iOS 15 is not only exciting for those considering buying an iPhone 13. It's a six-year iPhone upgrade, something Android 12 does not have.

With the announcement of Apple's new mobile operating system at WWDC 2021 on Monday, we got a list of devices it's compatible with too, tucked at the bottom of Apple's press release. The oldest device on the list is the iPhone 6S, which debuted in 2015; the oldest model on Android 12's updated list is from 2018.

After consistently dropping devices every time iOS was new, Apple surprised everyone by announcing that iOS 14 would work on all devices that could use iOS 13. And now the company is at it again. Not all iOS 15 features will work on the oldest compatible models, but the core enhancements, security updates, and app compatibility will remain intact.

This makes Android 12, another OS that is also packed with new features, look disappointing in comparison. Take a look at Google's own phones: the oldest Pixel capable of running Android 12 is the Pixel 3 series, just shy of three years old; the Pixel 2 series, which received the Android 11 update, is being left behind; and the Pixel 3 series, which has been updated to Android 12, has been left behind.

So far, the only other phones that have been confirmed to work with Android 12 are those released this year, including Samsung's Galaxy S21 series and OnePlus 9 series. However, by looking at the previous generation of these phones, one can guess how many of them will migrate to Android 12.

Although there are workarounds (via XDA Developers), the 2018 Galaxy S9 is officially stuck on Android 10, as is the 2017 OnePlus 5. Therefore, the Galaxy S10 and OnePlus 6, which support Android 11, are not expected to be updated to support Android 12.

While a 2-3 year update seems reasonable if you upgrade your phone frequently, it is frustrating to see a fully functional phone slowly being left out of the latest updates. Samsung recently began promising four years of Android security updates for their devices. This is good for Samsung, but not in the same league as Apple.

One of the reasons Apple offers its phones at high prices (and rarely discounts its latest models) is that they are guaranteed to run on the latest software and apps longer than any other smartphone. providing the latest software on a six-year-old phone is hard to argue that it is not a bargain.

To be fair, there have long been complaints that new iOS updates negatively affect the performance and battery life of older iPhones. But at least users have a choice.

iOS 15 is currently available as a beta version, but will not be available to the average iPhone user until the fall, along with the new iPhone, which is expected to be called iPhone 13. Android 12 is also currently in beta, but Google's goal is to have Android 12 is also currently in beta, but Google's goal is to have a stable release of Android 12 by August of this year.

As for features, iOS 15 will offer users a revamped notification experience, a new Focus mode, several FaceTime enhancements, digital ID support in Wallet, and upgrades to Safari, Weather, Maps, and several other Apple apps. to Android 12, and key features of Android 12 include a new "Material You" design, a more powerful quick settings menu, and improvements to system privacy and power efficiency.