In recent years, we have witnessed several technological races in the field of mobile phones. See who offers the fastest charging, who has the most megapixel camera, and even who has the most curved screen (here, I think the Motorola Edge takes the cake). However, a very useful support in the long term is mobile supportand several manufacturers compete to see who offers the most Android updates.
Fairphone led with a plan that no one could match, but Samsung took it up a notch and went from five to seven years of updates with the Galaxy S24, and Google also announced seven more years of updates with the Pixel 8 Pro. OnePlus does not want to participate in this battle and its president explains why it has not announced more than four years of updates
Software may hold up, hardware…maybe not
In January we saw many presentations, and OnePlus’s attracted a lot of attention. The Chinese company presented both the OnePlus 12 and the OnePlus 12R, being the first generation of these R devices launched outside of India or China.
They are mobiles that have good balance and The OnePlus 12 is named one of the most interesting phones of the year. It does this thanks to its specifications and the good work that we have seen recently with the OnePlus Open and the OnePlus 11. Now one of the most interesting points was knowing the support for Android updates.
Considering the movements of Samsung and Google, it is to be expected that the rest of the brands will catch up, since this is something that will benefit its users. However, OnePlus announced five years of support for its new phones (four years of Android updates and an additional security one). And the explanation from its president, Kinder Liu in an interview with Tom’s Guide, is interesting:
“Imagine your phone is a sandwich. Some manufacturers claim that the filling of their sandwich (the software) will still be good to eat in seven years. What they don’t say is that the bread might go moldy after four years . One” Seven The one-year software update policy doesn’t matter because the rest of the phone experience will be terrible.”
It’s a curious and easy-to-understand metaphor, but the truth is that Liu didn’t stop there. He said that offering extra years when the hardware can’t keep up is wrong, and furthermore, he pointed out something interesting:
“When our competitors announce that their software policy will last seven years, remember that the phone battery may not last that long.”
With these statements, Liu addresses the interesting point already mentioned with the presentation of the Pixel 8 and seven years of Android updates. Providing long-term support is great news, but seven years may be too long for hardware that is progressing by leaps and bounds.
Now there is also the other side of the coin: those users who buy a phone for 600, 800 or 1000 dollars and want it to last until it breaks. If they have their entire lifecycle, or most of it, with the latest version of the system, it’s a way to build loyalty and give something of value to the user. Furthermore, It remains to be seen how mobile phones launched today will reach 2030 and which version of the system they will get..
This version of Android may have the same number as the last name, but not all functions are available either. This is something we’ve already seen from other manufacturers: Apple with its long iOS support.
Cover photo | Alexandre Alcolea
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