Samsung announces cheap A15 smartphone with record six years of security updates


Samsung’s budget A15 smartphone is expected to receive OS and security updates until October 2030.

Lower-end smartphones under $300 usually receive operating system and security patches for just a few years after launch. However, Samsung’s new A15 smartphone is a clear exception, offering operating system and security updates for six years.

For comparison, Google’s Pixel 9 flagships, which the company advertises as built to last, will receive security updates for seven years. Of course, the hardware of Samsung’s budget device and Google’s top-of-the-line flagship will result in very different user experiences over time.

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Another potential selling point of Samsung’s A15 is the battery, which has a much higher capacity than a typical budget-category smartphone.

The A15’s battery has a 5000 mAh capacity, more than that of Samsung’s flagships, such as the Galaxy S24 and the sixth generation of Z Fold and Z Flip.

Samsung claims that a fully charged phone will last 2.5 days. It supports 25W charging, which allows a smartphone to be fully charged in over an hour.

The A15’s 6.7-inch screen puts it into the “Plus” or “XL” devices category. The Super AMOLED FHD + screen is quite good for a budget smartphone, with a 90Hz refresh rate for a better visual experience.

The device's main camera features a triple setup with a 50MP main sensor, 5MP ultra-wide, and 2MP macro photography with no image stabilization, while the rear camera has 13MP for selfies.

samsung-a15
Image by Samsung.

Samsung’s Exynos 1330 processor powers the A15, though it will reportedly be shipped with a Dimensity CPU in some markets, such as India.

The A15 comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and is IP54 water—and dust-resistant.

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The smartphone runs on Android 14 and Samsung’s ONE UI modification and comes in silver blue, grey, and turquoise. It’s unclear how much the smartphone will retail in the US, though the 249 euro price listed in the European e-shop indicates that it shouldn’t exceed $250.