If you want fast updates on the Galaxy S8, maybe go with Sprint

We know that the next version of Android is still months away, and the Galaxy S8 hasn’t even officially hit store shelves yet. But, based on recent history, we think Sprint might be the best carrier to sign up with if you want to get future updates to the S8 and S8 Plus first.

Sprint recently became the first carrier to roll out Android Nougat to the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, delivering it 234 days after Android Nougat was first released. That’s not “fast” in terms of update rollouts, but Sprint still beat the other carriers, and it was the first to upgrade those devices to Marshmallow too, getting it out weeks before the others in 2016.

Sprint also has a good track record with regards to LG flagships, being the first to upgrade the LG G5 to Nougat and taking only around two months to get the LG G4 onto Marshmallow — months before some of the other carriers. Chances are the same will hold true with the LG G6 if that phone’s more your style.

As for Samsung’s last flagships, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, Sprint was the third carrier to roll out the Nougat update, though it was only four days behind the first.

If you’re looking for a carrier to avoid as far as future updates are concerned, you might consider steering clear of AT&T. It was a month behind Sprint on Marshmallow for the S6/S6 Edge, two months behind for Marshmallow on the LG G4, and three months behind with the LG G5 and Nougat.

Of course, nobody can predict how these updates are going to go down and it’s entirely possible that Sprint will be the last carrier to update the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. It’s also worth pointing out how close together most carriers rolled out Nougat for the S7 and S7 Edge.

So this is just a heads-up for those who might want to make a somewhat informed decision based on update speed. In light of its recent performance, we expect Sprint to be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, to deliver updates to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.

Let us know which carrier you would bet on for fast updates in the comments below.

Related: Which Android OEM updates its phones the fastest?