Samsung has made huge strides in the software update game in the last few years. Releasing new Android upgrades quicker and quicker with each passing year, letting more and more Galaxy devices in on the beta testing programs for new Android OS upgrades, and promising a whopping four years of OS upgrades for some devices are just some examples of how Samsung is leaving other manufacturers in the dust when it comes to software updates.

But there’s one thing Samsung still hasn’t managed to master: releasing new versions of Android for its devices before other manufacturers (barring Google, of course, for obvious reasons). Case in point is the fact that OnePlus just beat Samsung in the race to release the stable version of Android 13.

Now, as we’ve pointed out before, Samsung does need longer prep time for each new major Android OS upgrade. Galaxy devices sell in huge numbers, requiring Samsung to be really, really sure there are no device-breaking bugs before it starts pushing out a big new update to millions of customers.

Then there’s the fact that that Samsung’s custom skin – called One UI since Android Pie — that it applies over stock Android adds additional delays. There’s also more red tape in big organizations like Samsung that hold things up in general compared to smaller companies like OnePlus.

Furthermore, while Samsung may take its time with the first public release of a new version of Android, it manages to quickly bring the same update to a lot more devices in the subsequent days. Companies like OnePlus, meanwhile, tend to focus only on their latest flagship and take a lot longer to get older devices into the mix.

Still, when combined with how Samsung launches its flagship phones in the second half of the year with an year-old version of Android, it’s a little disappointing that the proceedings aren’t a little more fast paced. We had heard that the Korean giant is moving a little faster with Android 13 compared to previous major Android upgrades, but that doesn’t seem to entirely be the case.

To that I — and many others here at SamMobile — simply say: come on, Samsung, release the stable version of Android 13 to at least one device/device series already! And just generally get faster at bringing out these big operating system upgrades in a stable form once Google releases them for Pixel devices. Yes, that could mean that more bugs slip through the cracks, but that’s a problem that should be easily solvable considering all the resources Samsung has at hand.