Samsung’s official mobile security update scope page now lists a shorter roster than it did a few days ago. Two foldable generations and a smartwatch pair have dropped off the monthly and quarterly patch lists this week, and the changes explain exactly where each device now stands.
Samsung’s page organizes devices into three tiers: monthly, quarterly, and biannual security updates, plus a separate quarterly list for wearables. As of this week, the foldable monthly list starts at the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5 and runs through the Z Fold8 and Z Flip8. The quarterly foldable list contains exactly two phones: the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4. The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 no longer appear anywhere on the page, in any tier. The wearable quarterly list starts at the Galaxy Watch5 series, and there is no biannual list at all — so the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic have also been removed entirely, not demoted.
Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4: quarterly patches, final year
The Fold4 and Flip4 launched in August 2022 with a promise of four years of OS upgrades and monthly security patches. Droid Life reports that Samsung’s page update this week moves both phones from monthly to quarterly security patches, marking their fifth and final year of support. Both devices picked up a fresh update last week before the change, and Droid Life says they’re “not expected to see any other major OS updates” going forward. Samsung is currently offering a $200 instant trade-in discount toward a newer foldable for Fold4 owners in the US, per Droid Life.
Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3: no more updates at all
The Fold3 and Flip3, launched in August 2021, are done. Samsung shipped them one last security patch — the August Android update, on firmware builds F926USQSHKZH2 (Fold3) and F711USQSIKZH2 (Flip3) — before pulling both from the update site this week, according to Droid Life. That’s roughly five years and one month of support for phones Samsung originally promised four years of OS updates and up to five years of security patches, so this lands right on schedule rather than early. Samsung’s US trade-in value for the Fold3 is currently $130.
Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic: five years, then nothing
The Watch4 pair launched in 2021 as the device that brought Wear OS back to Samsung watches, co-developed with Google. Droid Life reports both watches received their final updates in June and August before Samsung removed them from the security page entirely this week — five years after launch, also on schedule for a wearable line Samsung didn’t promise the same 7-year runway to. The final builds were R865USQS2JZG3 (Watch4, 40mm), R875USQS2JZG3 (Watch4, 44mm), R885USQS2JZG3 (Watch4 Classic, 42mm), and R895USQS2JZG3 (Watch4 Classic, 46mm). Samsung’s US trade-in offer for the Watch4 is $50.
Why the numbers still matter for buyers
None of these three cutoffs breaks a promise Samsung made when the devices launched — Droid Life itself calls the Fold3’s exit “an expected move.” But the gap between what a 2021-2022 foldable buyer got and what a buyer gets today is real and worth naming. Samsung’s own page states that its extended coverage — “we are extending our security update support for Samsung Galaxy devices by up to 7 years” — applies “as of January 2024,” which is after the Fold3, Fold4, and Watch4 generations had already shipped under Samsung’s older support windows. A Galaxy Z Fold8 buyer today is in line for roughly twice the security-patch runway that a Fold4 buyer got for a comparable flagship price three years ago. Samsung’s page also carries a standing caveat that applies to every device on it: “The list of security update models are subject to change and it will be reviewed on a periodic basis.”
If you’re still using a Fold3, Flip3, Watch4, or Watch4 Classic, there’s no more security patch coming. A Fold4 or Flip4 will keep getting quarterly patches for now, but monthly updates are over. None of this affects general app functionality — these devices will keep working — but they’ll stop receiving fixes for newly discovered Android and WearOS vulnerabilities.
Sources: Droid Life, Droid Life, Droid Life
