Usually people will say "Buy an iPhone, update the old 'dia'. Expensive, but pay off in the long term". This has been true for the past few years. But since last year, Google Pixel 8 was given a 7-year update and this year Samsung Galaxy S24 was also given the same update period. Recently OnePlus was questioned why the OnePlus 12 only gives updates 4+5 years?
In a Tom's Guide interview with Kinder Liu, as the President of OnePlus - Liu answered;
“Offering older software updates, doesn't meet the goal. It is not only the software update policy that is important for users, but the smoothness of the phone system for the best user experience as well.”
In other words, device specifications such as memory and processing chips may not match the software of the next 7 years. Liu also stated, “Imagine your phone is the bread, the software is the core. You eat and receive the core for 7 years, is the bread still good to eat?"
I agree with Kinder Liu, Android devices around 3-4 years of updates are enough. But Google and Samsung have proven that if the software is great, even if the specifications are not comparable to competitors, it can provide a satisfactory user experience. Who knows after 7 years later both devices are still able to operate well as the iPhone proves.
We have arrived at the era of the Android operating system "can last longer" compared to iOS. Do you agree with this or is it better to switch to a new phone every few years?