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By published 14 June 22
Irregular software/security updates
While most smartphone makers are looking to offer guaranteed software updates as an additional benefit, chipset maker Qualcomm, of all the brands, seems to be setting the wrong example.
The first-ever smartphone from Qualcomm that is aimed at Snapdragon Insiders and costs a bomb, hasn’t received any software update after March and hasn’t received any security update for the last six months i.e., since January.
The issue was highlighted by a Redittor u/hdoublear (opens in new tab) who cited the tweet from Qualcomm’s official account promising “4-years of regular security updates” and asked the company if the chipmaker has abandoned the phone already.
At launch, the smartphone will run stock Android 11 and Qualcomm will provide 4-years of regular security updates.July 9, 2021
Qualcomm, via the community manager, has responded to the thread that the phone is slated to receive updates and the next one is scheduled to be “released on 6/20, and new ones will be released every 2-3 months after that.”
That said, the phone has still not received Android 12 and is still running on Android 11 when even the budget phones these days ship with Android 12 out of the box. Qualcomm hasn’t revealed the exact timeline of the Android 12 update on the phone.
For those unaware, the Snapdragon Insiders’ phone was launched by Qualcomm last year and was manufactured for the chipmaker by the Taiwanese tech giant Asus. The phone maker is also expected to oversee distribution, sales, and software support for the phone.
The phone came with the top-end internal specifications when launched which included Snapdragon 888 SoC coupled with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This 5G phone also has a physical ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the back.
Other key specifications include a 6.78-inch Super AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, a 4,000mAh battery with support for 65W Quick Charge 5.0, dual stereo speakers and more.
It seems that Qualcomm never intended to sell the phone in huge quantities and wanted to experiment with this phone to get feedback directly from the community members on certain features and experiences.
The company, however, is unsure if it will bring the second-gen Insiders Phone and might pivot to making Insiders gadgets for other brands.
This probably explains why there is a reluctance in offering Android updates for the phone. However, at a time when brands like Samsung and others are offering timely software updates even for their budget and mid-range devices, a premium flagship phone coming directly from the leading chipset maker getting sidelined is sad news for the users.
Via: XDA-Developers (opens in new tab)
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Jitendra has been working in the Internet Industry for the last 7 years now and has written about a wide range of topics including gadgets, smartphones, reviews, games, software, apps, deep tech, AI, and consumer electronics.
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