Is it over? Galaxy S22 hits its final chapter as Samsung shifts focus to the Galaxy S26
Your Galaxy S22 might still feel like a powerhouse, but Samsung just delivered a subtle reality check.
If you're still rocking a Galaxy S22, you might want to sit down. Samsung is officially changing the rules of the game for its 2022 superstar just as it blows out its fourth birthday candle.
Samsung downgrades Galaxy S22 trio to quarterly security updates
Until now, the South Korean tech giant was delivering monthly security updates to the phones. These phones are now technically four years old (they'll turn four later this month), and it appears that they'll be getting the next security patch in three months.
The Galaxy S22 series already received the January 2026 security update. Technically, the phones would have only four or five security patches and one more One UI update (but it won't change the Android version) left before they're dropped out of support.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra. | Image Credit - PhoneArena
The Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra debuted in February of 2022. At launch, the phones came with Android 12 and have received all four major OS updates that the South Korean giant initially promised.
Currently, the phones should be updated to One UI 8.0, and the upcoming One UI 8.5 will potentially be their last big update. One UI 8.5 will come to these phones some time after it debuts on the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.
The Galaxy S22 support policy
Newer Samsung phones have a better software support policy. In 2024, Samsung announced that it will grant the Galaxy S24 series seven OS upgrades and seven years of security patches. So these newer phones would get to be supported longer than, say, phones like the Galaxy S22 series.
Is your Galaxy S22 still "good enough"?
Older Samsung phones like the Galaxy S22 were promised four years of OS updates and five years of security updates by the company.
By comparison, Google's Pixel phones, starting with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series, also promise seven years of OS and security updates, including Feature Drops and Android version upgrades, making them one of the longest-supported Android devices out there.
Meanwhile, Apple officially commits to at least five years of software support for the latest iPhones, but its real-world track record often stretches beyond that, with many devices receiving security updates for six or even seven years after release.
Meanwhile, Apple officially commits to at least five years of software support for the latest iPhones, but its real-world track record often stretches beyond that, with many devices receiving security updates for six or even seven years after release.
Now, if you're rocking a Galaxy S22, you may want to consider upgrading soon. For one, the Galaxy S26 trio is just around the corner, expected to come later this month. The phones may not bring as many upgrades from the S25 as initially hoped (and potentially there won't be Qi2 support), but for someone coming from the S22, the change should be more noticeable.
The Galaxy S26 phones would come with a slight redesign of the camera island, bigger batteries (at least the S26 and S26 Plus are getting this upgrade), faster charging, and more powerful processors (either Exynos 2600 or Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, depending on your region).
Keeping a phone for years is great – but support matters more to me
I'm all for holding on to a phone for as long as possible. It's better for your wallet, better for the planet, and honestly, modern flagships are powerful enough to age gracefully.
But long-term use only works if software support is there to back it up. Once security updates slow down and OS upgrades stop, even a perfectly fine phone starts to feel outdated – not because the hardware suddenly got worse, but because the software safety net is slowly disappearing.
That's why the Galaxy S22's move to quarterly updates feels like a natural step, yet still a little sad. Samsung kept its promise, no question about that, but seeing newer phones get seven years of updates really highlights how fast expectations have changed.
If you care about privacy, security, and getting new features over time, software support isn’t a "nice to have" anymore; it's a deciding factor. Phones can last longer than ever, but only if the companies behind them let them.
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