If there’s one key selling point that an Android phone maker has to focus on, it’s the software update situation, which has been a contentious issue for Android phones, compared to the iPhone. OnePlus has recently released its latest flagship handset in China for the year 2023. The company will bring the OnePlus 11 handset to the international stage on February 7 in India. The device will arrive with the latest Android 13 based OxygenOS 13 UI (for global markets) or ColorOS 13 UI (for Chinese markets), and it will be upgraded to Android 14 later this year once Google releases it officially.
But how many firmware updates will the OnePlus 11 get over its lifetime? What about its firmware updates and security support over the coming years.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has officially confirmed over Twitter that the OnePlus 11 will have support for 4 years of major Android OS updates. OnePlus 11 would be the first ever handset from the Chinese manufacturer to get this extended software support.
According to Pete, the OnePlus 11 handset will receive four major OS upgrades up to Android 17 in the next four years, or whatever Google will call its mobile OS in 2026. It won’t receive any major updates once they get Android 17. That doesn’t mean support for the OnePlus 11 will end in 2026. The device will get five years of security patches as well. That means OnePlus will support these phones until 2028 at the least. It’s great to see that OnePlus is going to accomplish this new path, and it would be a huge deal for OnePlus 11 owners, even if they personally don’t care about the updates.
Back in February 2022, Samsung has first pledged four years of Android upgrades for its flagship devices – this includes the Galaxy S22 series, S21 series, Tab S8 and other recent models. The latest Galaxy S23 series also follows the same suit. Now, OnePlus has joined Samsung by promising four major Android updates for its latest flagship phone. For comparison, Google is only promising three years of Android version updates for the Pixel 6, and Pixel 7 series, with security updates lasting five years.
We're adding another dimension to Fast and Smooth. The #OnePlus11 is our first flagship supporting 4 years of Android versions and 5 years of security updates.
— Pete Lau (@PeteLau) February 3, 2023
Fast, smooth and truly built to last. pic.twitter.com/f9DDdVcpZN
I hope all the premium Android phone makers follow the same policy. Most of the smartphone makers offer two or three years of Android software updates, plus an extra year of security patches.
Specs wise, OnePlus 11 features a 6.7-inch 2.75D flexible E4 AMOLED LTPO 3.0 display with 2K with resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels (QHD+) and a 120Hz refresh rate. It runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. The handset’s camera department includes a 50-megapixel primary camera with Sony IMX890 sensor, a 32-megapixel telephoto camera with IMX709 sensor, and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera with IMX581 sensor. Around the front, the phone also trades a 16MP shooter for selfies and video calling.
Under the hood, it has a 5,000mAh battery with 100W fast charging support for the global & Chinese variants, while the US variant’s charging speeds will be downgraded to 80W speeds. It will be sold in Forest Emerald, Volcanic Black colors across the world.