Now that we're six months past the launch of Android 13, it's time to step back and look at who's making upgrades a priority and who's treating 'em as an afterthought. That way, you can at least have the context you need to make an educated decision about which phone is right for you - not just for the first few weeks that you own it but for the entire two-, three-, or maybe even four-year period that you're likely to carry it around. While we can't control the level of care and commitment each company puts into that process, we can control our own knowledge about how much different device-makers prioritize post-sales support. And consequently, that means the responsibility falls on each company's shoulders to process every new incoming Android version and get it out to its customers. The operating system is open source, and that means each device-maker can modify it how they want (for better or sometimes for worse). It's in part just par for the course with the nature of Android as a platform. From the get-go, we've seen some wild variance in how well different device-makers support their products after you've finished paying for 'em - and as an average phone-owner, there's no great way to know what's gonna happens six months or a year after you shell out your dollars for a top-of-the-line phone. That's precisely why I started doing these Android Upgrade Report Cards way back in the platform's prehistoric ages.

Android system update