Oppo commits to four-year guaranteed Android upgrades for flagship phones starting next year

Upcoming flagship phones from Oppo will be guaranteed to receive Android upgrades for four years, the company announced on Wednesday. It is the latest Android OEM, after Samsung and OnePlus, to implement the policy that should lengthen the lifespan of its devices.

Oppo said in the announcement post that the four-year Android upgrades will benefit select flagship models starting next year. While the company did not specify any phone model, it is safe to assume that the upcoming Oppo Find X6 series will be part of it.

Oppo will also provide five years of security patches for these devices. “Through it, OPPO aims to bring longer-lasting and more stable intelligent experiences to global users by continuing to build on ColorOS,” the company said.

This is a noteworthy improvement, as it will essentially allow customers to keep their premium phones longer. Oppo is one of three Android OEMs to offer four years of Android upgrades. Google, on the other hand, is still only offering three years of OS updates.

It also means that Oppo phones to be released next year, which will likely run on Android 13, will receive upgrades through 2028. So future users can be certain that their device will be compatible with Android 17.

Oppo just launched the Find N2 and Find N2 Flip last week, but the announcement did not say if the premium foldable phones will be covered by the new policy. It is possible, though, that Oppo could follow Samsung’s approach. The company originally announced its four-year guaranteed Android OS upgrades to flagship phones starting this year, but it was later expanded to cover flagships that came out in 2021.

Much of the announcement post celebrated Oppo’s improved delivery of ColorOS updates. The company noted that the rollout of ColorOS 13 had been the “fastest and biggest update” in the operating system’s history.

ColorOS 13 officially launched last Aug. 18, which highlighted Oppo’s Aquamorphic Design, which is promised to bring a smoother UI design and performance. Since then, Oppo said ColorOS 13 has been brought to 33 smartphone models to global users.

Photo by Rohit Sharma on Unsplash