We researched which phones get updates the fastest so you don't have to
This story was originally published on Mar 18, 2020 and last updated 5 hours ago.
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Major updates of Android don't matter as much as they used to. Many components of the operating system are updated through the Play Store, so even if you're on Android 8 or 9, you can still access most of the same apps and features as someone on the latest release of Android 10. However, the security updates that Google releases on a monthly basis are still critical to keeping your phone or tablet safe. Dozens of security flaws are discovered in components of Android each month, which is why Google releases monthly security patches.
However, unlike app and API updates, the security patches can't be delivered directly to devices — phone manufacturers have to integrate the changes into their own flavors of Android, and release them as system updates.
It's common knowledge that some companies are better than others when it comes to patching their phones, but making direct comparisons is somewhat difficult. It's hard to track down information about when exactly updates are released, so news coverage often relies on device owners seeing the update themselves. Carriers and slow rollouts only make matters more complicated.
The good news is that we've done all the hard work for you. This is our ultimate security update tracker, where we're giving each recent flagship phone a simple score from 1-10, based on how long it takes for security updates to get from Google to device owners.
How we score devices
If you're interested how we gather this data and assess it, we explain our methodology more on the second page. Here's the short version:
- We compiled a list of dates for security patches for each major 2019 Android flagship, starting from January 2019 or when the phone was released in the United States (whichever was earliest).
- The date for each security update is the first evidence we could find of a public rollout, either from an official announcement from the device maker, news coverage of the update, or confirmed reports from social media (whichever was earliest).
- Each device's score is calculated using a weighted average of the number of days between a security update's availability and the device's OTA being released, the resulting "score" being normalized into a number out of 10, and then a standard penalty being assessed for any given monthly update that is missed subtracting from that score.
Google Pixel 3/4/5: 10.0
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Google's flagships get perfect scores. Ever since the days of Nexus phones, Google has released security updates for its devices at the same time as the official security bulletins, effectively giving Pixel phones day-one updates.
Pixel phones are the only devices we've tracked that didn't miss a single month. There are a few instances where a security bulletin comes out a day or two before the Pixels get their updates, and vice-versa, but on average the delay is still zero days.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
0 months |
|
Average delay |
0 days |
If reliable and frequent security updates are your main concern when buying a phone, Pixels have historically been the best options. However, Samsung has started to become more competitive in this area, especially with the Galaxy S20 series.
Samsung Galaxy S20: 10.0
Matching Google for first place is Samsung's current flagship phone, the Galaxy S20. Granted, the phone has only been available to purchase for a few months, but Samsung has been extremely quick to update the phone so far.
The Galaxy S20 hasn't missed a single month of updates so far, and in some cases, Samsung has rolled out patches before Google's Pixels. The May 2020 update began rolling out on April 29th, and was widely available by the time the Pixel 4 was updated.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
0 months |
|
Average delay |
0 days |
Only time will tell if Samsung can keep up its rapid release schedule, but if last year's Galaxy S10 is any indication, you probably won't ever have to worry about security patches with the S20.
Samsung Galaxy S10: 8.0
While Samsung has done a well enough job of keeping its flagship smartphones up to date with the latest security patches — the Galaxy S7 is still receiving quarterly fixes — the company improved its schedule slightly with the Galaxy S10.
Not only has the S10 received security updates in a timely manner, but it was also among the first phones to receive an update to Android 10. The phone has also managed to maintain a high score for well over a year, while most competing phones from 2019 have slipped behind.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
2 months |
|
Average delay |
7 days |
The Galaxy S10 has only missed two security updates since its release in early 2019: the patches for June and July 2019 were included in an August update. However, the S10's typical delay from when Google's security bulletins were published is the main reason it falls slightly behind other devices.
Sony Xperia 1 II: 8.0
Sony's latest flagship is the Xperia 1 II, also known as the Xperia 1 Mark II. It became available in the United States in late July for a cool $1,198. For the moment, it has earned a much higher score than last year's Xperia 1.
The Xperia 1 II hasn't skipped a single month of updates so far, but the patches are still a bit late compared to Google Pixel phones and the Galaxy S20. Still, if Sony can maintain a monthly schedule, that will already be an improvement over the original Xperia 1.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
0 months |
|
Average delay |
20 days |
Nokia 9 PureView: 7.5
The Nokia 9 PureView is the closest thing HMD Global had to a flagship Android device in 2019 (Nokia's product lines have a lot of overlap), and even though the phone suffered from camera and fingerprint reader bugs when it launched, the PureView's security update record has been fairly good good.
According to our data, the PureView has only skipped one month since its release. The May 2019 patch was never rolled out (Nokia combined it with the June patches), but that's the only exception so far.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
1 month |
|
Average delay |
14 days |
While there were a few instances of Nokia rolling out the update in the first week of the month, most patches were released around two weeks later. For example, the February 2020 update rolled out on February 24th, the December 2019 patches were released on December 31st, and so on.
LG V60 ThinQ: 7.0
The LG V60 was released in April of this year, and for the moment, it's one of the highest ranking phones on our list. That's quite an improvement from the LG G8's dreadful score.
LG has usually been quick to release security patches for the V60, but the schedule has been inconsistent so far. The phone didn't receive the May or June updates at all, but the following July update arrived right on time.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
4 months |
|
Average delay |
12 days |
OnePlus 8 Pro: 7.0
The OnePlus 8 Pro hasn't been out for very long, but it has already slipped to a score of 7/10 on our scale. That's higher than last year's OnePlus 7 Pro and 7T Pro, but it could still fall lower in the coming months.
