Xiaomi Assures 4 Years of Android OS And 5 Years of Security Updates For Redmi K60 Ultra: What About Others?

Xiaomi has assured it will offer long-term OS and security updates for its smartphones; beginning with the just-launched Redmi K60 Ultra. The company appears to be stepping up and matching Samsung's commitment to older devices.

Companies, such as Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and a few others offer regular security updates as well as annual Android OS updates. Xiaomi appears to be realigning its strategy to match these companies in ensuring its smartphones remain useful and secure for a long time.

Xiaomi To Offer Long-Term Regular Android OS And Security Updates Redmi K60 Ultra?

The Android smartphone ecosystem is highly fragmented, and not just in terms of hardware. Most of the smartphones running Android OS get one or two major OS updates and a few security patches.

Android smartphones that aren't manufactured by Google, Samsung, OnePlus, and a few others seldom get software support that goes beyond one to two years. Hence, millions of Android devices are still running older versions of Android OS and outdated security updates.

Xiaomi has announced it will join the short list of companies that offer long-term Android OS and security updates, at least for some of its smartphones.

Xiaomi announced a long software support cycle for the recently launched Redmi K60 Ultra in a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The Xiaomi Redmi K60 Ultra will receive four major Android OS upgrades and five years of security patch updates.

Needless to say, Samsung is one of the few companies that offer such a long software and security update assurance, and that too for a select few Samsung Galaxy devices. The majority of smartphone manufacturers end Android OS updates after about two major releases of the smartphone operating system.

Some companies do offer security updates beyond the conventional two-year period. However, such companies are few. This leaves millions of Android devices vulnerable to newly discovered security flaws or vulnerabilities.

Will Xiaomi Assure Long-Term OS And Security Updates For Its Other Smartphones?

The just-launched Xiaomi Redmi K60 Ultra runs MIUI 14 OS, which is based on Android 13. Under the revised update cycle, the Redmi smartphone will receive up to Android 17 and get security updates right until 2028.

Several surveys have revealed that smartphone users have been using their older devices for longer durations. Such commitments will help customers safely use their smartphones until they decide to upgrade. On the other hand, Xiaomi may experience marginal regression in smartphone sales as older devices will continue to remain relevant and useful, at least on the software front.

Hence, it is doubtful if Xiaomi will extend such long-term software update commitments to other Redmi smartphones. Xiaomi may be trying to push Redmi K60 Ultra sales via such announcements. However, from the customer's perspective, it would be very helpful.