First, the Fairphone Gen 6 launched in Europe first, priced at €599 initially. U.S. consumers will have to import it via Murena, which charged $899 for the handset initially. That may be a steeper price than expected for a phone that won't offer a flagship experience. The Fairphone Gen 6 comes with a 6.31-inch OLED display that supports a dynamic 10-120 Hz refresh rate, 1,400 nits of peak brightness, and a 2,484 by 1,116 resolution. It features a 4,415 mAh removable battery that supports 30 W charging. The camera system includes a 50-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera on the back, with a 32-megapixel selfie camera on the front.

It's the processor that may disappoint buyers. The phone runs on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip, paired with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The chip's performance may be the phone's biggest problem long-term. The mid-range Snapdragon processor scores 1,149 and 3,313 in Geekbench 6 single-core and multi-core tests.

Launched in early 2026, the Motorola Signature will offer seven years of Android updates and seven years of security updates to buyers, which means software support will end in early 2033. Unlike the Fairphone Gen 6, the Motorola Signature is a flagship device that runs on the high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip that should be better suited to offer fast Android experiences in the coming years. The Motorola Signature reaches 2,847 and 9,289 points in Geekbench 6 tests, which indicates the device will offer a faster experience than the Fairphone Gen 6.

Other specs include a 6.8-inch display with 2,780 by 1,264 resolution, 165 Hz refresh rate, and 6,200 nits of peak brightness, 12 GB or 16 GB of RAM, and 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB storage capacities. The camera module on the back has three 50-megapixel cameras (wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto), and the selfie camera also offers a 50-megapixel sensor. The Motorola Signature comes with a silicon-carbon 5,200 mAh battery that supports fast wired (90 W) and wireless (50 W) charging. All of that hardware is packed into a handset that measures just 6.99 mm thick. The handset may not be as repairable as the Fairphone Gen 6, but it comes with IP68 and IP69 ratings for protection against dust and water ingress, and it features military-grade durability (MIL-STD-810H), according to the company.

Motorola described the Signature handset as its "new ultra-premium franchise," saying the phone is "the most complete and sophisticated phone Motorola's ever created." As such, the €999 launch price should not be a surprise (the phone isn't available in the U.S.). The Motorola Razr Fold, also launched in 2026, is another example of a Motorola Android handset that matches the Signature's software update guarantee.

The budget-friendly Pixel 10a gets seven years of Android OS releases and security updates, just like many other Pixel handsets launched since 2023. The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the Pixel 9 series, and the Pixel 8 series all offer the same software guarantees. The Pixel 10a is Google's newest Android phone, which means it'll be supported slightly farther into the future than the others. Announced in February 2026 and released in March 2026 with Android 16 preloaded, the Pixel 10a should run Android 23 in 2033, assuming that buyers hang on to the handset for that long.

The main problem that may impact the Pixel 10a's longevity is the hardware. The device runs on the Tensor G4 chip that Google used on the Pixel 9 series, a processor that scores 1,756 and 4,608 in Geekbench 6. The G5 chip used in the more expensive Pixel 10 models can reach 2,296 and 6,203 points in the Geekbench 6 benchmarks. Also, the Pixel 10a features only 8 GB of RAM, which makes the handset unsuitable for the new Gemini Intelligence AI platform that will ship with Android 17 to select devices. Google has been testing Gemini Intelligence on select Pixel 10 and Galaxy S26 models.

Otherwise, the Pixel 10a can still be a dependable handset. Starting at $499, the phone offers a 6.3-inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a 5,100 mAh battery that supports 30 W wired charging, and three cameras, including a 48-megapixel (wide) and 13-megapixel (ultra-wide) sensor on the back and a 13-megapixel selfie lens on the front. The advantage of Pixel phones over all the other Android handsets in the list is that they'll be the first to receive the newest Android OS updates.

