Android 15 is about to be released, starting with Google's Pixel phones, but there is bad news for those still rocking older models If your Pixel is running on Google's Tensor chip and not the Snapdragon chipset, you will not enjoy the upcoming software upgrade

This is because Google has released the first Android 15 Developer Preview and in the process revealed which Pixel phones are compatible with this software The oldest phones on that list are the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, the first Pixels with the Tensor chip This development shouldn't come as a big surprise, though

In the past, Google has not been particularly generous with Android updates The switch to longer-term support has only happened in the last few years, with older models typically only receiving three years of software support This means that support for the Pixel 5 ended last October, and the Pixel 5a will be discarded this August

The Pixel 6 series is also scheduled to lose support for Android updates in October, so the extent to which Android 15 is available will depend entirely on the software launch date If, as is often the case, Android 15 launches in late summer, Pixel 6 owners will have two months to enjoy Android 15 refinements

If Android 15 launches at the same time as Pixel 9 in October, as happened with Android 14 and Pixel 8 last year, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro may slip through the cracks and receive the update But even if the security update is confirmed to last until October 2026, that's your problem

However, this means that Google has joined the Tensor team in full force and the days of the Snapdragon Pixel are over; some may find this disappointing as the Tensor chip is not the performance powerhouse that the flagship Snapdragon chip is But at the same time, it means that Google's latest Pixel is no longer the most advanced But at the same time, Google is hardly using the latest and greatest Snapdragon chips in the first place

Still, it is nice to see an all-Google Tensor chipset, rather than one based on Samsung's Exynos chipset Frankly, the Exynos chipset was not particularly good But we may have to wait until Pixel 10 before we see it

But if you're still rocking a Pixel 5a, it's time to think about upgrading before the end of the year; the Google Pixel 8a is coming and will be announced at Google I/O in May, and could be the perfect option for you

Especially with 7 years of software updates like the Pixel 8, it will prevent this exact same thing from happening 3 or 4 years from now So don't run out and buy one of the best budget phones yet