How to update cheap Android smartphones
Support for low-cost Android smartphones has always been optional. It seemed to manufacturers that it was unnecessary to release monthly security updates, let alone annual system updates because it was not profitable. After all, what’s the point of updating a smartphone if it makes the owner feel it is relevant, and then he simply does not buy a new model. And then what is the business? But gradually, the understanding of the opposite began to come to vendors, and they began to develop a special approach to updating even the cheapest devices.
When OnePlus started releasing smartphones of the Nord line, the price of which starts from 10 thousand rubles, everyone was very surprised. After all, it could not be compared with the company’s flagship devices, estimated at 40, 50, 60 and even 70 thousand rubles.
But it turned out that OnePlus had it all figured out. In addition to the hardware of the initial segment, which the Chinese equipped the Nord lineup, they decided to shorten the time of software support, abandoning one major update.
Updating Android smartphones
The OnePlus Nord line of smartphones will only receive one Android system update instead of two. Even though Google recommends that manufacturers release two new versions of the OS for all smartphones, this is precisely a recommendation, not a requirement, from which they can deviate.
Therefore, OnePlus decided that the shortening of the software support time would reduce the cost of new smartphones. In fact, it happened. After all, the adaptation of updates also requires time, effort and man-hours, which must be paid for. And without this, the price of the device can be reduced. But it is not all that bad.
Of course, there is only one system update for the Nord. That is, the devices that came out of the box on Android 11 will receive only Android 12. However, in order not to alienate users, OnePlus decided to offer them an alternative in the form of three years of regular security updates.
However, there are exceptions. They are the cheapest Nord N10 and Nord N100, which came out almost a year earlier and which will receive only two years of security patches. After all, it was they who pushed OnePlus to extend support for new devices in the line.
Why security updates are needed
In fact, as such, the upgrade did not happen. The fact is that the main changes Android smartphones receive from Google services, which are updated regardless of the operating system. And security updates are patches that do not carry any innovations.
They focus exclusively on fixing critical vulnerabilities. Another thing is that for an ordinary user, these very gaps do not pose a particular danger, and therefore you should not rely especially on updates with fixes.
No, I do not blaspheme. It’s just that most infections and malicious attacks on Android smartphones, oddly enough, occur with the consent of the users themselves. It is they who download the infected software, give it the requested permissions, and then wonder why the money was debited from their accounts.
In the case of vulnerabilities, a targeted attack is required. That is, the person who attacks must want to hack you. But – no offense – who are you for an attacker to target you? Therefore, from a practical point of view, most vulnerabilities do not bring any harm to you and me.