Samsung also offers a strong selection of Galaxy flagships that guarantee seven years of Android and security updates, including the Galaxy S25 series (regular, Plus, and Ultra), the Galaxy S25 FE, the Galaxy Z Flip 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the Galaxy S26 series (regular, Plus, and Ultra). The Galaxy S26 series was unveiled in late February 2026, representing Samsung's newest flagship series, as of June 2026. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the best of the three handsets, and the most expensive one, starting at $1,299.99 for the 12 GB / 256 GB model. But the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the kind of phone that's much more future-proofed than the Pixel 10a.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip customized for Galaxy phones, which reaches 3,619 and 11,010 points in Geekbench 6. The base model comes with 12 GB of RAM, which is enough to support Google's Gemini Intelligence platform in Android 17. A 16 GB RAM version is also available. Storage goes from 256 GB to 1 TB. The Galaxy S26 Ultra also features a 6.9-inch display that supports 120 Hz refresh rate and 2,600 nits of brightness. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass and features a unique Privacy Display feature that reduces the viewing angle of the entire screen or only selected parts for added protection.

The camera system is also more advanced than other Android handsets on the list, featuring a 200-megapixel wide camera, 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and two zoom lenses (50-megapixel and 10-megapixel). On the front, there's a 12-megapixel sensor. The 5,000 mAh battery supports 60 W fast charging and 25 W wireless charging. Finally, the Ultra comes with a built-in stylus.

Chinese vendor Honor announced in March 2025 that it would start offering seven years of Android OS and security updates for the flagship portion of the Honor Magic series, starting with Europe. The first device to offer this software guarantee was the Honor Magic 7 Pro, with the company extending it to the Honor Magic V5, the Honor Magic 8 Pro, and the Honor Magic V6. The latter was launched in early March at MWC 2026, an Android flagship that might be one of the best foldable Android phones that U.S. buyers can't buy with ease. Priced at around $1,900 in Malaysia, where it started selling in June 2026, the Honor Magic V6 is an ultra-thin foldable phone, measuring 4.0 mm when unfolded and 8.75 mm when folded.

Despite the ultra-thin profile, the 2026 Honor foldable features advanced hardware, including a 6,660 mAh silicon-carbon battery that supports 80 W wired charging and 66 W wireless charging. The phone features the same high-end chip as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, paired with 12 GB or 16 GB of RAM, and 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB of storage. The main camera system consists of two 50-megapixel sensors (wide and ultra-wide) and a 64-megapixel telephoto lens. The Honor Magic V6 also features two 20-megapixel selfie cameras, one for each screen. Speaking of displays, the foldable phone offers a 7.95-inch internal display and a 6.52-inch cover screen.

Performance-wise, the Honor Magic V6 reaches 3,707 and 10,626 in Geekbench 6 tests. Assuming no accidental damage to the foldable display, the Honor Magic V6 should offer fast Android experiences for several years to come. Also, the handset may offer Gemini Intelligence support at some point in the future.

Choosing Android phones that offer the longest possible support can be a more daunting task than expected, which is good news for the buyer. Consumers who don't want to upgrade their handsets very often may have a harder time selecting an Android device, given that an increasing number of models support seven years of OS and security updates. We tried to highlight that variety in the list above. We looked at affordable phones, like the Pixel 10a and the Fairphone Gen 6, and at expensive devices, including the best Galaxy S26 version and the Honor Magic V6 foldable. Unfortunately, not all of these handsets are easy to purchase in the U.S., especially the Honor devices that would have to be imported from Europe or Asia.

That said, U.S. consumers would not be wrong to choose Galaxy or Pixel flagships that offer seven years of software support but are not included in the list. For example, the more affordable Galaxy S25 FE or the Pixel 9 are still good options. Even older models like the Galaxy S25, if purchased new, will offer six more years of Android support out of the original seven. Buyers should also keep in mind that the upcoming Pixel 11 series and Samsung's 2026 foldable phones are likely to offer seven years of updates.

Finally, we tried to point out other key factors that should be considered when shopping for the Android phones with the longest possible software support guarantees. Buyers should pay attention to the phone's expected long-term performance, and ensure their device can be repaired with ease when the need arises. Battery replacements may be needed for the handset to last the full seven years while still offering dependable battery life.