Cheap Android phones that get security updates

[thewhat]

I'm looking at some sub-$200 Android phones, but the biggest issue I have is that supposedly most don't even get security updates.

Is this true? Are there some exceptions?
What are my options if I bought one of those "Chinese" ones (quad cores for $150)?

 

[lopri]

The probability of those phones getting future (or existing) updates is zero. I'd even label it as "minus" since you will have a near impossible time to finding stock ROM and rooting will likely be impractical.

Just bite the tongue and invest on the N4 if you care about OS updates. I have no idea what the goings are for a used N4, but since a new one is $300 for the base model, you may be able to find one close to $200.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Nexus.

That's about it. Not even the Galaxy S series get regular updates, and AFAIK Samsung are the most on the ball regarding updates.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Yeah, cheaper phones don't get as much attention and probably won't get Android OS updates. So if you buy some cheap $200 (full price) Android phone with 4.1 on it, you are probably stuck with that.

But some good news is fragmentation sounds like it's less of an issue these days than it has been in the past. More Google apps and features are separated from the OS. So even if you don't have the latest version of Android you'll have the latest Gmail, YouTube, even keyboard. Also just this past Google IO a big new thing they talked about was new Service APIs that update automatically from Google Play and allow older versions of Android to automatically support new app features that current versions of Android have without needing an OS update.

So while the OS might be a bit behind, you should be able to run most of the newest apps and enjoy all the new features in them, is my interpretation of this announcement.

 

[thewhat]

So outside of the Nexus line I shouldn't even count on updates? That's a bit disappointing.
Mind you, I don't really need the latest features, but I wouldn't want to use something with known security holes.

But some good news is fragmentation sounds like it's less of an issue these days than it has been in the past. More Google apps and features are separated from the OS. So even if you don't have the latest version of Android you'll have the latest Gmail, YouTube, even keyboard.

That is some good news, I suppose.
Is this a thing with the latest (4.3) Android only, or does it also affect slightly older (4.1, 4.2) versions? I wouldn't get anything older than 4.1, for sure.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

4.1,4.2 and 4.3 are all in the same class (more or less). Just think of it as a bios update for your computer, its not required but it does fix some bugs and sometimes adds features. Most notable to 4.3 is TRIM support.

 

[Ravynmagi]

That is some good news, I suppose.
Is this a thing with the latest (4.3) Android only, or does it also affect slightly older (4.1, 4.2) versions? I wouldn't get anything older than 4.1, for sure.

The new Google Play service APIs apply all the way back to Android 2.2 and later.

http://developer.android.com/google/play-services/index.html