Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop expectations
Google Nexus smartphones and tablets are always first in line to receive new Android updates, and the eagerly awaited Android 5.0 Lollipop has now started rolling out for some devices. Motorola and LG have also managed to push out the update for a few of their devices over the last few days, but as we anticipated there’s nothing from Samsung yet. Today we want to discuss Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop expectations.
Sony is another manufacturer currently testing Lollipop for some of its Xperia devices, while HTC has already set out some of its plans and is at least making an effort to keep its customers informed. Samsung though hasn’t yet issued any firm news about expected timeframes for the Android 5.0 release for its devices, including this year’s Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4.
We know that that work on the upgrade is already ongoing as we’ve previously seen a preview of Android 5.0 running on the Samsung Galaxy S5 and even the earlier Galaxy S4. However, before Lollipop started rolling out for the first devices we discussed the race to the starting line and predicted that Samsung was unlikely to be among the first manufacturers to push out the upgrade.
Considering the dominance of Samsung with Android phones and tablets, it does seem strange that the company chooses not to keep device owners in the loop about when they can expect to receive updates. Even if the company cannot give specific times some customers would be happy to at least receive an estimated timeframe for arrival. Nevertheless it seems pretty safe to forecast that Samsung is likely to keep its customers pretty much in the dark, at least until much closer to the arrival of Lollipop for its devices.
There have been earlier rumors that Lollipop might appear for the S5 and Note 4 as early as the end of this month or in December, but more recently that idea seems to have been dispelled. It’s worth noting that even if the official update was to roll out for the Galaxy S5 in December these kinds of updates are usually pushed out in phases and can take many weeks and even months to arrive for all users. We can expect international unlocked devices to be the first to receive the update before it spreads to the US, and carrier model updates can arrive significantly later.
Another thing to consider is that Samsung often likes its new flagships to release running new software. Therefore the Galaxy S6 is likely to arrive running Android 5.0 Lollipop and so Samsung could decide to hold off on pushing out the update for existing devices before then. That’s not an appealing thought, but it could certainly happen. This year’s Galaxy S5 released in April so if the Galaxy S6 followed a yearly release cycle there could be quite a few months to wait.
Taking all of the above into account, we don’t have an awful lot of faith that Samsung will manage to push out the official release of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Galaxy S5 or Note 4 this year. We’d love to be wrong on this and Samsung could still surprise us with an earlier rollout, but our expectations on that are pretty low. It’s also safe to anticipate that rumors about the Samsung release for the update will intensify the nearer we get to it, and very often this speculation turns out to be accurate.
We’d really like to hear your thoughts on the arrival of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 4 and other devices. Are you hoping that this time around Samsung is timelier in rolling out the latest update? Maybe like us, you’re not holding your breath for the official Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop release? Let us have your comments.
Comments
18 thoughts on “Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop expectations”
We shall see the Note4 is great today. Lollipop can’t be too far behind.
What’s the need of Samsung being so mean about this? I don’t understand why they wouldn’t want to make us happy this season. If the update is already old to other devices before giving it to us it will be of no value again. I love Samsung devices. All my devices are Samsung, from cell phone and tablet, to TV
I wouldn’t count on Samsung updating, even within the next 2 months.
Their known to be pretty useless when it comes to updates. I for one if I don’t get my Note 3 (N9005 International) updated to Lollipop I’ll never buy the Note 4, or for that matter a Samsung product ever again.
I might infact buy a Nexus 6 which seems to always get direct updates way before anyone directly from Google themselves.
Samsung phones – especially the Note Series are fantastic phones. A month after getting Android L you wont care, it’ll be old news. I had all my updates when I had my s4 before my mate and he had an m8 (I hope you can read this text this advert is blocking my view), I’ve just bought the S4 and with or without the Lollipop update its the best handset on the market. Relax, it’ll come!!,You’ve still got an amazing phone! The Note 3 still beats all of Apples handsets and are you really going to change company because RUMOURS are suggesting Samsung might be s little late. The last article I read said the opposite and that Samsung may release L within the next few weeks. Good things come to those who wait. If you can’t root your phone and get Android L today!
