Outside of Google’s Pixel phones, it isn’t every day that you see a two and half year old Android smartphone get the latest major software update, so this is big news. But when the smartphone in question was the second top selling smartphone in the world in 2020, then it is even bigger news.
What is also more interesting is that it is a discontinued device; it is no longer in production. But at least, it is getting all the software love it can. Released in December 2019 with One UI 2.0, based on Android 10, Samsung Galaxy A51 has already been updated to One UI 3.1 based on Android 11. And now in March 2022, One UI 4.1 based on Android 12 is now rolling out to this super successful, best selling Samsung smartphone.
Specs of Samsung A51 include a 6.5″ Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, Exynos 9611 processor, 48MP camera, 4000mAh battery, and 15W fast charging.
Its successor is the popular Galaxy A52; popular, yes, but which hasn’t sold as much as the A51. The Galaxy A51’s records remain intact. Speaking of the records, according to analytics firm, Omdia, a total of 23.2 million units of the A51 were shipped in 2020. This made it not just the best selling Samsung smartphone that year, but the best selling Android phone. It was second only to the iPhone 11 which shipped 64.8 million units in the same year.
It is good to see Samsung Mobile’s commitment to provide long-term software support to its smartphones. The Android phone world needs this kind of commitment. It is a good stimulant for competition and will hopefully get other manufacturers to sit up.
If you own a Samsung A51, your phone is getting a fresh lease of life. Go ahead and check if Android 12 is hitting your device yet. Don’t forget that the software rollout is staged and so may not reflect yet, but it will get to you eventually.