From the editor’s desk: imagine Android 17 on the Pixel 6

The launch of the third beta of Android 12 this week gives us a preview of an increasingly refined and largely feature-packed version of Google’s upcoming operating system. On phones like the Pixel 5, this is a big improvement over previous beta versions and represents the biggest visual overhaul for stock Android in over five years.

In 2016, Google’s current flagship was the Huawei-built Nexus 6P, and the original Google Pixel – still then referred to as hypothetical “HTC Nexus” – was just a rumor. In the last days of the Nexus program, Android was very different. Next to the new Material You design language, the first Material Design in Android Lollipop and Marshmallow look quaint.

Five years is a long time in technology, and particularly in mobile technology. This is why the prospect of Google supporting its next Google Pixel 6 handsets for five years after launch is indeed very important. If the latest reports are correct, the Pixel phones it launches in a few months will still run an updated version of the Android platform in early 2027. The comparison is for the original Pixel, which launched in 2016, its latest update. update to Android 12 later this year.

It is true that some brands, notably Samsung with its four-year pledge, have come forward with longer support lifespans for their flagship phones. Even OnePlus, which has recently gained a lackluster reputation for updating anything other than its current year flagships, is improving its game. But the Android ecosystem as a whole falls short of matching the iPhone longevity is where competition from Google could force everyone to do better in 2022 and beyond. While it’s true that older iPhones might not get all the features of newer iOS versions, and directly comparing Android and iPhone update models isn’t quite right, there is no doubt about it. that five years of operating system updates is a big step in the right direction.

Could Google soon become the most vertically integrated Android phone maker?

In the land of the iPhone, the oldest device supported by the upcoming iOS 15 is the 2015 iPhone 6s. Just a few years ago, the Google Pixel 2 series was launched with the promise of only two years of platform updates, a figure that was considered pretty generous at the time.

Given the noticeable move towards three and four year support cycles for some of the best Android phones around, this is clearly something Google is pushing across the ecosystem. As such, it makes sense for the company to lead by example while exerting competitive pressure with its own products.

If Google really plans to support the Pixel 6 for five years, it will be vertical integration which helps him get out of it. (Simply put, using key components of its own design in its products instead of standard parts.) The Pixel 6’s bespoke “Whitechapel” processor, aka GS101, makes Google the supplier of silicon and allows it to define terms of its software support directly, without having to rely on Qualcomm’s whims as in the past. In 2021, no other Android phone maker really has this level of freedom.

In fact, with Huawei largely out of sight and Samsung still using Qualcomm processors in the US and China, Google may soon become the most vertically integrated Android manufacturer. Maybe Pixel phones will never deliver the raw power of an iPhone or even a Snapdragon 800 series flagship, but the added agility it brings to Google shouldn’t be underestimated.

The Pixel 6 series is set to launch later this year, alongside a major overhaul for Android – the third the platform has seen, after Holo in Android 4 and Material Design in Android 5. And if we are to believe the latest leaks, it just might see the next one, possibly in Android 15 in another half a decade.