Hello,
I would like to know what exactly "Security Maintenance ends" means.
I was hoping my tablet TB-8505F would get the latest Android updates but I can see here that this devices will reach "Security Maintenance ends" next month.
Thanks!
My wife and I also have TB-8505F tablets, but there has been no security update from Lenovo since 22nd July 2022.
These tablets will not be updated to Android 11 because in 2021 Lenovo brought out the TB-8506F M8 Gen 3 version with USB-C and Android 11. The EOL for the M8 Gen 3 is only 31st March 2024.
Lenovo have just sent me details of the Tab M8 Gen 4 (3GB/32GB version £130, 4GB/64GB version £159) claiming 'up to three years of guaranteed security updates' so I assume that our Tab M8s (Gen 2, TB-8505F) will no longer get any updates. The new Gen 4 version runs Android 12, to be upgraded to Android 13, and has USB-C and stereo speakers.
https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/p/tablets/android-tablets/lenovo-tab-series/lenovo-tab-m8-gen-4-(8-inch-mtk)/len103l0013
It seems that the EOL date from https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht501098#EOL means very little other than Lenovo tablets are considered disposable items after a very short supported life.
It seems very irresponsible of Lenovo to support these tablets for so short a time. 'Up to three years of security updates' means in practice less than two years of updates after comparative reviews of these tablets appear in the media.
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Your feedback helps us improve!Hi guest6233, thanks for reaching our community.
Based from the link below. Security maintenance ends on 2/28/2023.
However, there is a note below that Lenovo tablets get updates for security issues documented in Android Security bulletin.
https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht501098-android-upgrade-matrix
Please check and let me know if you have other concerns.
Thanks,
Arjay_Lenovo
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Thanks for your reply.
Does that mean that my tablet will get newer Android versions? e.g Android 11+ or just security updates.
Thanks.
My wife and I also have TB-8505F tablets, but there has been no security update from Lenovo since 22nd July 2022.
These tablets will not be updated to Android 11 because in 2021 Lenovo brought out the TB-8506F M8 Gen 3 version with USB-C and Android 11. The EOL for the M8 Gen 3 is only 31st March 2024.
Lenovo have just sent me details of the Tab M8 Gen 4 (3GB/32GB version £130, 4GB/64GB version £159) claiming 'up to three years of guaranteed security updates' so I assume that our Tab M8s (Gen 2, TB-8505F) will no longer get any updates. The new Gen 4 version runs Android 12, to be upgraded to Android 13, and has USB-C and stereo speakers.
https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/p/tablets/android-tablets/lenovo-tab-series/lenovo-tab-m8-gen-4-(8-inch-mtk)/len103l0013
It seems that the EOL date from https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht501098#EOL means very little other than Lenovo tablets are considered disposable items after a very short supported life.
It seems very irresponsible of Lenovo to support these tablets for so short a time. 'Up to three years of security updates' means in practice less than two years of updates after comparative reviews of these tablets appear in the media.
Was this solution helpful?
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Thanks,
Arjay_Lenovo
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Arjay
Thank you for your response.
The Tab M8 FHD was introduced in 2019, and since then various similar models have been introduced, all using either 4 or 8-core MediaTek processors from the same family, but differing in RAM, flash memory, number of speakers, micro-USB or USB-C and whether they support a charging cradle.
However, each of these is only supported for 'up to three years' of security updates despite the hardware being capable of lasting much longer than this.
This results in unacceptable amounts of e-waste as tablets are discarded long before the end of their physical life.
The firmware for each of these models must be very similar and little extra testing should be required to verify that security updates work on all models in the Tab M8 series.
Google issues security updates via AOSP for longer than three years for each Android version so perhaps 'up to five years of security updates' would be a more responsible approach from a manufacturer which had such a good reputation for the reliability, longevity, and firmware and software support for their notebooks.
I realise that Lenovo makes its income from selling hardware, but if you want the same loyalty from tablet customers as you have from notebook and desktop customers, you should provide a similar level of firmware and software support.
Our family's oldest Lenovo ThinkPads are ten years old and still working.
Surely we can expect five years of useful life from our Lenovo tablets?
