Even New Phones Are No Longer Guaranteed To Have the Latest Version of Android (theverge.com)

Vlad Savov, writing for The Verge: The OnePlus 5T and Razer Phone are two fundamentally different devices, which are nonetheless united by one unfortunate downside: both of them are going on sale this month without the latest version of Android on board. OnePlus will tell you that this issue is down to its extremely stringent testing process, while Razer offers a similar boilerplate about working as fast as possible to deliver Android Oreo. But we're now three months removed from Google's grand Oreo launch, timed to coincide with this summer's total eclipse, and all of these excuses are starting to ring hollow. Why do Android companies think they can ship new devices without the latest and best version of the operating system on board? The notorious fragmentation problem with Android has always been that not every device gets the latest update at the same time, and many devices get stuck on older software without ever seeing an update at all. What's changed now is that the "one version behind the newest and best" phenomenon is starting to infect brand new phones as well. The 5T and Razer Phone are just two examples; there's also Xiaomi, which just launched its Mi Mix 2 in Spain with 2016's Android Nougat as the operating system.

Comments

Does it matter

[alvinrod]

Even if it is news, does it really matter? Consumers seem to be perfectly fine with an older version of the OS or they don't actually care at all. If consumers don't care, then manufacturers don't have a lot of incentive to spend resources on something that won't improve sales.

It's not as though you're stuck with that option as is the case with iPhones. There are still Android variants that cater to the people who want the latest version and longer support for upgrades. That those devices tend not to sell as well suggests that most consumers don't care or have much higher priorities when it comes to making purchasing decisions.

Re:Does it matter

[markdavis]

>"Even if it is news, does it really matter?"

One of the things that helps is that Google has made their services and clients and apps upgradable. They moved a lot of things out of the base "OS" and into modular packages. So even if you are not on a recent Android, you might still have the most recent Play Services, Maps, Gmail, Gboard, YouTube, Search, Contacts, Phone app, Earth, Chrome, Connectivity Services, Keep, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Fit, Wear, Photos, Calendar, Auto, Pay, GNews, Talkback, Sound Search, messenger, etc, etc, etc, etc. This helps a lot with consistency and security. Of course, this doesn't solve all the problems, but it does help.