OnePlus makes some of the best Android phones in the world, such as the OnePlus 10 Pro, but now its head of software products, Gary Chen, has revealed how going forward these mobiles are going to be even better buys for people.
That's because Chen, speaking at the OnePlus Open Ears Forum in London, has confirmed that, "selected devices launched in 2023" will now get a minimum of four OS updates and five years of security patches guaranteed.
That means that anyone who buys one of these OnePlus Android phones will get half a decade of support from the Chinese maker in terms of new operating systems, features, and security patches.
Speaking on the commitment, Chen said that:
"As a user-oriented company, we do everything we can to enhance user experience. With more users keeping their devices for longer, we want to make sure we can offer that possibility. This new update policy will give users access to the latest security and functional features required to power OnePlus’ signature fast-and-smooth experience throughout the lifetime of the phone."
The T3 take: OnePlus gets competitive with Samsung
This move by OnePlus is absolutely to be welcomed by Android phone users, as it moves the brand to a more competitive footing with Samsung, who already launched its own continued software support commitment (also four years of OS updates) earlier this year.
That four years of Android software OS updates, as well as five years of security patches, means that the vast majority of phone users will be totally covered for the lifetime usage of their handset, with data showing most phones are replaced within a three-year cycle.
It also imbues confidence within the Android phone market that OnePlus devices are here to stay, which here at T3 we're very happy to hear as it has been one of the most interesting Android brands over the past decade.
What's slightly annoying about this announcement, though, is that, one, this commitment isn't to all future OnePlus phones, just 'select' devices and, two, it is not being retroactively applied to any existing OnePlus handsets, such as the OnePlus 10T.
Overall, though, there's no denying this software support commitment makes OnePlus Android phones sound much more attractive. We expect that the first handset to be eligible for this 4-year commitment will be the incoming OnePlus 11, which is slated for release in early 2023.
