OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R will still get 4 years of Android updates

Ben Schoon | Jan 7 2025 - 9:00 am PT

Longevity is becoming a key point for Android smartphones nowadays, with Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices offering 7 years of support, leading the industry. With its new OnePlus 13 and 13R, OnePlus is also upping its software update commitment, but not quite to the same level.

OnePlus has lagged behind on long-term software support for a while, and seems to actively dislike the recent trend of lengthening support timelines. In early 2024, OnePlus President Kinder Liu said that supporting a device for 7 years “completely misses the point,” arguing that the experience is more important.

Since the launch of OnePlus 11, flagship OnePlus devices have included 4 years of major Android updates and 5 years of security patches. With the latest generation, OnePlus is boosting that timeline by adding another year of security patches.

OnePlus explains:

The OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R will have 4 years of Android OS updates and 6 years of
security updates. Both the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R will come with our latest software update, OxygenOS 15, which was rolled out to OnePlus users in November 2024.

So, while the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R will be secure for another year longer than their predecessors, they’ll still lose out on major updates 3 years earlier than comparable Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy devices.

It’s worth noting, too, that OnePlus doesn’t deliver security patches on a consistent monthly schedule, instead generally rolling out updates on a bi-monthly basis.

What do you think of OnePlus’ support timeline?