When it comes to software updates, Apple clearly takes the lead in terms of speed, consistency, and customer experience. iPhone users globally receive updates on day one — whether it’s the latest iOS or critical security patches — even on older models up to 5-6 years old. The experience stays smooth, reliable, and optimized across devices.
Samsung has improved a lot in recent years, especially with its flagship and premium devices. With its 4-5 years update promise, Samsung now delivers updates faster than ever, though still after Google and Apple. Mid-range and older Samsung devices often receive updates later, and sometimes the experience isn’t as refined — occasional lags or feature limitations are noticed on older models.
Verdict:
Speed: Apple > Samsung
Older Device Support: Apple (More consistent & smoother)
Reliability: Apple (uniform experience) > Samsung (varies by device)
First to Get Updates: Apple (Day one globally)
In short — Apple sets the benchmark for software updates. Samsung is catching up well, but there’s still a gap, especially when it comes to older devices and day-one rollouts.
Well, I'm not a fan boy but there's 1 thing regarding updates in Apple And Samsung and is very important, which is Samsung has a lot of fragmentation to release update sooner. Whereas, Apple has only 3 or 4 models per series to look after which saves them time and efforts and that's why they're on time. Also, Samsung gets the Android SDK after google releases it and then it has to customize that version according to OneUI requirements. Which also takes time Whereas Apple is the mfg and designer of its own OS. I'm not favoring Samsung here. Even I've my hate and love relationship with Samsung as a OneUI Developer.