Thus why Samsung losing the smartphone rally…I for one am getting pee’d if with Samsung’s inability to keep customers happy. With being the last to update anybody let alone the flagship devices..
I’m using a Samsung tablet and a Samsung phone without Lollipop and I’m not suffering because of it. Both devices get stuff done. Calm down, spazzes.
This is exactly what I hate about Android devices. Google comes out with an update and then the manufacturer takes months to get the software update in the user’s hands. Not to mention that the rollout of the update is done in “waves”. So even though i have an internationally unlocked Samsung S5, i still haven’t received the 4.4.4 update that they started rolling out a month ago.
This is appalling and maybe Google should do something about it. It’s one of the MAJOR disadvantages that I see Android has in comparison with iOS and even Windows Phone.
Lolol. Apple announced ios 8 last june… iPhones didnt start getting them 3 months later. Apple and their updates arent perfect either.
That’s a dumb argument. iOS users received the update 3 months later because thats when it was released. Like anything else, the OS is announced first, then released. The difference here is that everyone gets it on release date, as opposed to a lot of android scenarios in which google will announce the update, release it months later, and then handset manufacturers will add many more months to their release date on current flagship and newer handsets, if at all.
You make no sense at all big difference in making an announcement and doing the actual release or are you really that dense to use this as an argument?
Right Andy, I also think Android could do better…or smartphone makers, whoever! But I think they are afraid users might not buy new flagships as well as they would without the updates. The fact that these manufacturers churn out new gizmos yearly says a lot. They want you to head to the stores and get (ahem) purchase a new Note 4 in all its sweet Android Lollipop flavors…Not sticking with your S4 while new S5 units gather dust in stores. Makes business sense to them, ha!
For people who are comparing between Apple and Samsung in terms of software releases and updates, Apple has the advantage simply because they develop both the hardware and the software so when they release a new software, it has already been tested on the hardware and they are sure about most of the issues, but in case of Samsung, they only develop the hardware and wait for Google for the software, Google develops Android and releases it for Nexus devices so these devices get the updates first like IPhone with Apple, then Samsing takes the software start their modifications so that it’s compatible with their hardware, test it to make sure maximum compatibility then release it, so it’s only natural for Samsung ( and other manufacturers who use Android as an open source project if I may say) to be late with the release of any new software.
I don’t buy it simply because computer manufactures have been implementing software updates for years without having major delays in release vs implementation. Imagine for a minute if MS releases Windows 9, and only their Surface got 9 while, Levono HP, Dell, and Acer didn’t get around to testing and implementing it until several months later? That is what it seems is happening and I don’t think it is natural to for the manufactures to be so late to the game when it comes to updates.
Sure its one thing if they are starting with a new version such as Lollipop being version 5.0 of Android, but even going from 4.0 to 4.1 to 4.4 there are major delays and it’s not like they are rewriting the code form from 4 – 4.4.
Seems really odd to me, and I wonder why the big 5 manufactures aren’t involved in any Beta testing with Google or do they just take the gold (release) code and start testing then?
Man why are they holding back? Why is it when i pick a phone its got to be the last ones to get the best service, come on samsung get real.
As a new (4 days) droid user this is surprising for me ipones always got the updates at the same time why is it different because of the multiple manufacturers?
The different manufacturers all have different ‘skins’ which overlay on top of Android so it takes many months to take the new version of Android and make it work with their new skin. Apple only have a few phones to do this with. Android manufacturers have multiple phones (maybe 15,20,30) to adapt their own version of the operating system to. Plus, Android is much more flexible and complex in comparison to ios.
I’m with you pal get it right I say we get enough bugs as it is more speed less haste.
I understand but it still seems a bit crazy to me that it takes so long. For example, the past few MS releases they work with OEMs (i helped Alpha and Beta Vista and 7 for Dell) so they are ready to launch on the day the new version is planned to release. And of course there are more than 30 or so different computer models with differing hardware and proprietary software.
So I guess one would figure that Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG and Sony would have some sort of relationship with Google to kind of simply this process a bit sooner. Especially when you are talking several months and not a matter of days or weeks between release and implementation.