Google has promised 7 years of software program updates for its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional, and Samsung adopted swimsuit with the very same promise for the Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Extremely. OnePlus, then again, is simply promising 4 main Android updates and 5 years of safety patches for its flagships.
Should you have been anticipating OnePlus to pivot to succeed in the identical place as Google and Samsung, you are in for a disappointment. The corporate may be very pleased with its resolution to not provide greater than 5 years of help for its gadgets, and now it is determined to clarify why. It seems all of it has to do with sandwiches.
OnePlus 12R (left) and OnePlus 12 (proper)
Bear with us. OnePlus COO Kinder Liu was just lately interviewed concerning the state of affairs and he has this to say:
Merely providing longer software program replace insurance policies utterly misses the purpose. It is not simply software program replace insurance policies which are essential to the consumer, it is the fluency of your telephone’s consumer expertise too. Think about your telephone is a sandwich. Some producers at the moment are saying that the filling of their sandwich — their telephone’s software program — will nonetheless be good to eat in seven years’ time. However what they don’t seem to be telling you is that the bread within the sandwich — the consumer expertise — could be moldy after 4 years. All of the sudden a seven-year software program replace coverage would not matter, as a result of the remainder of your expertise with the telephone is horrible. When our rivals say their software program coverage will final seven years, keep in mind that their telephone’s battery might not.
Liu additionally pointed to OnePlus’ stress testing its telephones with TÜV SUD to simulate years of use and guarantee “quick and easy” efficiency even after 4 years. In line with findings printed by Counterpoint Analysis, Android customers are likely to improve their smartphone inside 4 years, so OnePlus was in all probability that when it determined upon its replace coverage. After all, extra individuals would possibly postpone upgrades if the replace insurance policies of machine makers turn into longer, so this might simply be a rooster vs. egg downside.
OnePlus 12
To translate all of this into plain English – OnePlus feels that supporting telephones for greater than it already is is senseless financially since most individuals will transfer onto different gadgets anyway, and the updates that come previous the 4 to 5 12 months mark might worsen the consumer expertise total – homeowners of outdated Pixels appear to know a factor or two about that, from what we have gathered.