Buying a brand new Android? Don’t fall for the ‘System Update’ entice

The Asus Zenfone 8 launched globally in May 2021 with Android 11, and was up to date to Android 12 in December 2021. Yet when the identical telephone got here to India because the Asus 8Z, it was launched with Android 11 as an alternative of Android 12 software program which has already rolled out for nearly the identical telephone.

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Of course, a system replace for the Asus 8Z got here simply weeks after its launch within the nation, bringing it to Android 12. The catch? Users have now already used up one of many two promised system updates on the telephone, which can doubtless solely be up to date to Android 13.

This is what’s starting to appear like the most recent development with telephone makers. Release a telephone with an older Android model, even months after a more moderen Android model has been on the market and reduce the product’s replace cycle by a full 12 months.

When the replace cycle has expired for the mentioned machine, the client is left in search of a brand new telephone, doubtless from the identical model since he/she has now change into used to the interface and/or has change into part of the model’s ecosystem.

The identical was noticed with different gadgets too in current months.

OnePlus launched the OnePlus 9RT in India with Android 11 on January 15, over three months after the launch of Android 12. The telephone now shares the identical replace cycle with the machine it succeeds – the OnePlus 9R which launched nearly a 12 months earlier than it.

While one of many two telephones launched in 2021 and the opposite in 2022, each will likely be up to date solely until Android 13.

To provide you with some context, Android 13, which would be the final system replace for telephones just like the Asus 8Z and OnePlus 9RT is already in growth and is predicted to get a steady launch months from now.

Why you should purchase a telephone with the most recent Android model

The catch with shopping for a smartphone working a year-old model of Android is that your telephone will get one lesser system replace within the longer run, than it will have ought to it have launched with the most recent Android model.

For occasion, if the Asus 8Z or the OnePlus 9RT had each launched with Android 12, which they need to have, each telephones would have gotten two years of system updates. This would imply their replace cycle would finish at Android 14 as an alternative of Android 13.

This needn’t be a deal-breaker. However, if you’re trying to purchase a telephone for long run use, shopping for one which launches with the newest Android model can preserve your telephone up to date to the present Android model for not less than an additional 12 months a pair years from now.

With fashionable telephones advertising and marketing digicam and {hardware} specs on web page one, software program info can typically be exhausting to seek out. If system updates are necessary to you (they need to be) at all times examine what Android model you get out of the field and what number of years of updates the machine will get.