OnePlus TV will receive three years of Android TV updates.
OnePlus proudly confirmed this point as if it was somehow breaking the mold. Stating this was doable thanks to the company’s “strong strategic partnership with Google.”
The only problem is this is a TV and they come with a lifespan of up to ten years. OnePlus does say the update support will be “at least” three years, but that’s still a long way off the TV’s expected lifespan.
This is even more pertinent considering OnePlus has already admitted its TV will target the premium sector.
OnePlus highlights TV market naivety
OnePlus is a smartphone brand and in the smartphone world, three years of Android mobile updates seems like a lot. Most companies only guarantee two years and so it makes sense that OnePlus is keen to promote a three-year commitment.
However, the TV market is not the same as the smartphone market. TV buyers will expect to keep their TVs for longer than their smartphones. By the same token, they’ll also expect a longer level of support.
With the expectation that most TVs last between seven to ten years, a commitment to only the first three years might feel lacking to some buyers.
Android TV updates are a problem, but not for everyone
To be fair to OnePlus, there’s quite a few Android TV brands who are not great at updating their products. However, those companies do not typically announce their update support as a selling feature like OnePlus now has.
What’s more, if focusing on those that are good at update support, then three years is not that special.
Although not a TV, NVIDIA has an Android TV product on the market that has received regular updates for the last four years. Right now, that’s an ongoing commitment as NVIDIA has not stated it’s no longer supporting the original SHIELD TV yet.
Sony is another, and more relevant example. Earlier in the year Sony rolled out Android Oreo to its smart TVs and this included many of the 2016 models. Therefore, Sony is already in its third year of Android TV update support. Again, that’s a number that’s still counting.
Premium TV but no premium update support
While it can be argued there are Android TV brands out there that don’t offer great update support, OnePlus is positioning its TV as a premium option. The company has specifically drawn on Samsung and Sony as comparable examples, adding that consumers should not expect OnePlus TV to be cheap.
Herein lies the real issue. OnePlus TV will be expensive and will look to offer a premium experience. It is just that premium label won’t extend to update support.
For OnePlus TV buyers, there’s no guarantee their premium purchase will receive major (or security) updates beyond the first three years.