5 years of updates: Which smartphone manufacturers are adhering to this
Since June 2025, the EU has mandated 5 years of updates. Not all manufacturers are complying, but there are positive exceptions among affordable smartphones.
(Image: wisely / Shutterstock.com)
Since June 20, 2025, the EU should have an update guarantee of five years for smartphones and tablets after their end of sale, according to the Ecodesign Regulation. However, even after this deadline, numerous manufacturers are still delivering devices in these product categories with Android updates and security patches that are significantly shorter than stipulated by the EU.
5 years of updates – or not?
The EU's goal with the new Ecodesign Regulation was to give smartphones and tablets a longer and safer usage period to reduce electronic waste. Yet, about six months after the regulation came into effect, manufacturers continue to ship devices with fewer updates than mandated. This is most glaringly apparent with Motorola's Moto G57 Power, G17 Power, and G17 models: the manufacturer told heise online that the entry-level smartphones would receive no updates to new Android versions and only 2 or 3 years of security updates, respectively.
In the opinion of Motorola's lawyers, this does not contradict the provisions of the Ecodesign Regulation. According to the lawyers, the regulation merely stipulates that updates must be made available free of charge, but it does not contain “a guaranteed obligation” to publish updates. Therefore, the manufacturer intends to continue deciding how long devices will receive updates on a case-by-case basis.
In its statement, the manufacturer refers to Annex II of the Ecodesign Regulation, which is intended to support Motorola's interpretation. There, under point 6 regarding operating system updates, it states, “From the date of end of placement on the market and for a minimum period of five years, security, correction, or functionality updates for an operating system provided by manufacturers [...] shall be made available by them free of charge for all units of a product model with the same operating system.” In the German version, this sounds less arbitrary than in the English version, which includes the word “if,” implying a certain degree of voluntary action.
The English original: “Operating system updates: From the date of end of placement on the market to at least 5 years after that date, manufacturers, importers, or authorised representatives shall, if they provide security updates, corrective updates, or functionality updates to an operating system, make such updates available at no cost for all units of a product model with the same operating system.”
Professor Malte Kramme, an expert and holder of the Chair for Civil Law and IT Law at the Institute for Legal Informatics at the University of Hannover, partially agreed with Motorola and considered the wording in the Ecodesign Regulation unfortunate. “If I were to write a legal commentary on this, I would complain about how poorly the European legislator formulated it,” Kramme said.
However, he added, “But it cannot be intended that the legislator enacts norms that regulate nothing.” Therefore, there is indeed much to suggest that the regulation implies an update obligation. Whether Motorola and other manufacturers will get away with their partly non-existent update guarantees due to vaguely worded EU requirements can only be decided by a court.
To Motorola's credit, the manufacturer does promise 7 years of Android updates and security patches for its new Signature model. So, the manufacturer could, if it wanted to.
Who is complying with the Ecodesign Regulation?
But how do other manufacturers, besides Motorola, fare with Android updates and security patches since June 20? Others also show that they do not take the 5-year requirement after the end of placement on the market very seriously. Google guarantees 7 years of updates and security patches for all Pixel models since the Pixel 8 from 2023. This also applies to the mid-range A-series models.
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Industry leader Samsung also promises 7 years of Android updates and patches since the Galaxy S23. For the A-series, Samsung's entry-level segment, it's six years since the Galaxy A17 5G. The same applies to the cheaper Galaxy A07 5G, which Samsung initially unveiled for Malaysia. Given that these devices are replaced by a new generation after a year, the 5 years after the end of placement on the market should be met.
Honor also seems to be adapting to the requirements. The top models, like Samsung's, receive 7 years of updates (Android and patches), while other models, like the Honor Magic 8 Lite and Honor 400 Pro, get at least 6 years.
At Xiaomi, the world's second-largest manufacturer of Android devices, the situation is somewhat different: the T models introduced in September – the 15T Pro and 15T – will receive 5 and 4 years of new Android versions, respectively. The manufacturer guarantees both models 6 years of security patches.
Similar to the 15T, the situation is the same for the Redmi Note 15 devices and current Poco models like the M8 series: after 4 major Android updates and 6 years of security and maintenance updates, it's over. Xiaomi seems to tie the Ecodesign Regulation to security patches rather than the number of Android versions.
The two sister companies Oppo and OnePlus have introduced their top models Find X9 and X9 Pro and the OnePlus 15 after June 20. Oppo promises 5 years of new Android versions and 6 years of security patches for its devices. OnePlus offers only 4 major Android upgrades and 5 years of security updates.
London-based tech startup Nothing unveiled the Phone (3) on July 1, 2025. This device will receive five major Android updates and security patches for seven years. Here too, the manufacturer seems to be orienting itself towards security patches.
Other manufacturers like Gigaset or TCL are not so keen on updates: The new Gigaset promises only 2 years of Android updates and 7 years of security patches for its models GS6 and GS 6 Pro, while TCL unfortunately provides no information about updates. The company does not respond to email inquiries regarding an update guarantee for the model Nextpaper 70 Pro.
For consumers who value a long and secure usage of their smartphone, this overview should help with decision-making. It remains to be seen whether manufacturers who exhibit a laissez-faire approach to updates will eventually have to follow suit. It seems the final word on this matter has yet to be spoken.
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