After more than four years of service, Comma.ai has officially discontinued support for the Comma 3, moving the device into long-term support (LTS) mode and shifting all active development to the Comma 3X and future hardware. While at first glance this might seem like a matter of aging silicon, the real driver behind the decision wasn’t raw performance. Instead, it was the growing complexity of maintaining two different hardware platforms that diverged in subtle but significant ways. The change has sparked a lively debate within the community—ranging from disappointment to understanding—about what this means for users still running the older hardware.
Comma’s Position: Moving Forward Without Breaking Devices
In community discussions, Comma.ai leadership clarified that no devices will be “bricked.” Instead, Comma 3 units will remain on a stable long-term support branch, meaning owners can continue driving with the software they already have. George Hotz reassured users directly:
“We absolutely won’t brick devices. C3 will move to long-term support.”
This ensures existing Comma 3 owners won’t lose functionality overnight. However, they won’t receive new features, future panda board updates, or performance improvements. The hardware will simply fall behind as the core software continues evolving for Comma 3X and beyond.
Community Reactions: From Frustration to Understanding
The announcement triggered a wide range of reactions across the community. Many owners voiced concern that their devices could be left vulnerable or even bricked by future updates, recalling how some Comma 2 units had been affected when their support ended. Others expressed frustration that only two years of active support followed the release of the Comma 3X, arguing that the roughly 18% of users still running the Comma 3 were being disproportionately impacted.
At the same time, several members acknowledged that Comma had actually gone beyond its initial promise, supporting the Comma 3 for well over two years when the company had originally committed to just one year past the launch of the 3X. This context softened some criticism, as many saw the extended support as a fair return on investment for a piece of hardware first released in 2021.
A number of developers and technically minded users also pointed out that while upstream support may end, the open-source nature of the ecosystem means forks, custom agnos, and community-led projects will likely extend the life of the device beyond its official sunset. Overall, the tone was mixed—disappointment from those directly impacted balanced by pragmatic acceptance from others who recognize the need for Comma to focus on its latest hardware.
The Controversy and George Hotz’s Response
Not surprisingly, the end of Comma 3 support stirred controversy. Some community members described it as a “forced upgrade,” comparing it to an operating system vendor cutting off hardware that still seemed capable of running new software. Others pointed out that nearly one in five active users were still on the Comma 3, and worried that those drivers were being left behind.
George Hotz addressed those concerns directly, pushing back against the idea that Comma was abandoning its customers. He emphasized that Comma 3s would not be bricked, that they would continue to run reliably on a long-term support branch, and that this wasn’t about shutting people out but about maintaining velocity for the platform as a whole. At one point, Hotz even half-joked about making Openpilot closed source in response to the backlash — a remark most took as tongue-in-cheek, but one that underscored the tension in the conversation.
In effect, Hotz reframed the decision: Comma wasn’t pulling the rug out from under users, but was instead drawing a clean line between “stable legacy” and “actively developed future.”
Why the Change Was Inevitable
Although both the Comma 3 and Comma 3X share the same Snapdragon 845 core, their hardware configurations are far from identical. The Comma 3 lacked a built-in panda, requiring an external interface board for CAN communication, while the Comma 3X integrated panda functionality directly into the device. Their camera modules also differ, with the 3X using a different image sensor pipeline. On top of that, the two devices diverge in supporting components such as the microcontroller, USB vs. SPI interfaces, NVMe storage, and even the supercapacitor architecture that handles power backup.
Maintaining support for these differences required Comma to build, test, and validate every new AGNOS release across two separate hardware stacks. Each change carried a continual cost in engineering time and CI infrastructure. Over time, this duplication slowed down development and made it harder to deliver new features cleanly. By consolidating efforts on the Comma 3X, Comma can streamline its codebase, reduce maintenance overhead, and focus its limited resources on shipping the best possible experience for the majority of users.
What’s Next
For Comma 3 owners, the path forward is clear:
- Stay on LTS: Keep driving with the stable branch as long as it works for your use case.
- Upgrade to 3X: For those who want the latest features, smoother updates, and ongoing development, the Comma 3X is the supported future.
- Look to the Community: As with past hardware sunsets, expect independent developers to extend life beyond Comma’s official timeline.
The retirement of the Comma 3 isn’t a story about outdated hardware—it’s a story about focus. Supporting two divergent platforms with different pandas, cameras, microcontrollers, and power designs was stretching resources thin. By consolidating on the Comma 3X, Comma.ai can deliver faster innovation and a more stable experience to its users, while still honoring its commitment not to strand existing devices.
The Comma 3 may be moving into long-term support, but its legacy remains. It introduced thousands of drivers to Openpilot, proved the viability of consumer-ready driver assistance, and laid the foundation for the stronger, streamlined ecosystem that the Comma 3X now carries forward.