The reason why OnePlus 12 will receive 5 years and not 7 of updates? Think of a sandwich

With the promise of seven years of updates (including system and security ones), Google And samsung have completely revolutionized the landscape of software support on Android phonesbut OnePlus it doesn’t fit and through its president he explains why (if you are wondering how to update your robot smartphone in a simple way, don’t miss our guide).

In an interview with Tom’s Guide, Kinder Liu he actually explained why OnePlus 12 it stops at four years of software updates, with five of security (have you seen our review?). The reason? Seven years of updates make no sense if the hardware of the phone is unable to maintain an up to par user experience.

“It’s not just software update policies that are important to the user, it’s also the smoothness of your phone’s user experience“, said Liu, who to make the concept clearer used a curious but effective metaphor, comparing a telephone to a sandwich.

“Imagine your phone is a sandwich“, he said. “Some manufacturers are now saying that the topping of the sandwich – the phone’s software – will still be good to eat in seven years. But what they’re not telling you is that the bread in the sandwich – the user experience – may be moldy after four years. Suddenly a seven-year software update policy doesn’t matter, because the rest of your phone experience is terrible“.

So update the phone longer makes no sense if the phone will then work bad, and Liu claims to have data to support this claim.

OnePlus tests his phones, including new ones of course OnePlus 12 And OnePlus 12R, with TÜV SUD, a testing system that simulates years of use in a short time. Based on these results the company claims to be able to guarantee performance “fast and fluid” after four years of use.

And that includes him too battery status, which according to Liu will not reach seven years like the updates. Liu also cites findings published by Counterpoint Research, who stated how Android users tend to update their smartphone within four years from the purchase, reiterating how OnePlus’ current offer aligns perfectly with this behavior.

So for Liu, the four years of system updates for the One Plus 12 (five security) and the three years of updates for the OnePlus 12R (four security) are more than sufficient And Samsung and Googlewhich they announced 7 years of updates for the Galaxy S24 and the Pixel 8 series (and later), they exaggerated. Basically their phones will die before receiving the remaining updates.

The OnePlus boss certainly delivers important points to support his reasoning, and in any case the software support for OnePlus 12R is in line with the category, but we point out that the search for CounterpointResearch it’s based on current data, and in the future, if manufacturers release more updates and make it easier change the batteriesthere is no reason why these numbers shouldn’t increase.

In this regard, we highlight the teardown Of Galaxy S24, which not only reveals extreme simplicity of disassembly, but also a comfortable “handle” for extracting the battery and changing it if necessary. Of course, we are still far from the days when you could simply disassemble the cover made of plastic and buy one new batterybut it’s a start.

And in any case change the battery on a Galaxy S24 costs around 70 euroswhich for a 1,000 euro phone is not an excessive expense, if the alternative is to throw it away.