Here’s Why OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R Will Get 5 Years of Updates

Unlike Google and Samsung offering 7 years of updates, OnePlus is sticking to 5 years of updates.

Published On: February 6, 2024

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The OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R recently launched in India as the latest flagship offerings from the brand. These devices bring better cameras, software, and hardware to the table. However, the company is still sticking to five years of software updates for its latest 12 series smartphones.

This is in contrast to Google and Samsung’s seven years of software update policy offered with the Pixel 8 and Samsung Galaxy S24 series. OnePlus COO and President, Kinder Liu has explained in an interview why the company is still sticking to five years of software updates, instead of seven by comparing smartphones to a sandwich. Let’s take a look at what the top executive meant by that analogy and the reason behind the less number of Android updates on OnePlus devices.

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Here’s Why OnePlus Offers 5 Years of Software Support

Why is your phone like a sandwich? To mark the launch of the #OnePlus12R I chatted with @RichardPriday @tomsguide to talk about our new phone’s early successes and the choices we’ve made.https://t.co/1shUQ1pFBB
— Kinder Liu (@KinderLiu) February 5, 2024

“Imagine your phone is a sandwich. Some manufacturers are now saying that the filling in their sandwich — their phone’s software — will still be good to eat in seven years’ time. But what they’re not telling you is that the bread in the sandwich — the user experience — might be moldy after four years.

According to Liu, the seven year software update cycle doesn’t matter since the user experience of the smartphone goes downhill after 3-4 years. Even the leading research platform Statista revealed that more than 61% of Indian smartphone users tend to upgrade their smartphones after two years of usage. The main reason behind the switch is that their current phone is not working as well as it used to, which aligns with Lius’ statement.

So, why is everyone talking about the seven year Android update cycle offered by the latest flagships by Google and Samsung? For years Apple has enjoyed great resale value compared to Android phones because of the longer software support. This allows used phone buyers to enjoy a few years of the latest software experience. With the assured 7 years of software updates, Samsung and Google are trying to compete with Apple in the resale aspect as well.

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However, Apple tends to limit the new features in the latest software updates for newer models. This strategy not only helps Apple to keep the older devices running smoothly, but also push users to upgrade to newer iPhones to experience the latest features. It remains to be seen whether Google and Samsung will take the same approach.

OnePlus 12 5G Specifications

Display: 6.82-inch ProXDR AMOLED Display, QHD+ resolution, LTPO 1 to 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 4,500 nits peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3, 10-bit colour depth, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, Adreno 750 GPU
Software: Oxygen OS 14 based on Android 14
RAM and Storage: 12GB/ 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB/ 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage
Rear cameras: 50MP 1/1.4-inch primary Sony LYT-808 sensor, f/1.6 aperture, OIS, 64MP periscope telephoto lens, 3X optical zoom, OIS, 48MP Sony IMX581 1/2-inch ultrawide sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 64MP OmniVision OV64B with 3X optical zoom, 6X in-sensor
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Front camera: 32MP Sony IMX615, f/2.4 aperture
Battery: 5,400mAh, 100W SUPERVOOC fast charging, 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging
Connectivity: Dual-SIM, 5G, WiFi 7 802.11 be/ax/ac, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and USB 2.0
Other features: IP65 rating, Dolby Atmos Sound, NFC, In-display fingerprint scanner
Dimensions and Weight: 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.15mm, 220g
Colours: Flowy Emerald, Silky Black

OnePlus 12R Specifications

Display: 6.78-inch AMOLED ProXDR Display, 1.5K (2780 × 1264 pixel) resolution, 450ppi pixel density, LTPO 1 to 120Hz refresh rate, 1,000Hz touch sampling rate, 1,600nits peak brightness, 4,500nits HBM brightness, sRGB, DCI-P3, 10-bit colour depth, HDR10+, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with Adreno 740 GPU
Software: Oxygen OS 14 based on Android 14
RAM and Storage: 8GB / 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 128GB UFS 3.1/256GB UFS 4.0 storage
Cameras: 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, f/1.8 aperture, OIS, 8MP Sony IMX355 sensor, 120° field of view, f/2.2 aperture, 2MP macro camera, f/2.4 aperture, LED flash
Front Camera: 16MP, f/2.4 aperture, EIS
Battery: 5500mAh, 100W SuperVOOC fast charging over a USB Type-C port
Connectivity: Dual-SIM, 5G, WiFi 7 802.11 be/ax/ac, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and USB 2.0
Others: Infrared sensor, Alert slider, Stereo speaker setup with Dolby Atmos and USB Type-C audio port, In-display fingerprint scanner, IP64
Dimensions and Weight: 163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8mm, 207g
Colours: Iron Gray, Cool Blue