How Long Do OnePlus Phones Last?

One of the newest players in the Android smartphone market is OnePlus. The company has been around for less than eight years, but its phones have legions of followers. But how long do OnePlus phones last?

OnePlus was founded in Shenzhen, China in December 2013. At first, the company only made smartphones that catered to the Chinese marketplace. But since then OnePlus has expanded to major overseas markets like the European Union and India.

OnePlus is an Android smartphone that runs the company’s OxygenOS, which is based on Google’s Android OS. Because OxygenOS is based on Android when Google introduces new features into Android, OnePlus phones running OxygenOS usually quickly adopt those new features as well.

It’s unknown just how many OnePlus phones the company sells every year, but there’s no doubt their smartphones are a hit. OnePlus prioritizes fast devices and friendly designs, maximizing the user experience of each device, while successfully being able to undercut other flagship Android phone makers, like Samsung, on price.

But if you get a OnePlus, how long will it last before you need to buy a new one? Read on.

How Long Do OnePlus Phones Get Software Updates For?

As already mentioned, OnePlus phones run the OxygenOS. OxygenOS is OnePlus’s variant of Google’s Android. That means OxygenOS is an Android-based operating system, however, it’s tweaked to provide features that might be unique to OnePlus phones as well as it’s designed to visually look different than the base Android operating system Google makes.

When people ask “How long do OnePlus phones last?” what they almost always really mean is “how long do OnePlus phones get software updates for?” This is an important question, because when a smartphone stops getting major software updates, it also stops getting those new software features other newer Android phones get.

Unfortunately, the answer to “how long do OnePlus phones get software updates for?” is not long.

Your average OnePlus smartphone is usually guaranteed to get major operating system updates for only two years. That means if you bought a new 2021 OnePlus smartphone this year, you would be able to update to the new 2022 operating system ad the new 2023 operating system–but after that, you’re out of luck.

Well, mostly out of luck.

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That’s because most OnePlus phones will get security patches for three years. This is good (and about the industry average for most Android smartphones) because security patches plug critical holes in software that could leave your device open to hacks.

But given that OnePlus phones only provide two years of major Android updates, there are better options out there if you want a phone that is guaranteed to get the latest software for longer. Samsung Galaxy devices get major software updates for at least three years while iPhones get major iOS updates for five years or more.

How Long Will My OnePlus Phone Last For?

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However, asking how long OnePlus phones get software updates for and how they last for are two different questions. The latter means how long until a OnePlus phone is so old its hardware gives out and it can’t turn on anymore?

The good news here is that OnePlus lasts for longer than they get software updates for.

Any OnePlus you buy should last at least five years before it totally dies. And that is a conservative estimate. If you treat your OnePlus phone well, it’s conceivable the phone could last a decade or more. Of course, by this time the software would be so antiquated it would be lacking even basic modern features. However, the phone should, theoretically, still be able to browse the web, make calls, and send texts.

Michael Grothaus

Apple expert and novelist, Michael Grothaus has been covering tech on KnowYourMobile for the best part of 10 years. Prior to this, he worked at Apple. And before that, he was a film journalist. Michael is a published author; his book Epiphany Jones was voted as one of the best novels about Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. Michael is also a writer at other publications including VICE and Fast Company.