Each year, Samsung offers new phones, but must also suspend the support of the oldest devices, even if some are still very appreciated.
Smartphones manufacturers are used to offering new models each year. In addition to trying to rebooster sales and target new users, new smartphones often show the latest technological advances of the brand. Thus, at the beginning of 2025, Samsung released three new phones: the Samsung Galaxy S25, the S25+ and the Ultra S25 whose test you can find on our site.
In recent years, Samsung has also made great efforts to allow users to keep their smartphone as long as possible. The latest devices of the S24 and S25 ranges (released respectively in 2024 and 2025) thus have seven years of updates guaranteed from the manufacturer. Enough to have the latest technological new features of the brand for years and keep its device for a long time.
Unfortunately, these efforts have a limit. The oldest models of Samsung smartphones therefore only have three to four years of updates concerning software news, but also security updates. It is the latter that interest us more particularly.
A smartphone that no longer receives security updates is much more vulnerable in the face of computer hacking attempts and operating security flaws. This is why devices that no longer receive this type of updates are generally called “obsolete” in addition to being removed from the sale.
And Samsung is preparing to make three of these devices obsolete obsolete since their release in 2021. Three smartphones are concerned: the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra. Three years after their release, these smartphones are already seeing the number of their updates are reduced to sorrow. While the latter had monthly updates, Samsung gradually plans their obsolescence by reducing the number of updates to only four in 2025.
The S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra should receive their last security update around February 2026, the date from which they will be considered obsolete and therefore at risk for your personal data.
With a big success during the year of their release (especially on the US market), the Samsung Galaxy S21 are still in circulation and sold in certain stores. This is why we recommend that you do not necessarily go through their purchase today. If you have one of these devices and want to continue using it after the start of 2026, we can only advise you too particularly vigilant with the WiFi networks you use and the sites you consult .