The OnePlus 8 Pro hasn't skipped a single month of updates so far, which is already an improvement from the bi-monthly schedule of other OnePlus devices. However, most patches are delivered several weeks after Pixels get them.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
0 months |
|
Average delay |
28 days |
Asus Zenfone 6: 5.5
Even though the Zenfone 6 doesn't have an incredible score, it does narrowly beat out devices that are often perceived as providing more frequent updates, like phones from OnePlus.
The Zenfone 6 was something of a turning point for Asus' mobile division when it was released last year. It great device in its own right, as we highlighted in our review, but Asus also made frequent updates a higher priority. It has since been succeeded by the Zenfone 7 and 7 Pro.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
5 months |
|
Average delay |
20 days |
Motorola Edge+: 5.5
Motorola released its first flagship smartphone in years, the Edge+, in May 2020. The company hasn't been great at delivering quick updates for a long time, so it's not much of a surprise that the Edge+ ranks poorly.
The Edge+ shipped with the March 2020 security patch, and the first update with the April 2020 patch arrived over a month late on May 13th. Since the, the phone has largely stuck to bi-monthly patches, though each update is around a month late.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
3 months |
|
Average delay |
31 days |
Asus ROG Phone 3: 4.5
The ROG Phone II has sat near (or at) the bottom of this list since it was released, and unfortunately, it looks like its successor isn't going to fare much better. Even though the ROG Phone 3 has only been available for a few months, it's already dropped to a 4.5/10 on our scale.
The ROG Phone 3 is mostly sticking to a monthly schedule, but just like most other phones from Asus, it is receiving those updates extremely late. It didn't get the August 2020 patches until September 29th, for example.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
1 months |
|
Average delay |
43 days |
Sony Xperia 1: 4.5
Since its US release in early 2019, Sony's Xperia 1 has skipped quite a few security updates. In general, updates were delivered on a bi-monthly basis, but the phone did go three months without an update during one period.
Sony skipped the July and August 2019 patches for the Xperia 1, but the phone finally was updated in September. The phone has only missed a single month of updates since March 2020, but the patches are usually still delivered late. For example, the June 2020 update took 17 days, and the August 2020 release took 38 days.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
7 months |
|
Average delay |
14 days |
OnePlus 7T Pro: 3.5
OnePlus is typically praised for its quick updates, so this score for the company's final 2019 flagship might come as a surprise to many of you. However, as the old saying goes, the data doesn't lie.
The 7T Pro was released only a few months before the coronavirus outbreak began in China, where OnePlus and other Chinese OEMs functioned at limited capacity. The 7T Pro didn't get its January security update until February 14th, for example. Since then, the update schedule has been more consistent, but still only bi-monthly (and usually 2-3 weeks after Pixels).
STATS
|
Months skipped |
6 months |
|
Average delay |
32 days |
It's worth noting that OnePlus does have an Open Beta program, where device owners can receive updates before they are ready for prime time, but that can come with bugs and other consequences.
OnePlus 7 Pro: 3.0
The OnePlus 7 Pro has been available since mid-2019, but for the moment, it gets the same dreadful score as the newer 7T Pro. The company's tagline of "Never Settle" might need some revision.
Like other phones from OnePlus, the 7 Pro typically skips every other month, and (on average) receives patches several weeks after they are released. For example, the May 2020 patch took 24 days to roll out, and the July patch didn't appear on the OnePlus 7 Pro until August 4th.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
8 months |
|
Average delay |
28 days |
LG G8 ThinQ: 1.5
I know this will come as a total shock to many of you, but LG is not good at updates. The company's mainstream 2019 flagship, the G8 ThinQ, has skipped several months of patches and has a high average delay.
However, there is one major caveat to our data on the G8: we're using rollout dates for the AT&T model, because there isn't enough public data about the US unlocked version. The added step of carrier approval could be adding some delay, but the frequency of patches is the G8's primary issue. There were no updates at all from late September 2019 until mid-February 2020 — and the February update only had the December patches.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
9 months |
|
Average delay |
32 days |
Asus ROG Phone 2: 1.0
Asus has offered frequent and quick updates for its main flagship, the ZenFone 6, but that same attention has not carried over to the company's 2019 gaming phone. The ROG Phone 2 has the distinction of having the longest average delay between updates of any phone we're tracking.
The phone had an extended gap in security updates while Asus was working on its Android 10 update. The ROG Phone 2 didn't receive the October 2019 patch until November of that year, and it remained on that patch level until the Android 10 update rolled out in March 2020.
STATS
|
Months skipped |
8 months |
|
Average delay |
48 days |
Since then, the ROG Phone 2 has typically gone two months between security updates, and they still usually show up very late. For example, the April 2020 patch wasn't released until May 13th. It has been succeeded by the ROG Phone 3.
Motorola Moto Z4: 1.0
Motorola has a known history of being extremely late with software updates, unless you happen to live in South America (where the company tends to focus its resources). As such, the Moto Z4's position near the bottom of this list probably isn't much of a surprise.
The Moto Z4 has an average update delay of over a month. However, it's more likely for Z4 owners to not get an update at all. The Z4's first update came in mid-July (containing May patches), then there were no updates at all until mid-November. Oh, and the November update was two months behind in security patches.
