OnePlus isn’t jumping on the bandwagon of seven years of Android updates and has its reasons for it.

The Google Pixel 8 series recently released seven years of Android updates, and not much later Samsung followed suit with its Galaxy S24 series. OnePlus, on the other hand, does not follow this trend. According to OnePlus boss Kinder Liu, the number of years of software updates does not guarantee that the device’s user experience will be the same in seven years.

Android updates

The number of Android updates partially determines the lifespan of your smartphone. The higher the number of updates, the longer your smartphone will be equipped with the latest functions. If you stop receiving Android updates, your device ages and risks compatibility issues. If the security updates are also lost, your device will slowly but surely become unsafe to use.

Since Android updates are an important factor for many consumers when purchasing a new smartphone, Google recently significantly increased the number to seven years for the Pixel 8 series. A little later, Samsung followed the same pattern with the Galaxy S24 series. During the same period, OnePlus launched its new OnePlus Open and OnePlus 12, with four years of Android updates and five years of bi-monthly security updates. Why didn’t OnePlus follow this trend?

Further updates are “completely missing the core”

OnePlus has its own theory as to why the increase in the number of Android updates “completely misses the point.” According to OnePlus President Kidner Liu, simply adding additional updates isn’t enough, as your phone’s “smooth user experience” needs to match that schedule. That fluid experience may have diminished significantly in seven years, meaning the additional years of updates won’t make a difference.

OnePlus makes it clear here that years of software updates don’t matter if it can’t guarantee that the user experience will continue to be just as strong.

Bluntly

You can analyze this statement in two ways. On the one hand, Liu is right. With four years of Android updates and five years of security updates, your smartphone will stay up to date for five years. The fact that you are no longer on the latest Android version last year is not a catastrophe, as it is also supported. Seven years of updates will extend the theoretical lifespan of your smartphone, but what are the chances that your device’s hardware will still be up to date?

On the other hand, Google guarantees updates for seven years. Google is at the forefront of Android and can design new versions. If Google decides to guarantee support for that long, the company will undoubtedly also ensure that Android continues to run adequately even on older hardware. In this case, your phone will continue to function normally. Old hardware should be sufficient, especially for those who mainly make phone calls, send messages, surf the web, watch social media, check emails and take photos.

Choice and trust

Samsung and Google also give their users the choice. If you still think your phone is sufficient, the manufacturers ensure that the device remains secure. In our opinion, OnePlus’ reasoning is particularly correct when it comes to Android updates, but makes less sense when it comes to security updates. OnePlus is a brand with loyal followers who will continue to use older phones for years to come. It seems very realistic to us that someone would want to keep the OnePlus 12 for longer than five years, but OnePlus doesn’t actually support that.

Liu actually says, “Our hardware will be unusable after five years, so we won’t bother with the software anymore.” That’s a shameful statement since OnePlus phones have historically been very robust. In addition, it doesn’t sound very nice when competitors make a different statement. Only time will tell whether users will actually use a Pixel 8 for seven years.