OnePlus has chosen to offer comparatively less long-term software support on its latest phones, rather than keeping up with seven years of OS updates from its competitors Samsung and Google.
This surprising measure was discussed in a recent Interview with Tom's Guide with OnePlus COO and President Kinder Liu saying that offering longer software update policies “doesn't make sense” as extended support doesn't do much good if your phone's hardware is outdated.
This contrasts with the Google Pixel 8 series, and the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, which now includes seven years of operating system updates. However, OnePlus' latest flagship phones, the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R They seem to oppose this trend.
The OnePlus 12 receives four years of operating system updates, while the more modest OnePlus 12R offers three years of support. Both devices receive an additional year of security patches in addition to OS support. OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R launched with OxygenOS 14, while the Samsung Galaxy S24 series shipped with One UI 6.1, both based on Android 14while the Pixel series was launched with Android 14 and Pixel Launcher was added on top.
Liu also mentioned that through stress testing with TÜV SUD To simulate the years of use a phone can endure, four years was the sweet spot for the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R phones to retain their smart, smooth performance, which OnePlus has long touted as a signature of its smartphones.
OnePlus also highlights that its battery health engine should increase the overall life of your phone's battery to help it maintain a charge even with 1,600 charge cycles, which is about four years. As Liu points out: “When our competitors say their software policy will last seven years, remember that your phone's battery may not last.”
A Counterpoint Research study referenced by Liu and Vodafone investigation Both suggest that Android phone users upgrade their phones every four years, which would put the OnePlus 12 in the sweet spot for Android users.
Will operating system updates continue in the long term?
We're not likely to see any slowdown in the annual phone release cycle from most manufacturers. However, more and more phone manufacturers seem to be focusing on using lower-impact materials to create more durable products and are increasingly concerned about sustainability.
This could lead most people to reduce purchases of non-essential items, such as new phones, due to the rising cost of living; we could see most users update less regularly.
While the Google Pixel 8 or Samsung Galaxy S24 series phones could still be perfectly viable until Android 21 in the distant year 2031, those who still want updated software may already have abandoned their OnePlus 12 by 2028.
It will also be interesting to see if more manufacturers start to follow the lead of Google and Samsung or stick to a more standard support duration. Could Samsung and Google continue seven years of OS support for future flagship phone models, or is extended support just a one-time experiment?
Time will tell if OnePlus has made the right decision and if the expanded software support is just a marketing tool or a practical feature that more users will want to see.
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