It's finally time to upgrade from these aging Samsung foldables

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra are the hottest foldables on the market right now. However, newer hardware also means some older models are reaching the end of their software support cycle. The time has come for 2021’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 to walk into the sunset, with both foldables recently receiving their last update.

This move was always in the cards, as Samsung has honored its commitment to offer up to four years of Android updates and five years of security updates for the two foldables. We no longer see the Galaxy Z Fold 3 or the Z Flip 3 listed on Samsung’s security updates page, with the oldest foldables being 2022’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4.

With this news, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 are now on their last legs, as they’ve been switched to a quarterly update schedule. These two foldables will likely get their last update around the same time next year and disappear from the company’s security updates page.

Samsung follows a monthly security update cycle for its new smartphones, while older devices only get quarterly updates. Meanwhile, all currently supported Samsung tablets receive quarterly updates regardless of their age. While some older Samsung devices will reach the end sooner, the company has promised to offer a combined seven years of Android and security updates for flagships launched after the Galaxy S24.

The end of updates for Samsung’s 2021 foldables also means they won’t be protected against future security vulnerabilities. If you’re still holding on to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 or the Z Flip 3, now may be the best time to upgrade to the wide-body Z Fold 8 or the larger Z Fold 8 Ultra.