With Android 13, the last Galaxy Note models are now on life support

The month of August back in 2020 saw two important milestones for Samsung. On August 5 of that year, Samsung announced what would be the last Galaxy Note-branded smartphones — the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra — as the Korean giant decided to shift focus to its foldable phones.

That same day, Samsung also revealed that it will commit to supporting many of its Galaxy phones and tablets (both flagship and mid-range) with three generations of Android upgrades. The Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra qualified for Samsung’s new three-year upgrade policy, and well, we thought we’d remind owners of these devices that with the Android 13 update, that policy has now expired.

The Galaxy Note 20 series launched with Android 10 out of the box, which means it won’t get an update to Android 14 and will be on life support, so to speak, going forward. Before Android 13 came out for the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, those who owned either device had something to look forward to, even though the phones were discontinued and taken off the market.

But the journey has finally come to an end as far as major Android OS updates are concerned. The Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra will continue to be supported by monthly security updates for at least another year, but will not change their Android version.

No Android 14, but Galaxy Note 20 series may get One UI 5.1

As for updates to One UI, Samsung’s software overlay for Android smartphones, we can’t really be sure if this is the end of the line or not. It’s possible that the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra will get One UI 5.1, which will debut with the Galaxy S23 series in a few months, but we’ll have to wait and see if that will actually be the case.

One UI 5.1.1, which is expected to accompany the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 in the second half of 2023, may also make its way to the Galaxy Note 20 series before it gets bogged down with security updates, but again, there is no way to know for sure at this moment in time. Moreover, these x.1.1 One UI version updates are mainly aimed at foldable devices, so One UI 5.1.1 is unlikely to be a meaningful update for any Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra owner, even if the two arrive phones eligible for it.

Fortunately, any Note lover who wants longer software support and access to the next few versions can still get one, only now it comes under the Galaxy S Ultra brand. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is an excellent upgrade over the Note 20/Note 20 Ultra, although we recommend waiting for the Galaxy S23 series – especially the Galaxy S23 Ultra – to get an official launch before making any decisions.

Of course, you can also choose to keep your Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra and use it with Android 13 and One UI 5 for as long as possible. It’s not like these phones will suddenly become outdated and unusable just because they won’t get Android 14. Far from it, in fact, given how major OS updates aren’t as exciting as they used to be.