Google’s extended pixel updates prove how important tensor is

The Pixel 6 launched with Android 12 and was scheduled for three years of OS updates, which could happen this year android 15 Upgrade to the last major update outside of security patches. Similarly, the Pixel 7 was supposed to reach the end of its OS upgrades next year, but these models will now see Android 17 and 18, respectively. This is quite a boon for consumers who may have been considering a new model soon, despite the fact that these phones still have great hardware that should be capable of lasting for the next few years.

On the one hand, Google has shown the wider smartphone world a surprising longevity for an older flagship, to which it certainly had no obligation to throw a lifeline. If you’re ASUS, the fact is that the three-year-old Pixel will receive OS updates for about the same amount of time as the brand new ROG Phone 9 Pro. Unfortunately, Android rivals won’t necessarily be able to meet Google’s challenge, and the reason has a lot to do with Tensor.

So, what do tensors have to do with all this? Well, OS updates are strictly tied to chipset hardware support – unfortunately it’s not as simple as pushing new software to existing devices. While the exact ins and outs are quite complex, the TL;DR is that chipset makers must implement Google’s low-level HAL and Linux kernel requirements to be certified for Android updates, which spirals in complexity and is limited by the chipset supported. More OS versions cost. To help, the 2020 Google Requirements Freeze (GRF) program relaxed the rules, allowing certification as long as vendor software supports HAL and kernel requirements for the past four years. Therefore, a chipset that ships with Android 12 can support Android 13, 14, and 15 without updates to low-level hardware code, reducing engineering costs for long-term support. The drawback is that these updates won’t necessarily include new Android hardware features.

However, you will notice that this is less than the four to seven year promises that have come with some recent flagship smartphones. MediaTek and Qualcomm spend some engineering resources to update their chip software to provide extended support, but it completely depends on the processor. Expensive flagship silicone has the longest lifespan, while cheaper models mostly fall apart.

If you’re an ASUS, OnePlus, Xiaomi, or any other brand that relies on MediaTek or Qualcomm processors, you’re pretty much stuck with whatever level of support the chip vendor supplies to you as an upper limit. updated policyWho appears to be around four years old. Unless you pay hefty fees for extended support or, in the case of Samsung (which also has Exynos to maintain), take the equally expensive route of keeping the chip implementation itself updated. That being said, some manufacturers don’t even provide OS upgrades at all due to their cost, so a lack of updates isn’t always a chipset issue.

By developing Tensor in-house, Google has the control needed to support its chips as needed. It is thus capable of providing longer-term support than the vast majority of Android rivals for both flagship and budget handsets and it may surprise us with additional support out of nowhere for older models.

This is a luxury you only get by being on top of the entire processor development process, but it comes at a price, in terms of designing the silicon and updating low-level software. And that’s on top of developing actual OS updates for each phone.

As far as the Pixel 6 and 7 go, Google has likely gone back to the original Tensor and Tensor G2, fixed the low-level software to a sufficient level, and will now support these chipsets and phones for the next few years. Can continue to do. Since Google uses the same chips at all price points, affordable smartphones have also benefited. In theory, it could do this for as long as it wanted – or at least until it became uneconomical or too few handsets remained active for it to be worthwhile. That said, we definitely shouldn’t count on Google adding additional years of support to its Pixel phones in the future. The Pixel 8 series and beyond are already offered comprehensive seven-year update policies that will likely outlast their hardware.

Google’s Tensor may face a lot of (fair) criticism for not being a benchmark-topping chip, and it looks like it will fall even further behind its competitors in future generations. But in terms of providing value for money, it’s hard to argue against the market-leading update promises of the Pixel series, and we thank Tensor for that.

Thankfully, Google is making it easier to see seven years of updates for all Android devices with similar names but new Longevity GRF ProgramAllows phone manufacturers to reuse seven-year-old chipset software (up from four) when implementing Android updates, which requires a kernel update every three years. Qualcomm’s snapdragon 8 elite Longevity is one of the first chipsets in the GRF program, meaning the upcoming flagship should get longer-term support than its predecessors, at least in theory. Of course, this doesn’t help today’s smartphones, many of which are stuck due to OS upgrades. Unless MediaTek, Qualcomm, and their partners suddenly decide they want to spend a lot of money improving support for older models, we shouldn’t expect Android rivals to match Google’s amazing features for their older flagships. Will match the lifespan extension.