OnePlus has opted to offer relatively less long-term software support in its latest phones, rather than keeping up with the seven-year OS updates from competitors Samsung and Google.
This surprising move was discussed in a recent one Tom’s Guide interview with OnePlus COO and president Kinder Liu saying that offering a longer software update policy “misses the point” because extended support isn’t of much use if your phone’s hardware is outdated.
This is in contrast to the Google Pixel8 series, and the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, which now includes seven years of OS updates. However, OnePlus’ latest flagship features the OnePlus 12 And OnePlus 12R seem to be breaking this trend.
The OnePlus 12 gets four years of OS updates, while the more modest OnePlus 12R offers three years of support. Both devices will receive an extra year of security patches on top of OS support. The OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R launched with OxygenOS 14, while the Samsung Galaxy S24 series comes with One UI 6.1, both of which are based on Android 14while the Pixel series was released with Android 14 and the Pixel Launcher on top.
Liu said that also through stress tests with TÜV SUD To simulate the years of use a phone can withstand, four years was the sweet spot for the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R phones to maintain their smart and smooth performance, which OnePlus has long touted as a hallmark of its smartphones .
OnePlus also emphasizes that the battery health engine should extend the overall life of your phone’s battery so that it retains a charge even at 1,600 charge cycles, which is about four years. As Liu notes, “If our competitors say their software policy will last seven years, consider that their phone battery may not.”
A study by Counterpoint Research also referenced by Liu research by Vodafone both suggest that Android phone users upgrade their phones every four years, which would put the OnePlus 12 in a good position for Android users.
Will OS updates stick around in the long run?
It’s not likely that we’ll see a 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 longer lasting products and are becoming increasingly concerned about sustainability.
This could lead to most people cutting back on buying non-essentials such as new phones due to the rise in the cost of living. We could see most users upgrading 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 up-to-date software may already have their OnePlus 12 will be omitted in 2028.
It will also be interesting to see if more manufacturers follow Google and Samsung’s lead or stick with a more standard support length. Can Samsung and Google continue seven years of OS support for future flagship phone releases, or is extended support just a one-time experiment?
Time will tell if OnePlus made the right choice and if extended software support is just a marketing tool or a practical feature that more users want to see.
If you want to upgrade your phone, take a look at our best phones list of great models you can buy now.