Revisions and updates : limited shelf life of an Android phone

[fergusd84]

I am entirely new to Android.
If I have understood things correctly, even a brand new ZenFone 8 will only be allowed / permitted / capable of achieving (a) updates to the Android OS and (b) security updates for some linited period - what, maybe 2Y or suchlike? Thereafter it will be stuck at that status, regardless of any future developments and protections. The phone will continue to work, probably indefinitely with respect to the OS, but becoming more and more vulnerable as regards security.
Is this really the case? Surely I have got this wrong? And is it a policy imposed by Google or Asus or .. .. ? Even Microsoft offer updates for a decade or more before shutting down support on its various OSs; a car manufacturer woiuld not get away with halting safety notifications and taking any necessary actions.
I am just stunned (but also at my own ignorance). The phone cost approx 800 Euros. I would have anticipated much greater longevity than is implied by the above. What happened when billions of users world-wide presumably objected? (Or not? Is the lure of a brand new phone every two years just too intoxicating?)
Is there any way round this? Even by securing some kind of an extension at some cost?

[landsome]

erik.paladin

https://zentalk.asus.com/en/discussion/comment/221135#Comment_221135

The problem is that with longer device support, we could use the devices for a longer time and not buy a new phone every two years if we wanted new features or compatibility with current software.

But then the companies couldn't sell us those new phones, and their income would decrease.

However, the problem that we have at this exact moment is that we are producing too much new stuff, and that is hurting the entire human population. Of course we have a lot of technology that is of no practical use now, but we also have a lot of technology that could be usable (if not by us, then by somebody else), if only it was supported. But support requires everybody in the chain to contribute: the phone manufacturers to optimize their software/drivers, and for app developers to also focus on optimization, so various apps are usable on less powerful hardware, instead of just focusing on monetization.

This is a complicatedsubject, but one that is very iimportant RIGHT NOW as our (artificial) need for new stuff is literally endangering our existence.

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I agree partly - and disagree in part. Why use a phone for only 2 years because there are no upgrades after that? Does that render the phone unusable? Not at all. I have many examples of people around me (but not on these forums!) who still use their phones happily and productively after 3 years of zero updates. So why the update fixation? (Or the no-update phobia?)
If you care about sustainability, go on using your phone for as long as it works well. Sure, longer updates is good, just not a big deal. Most phones work fine well beyond the end-of-update point. This seems to be a fixation of review sites, but to have very little practical effect in real life. People are buying into this theory, but it is itself a product of commercial culture. Just use the damn thing for as long as it satisfies you.

[landsome]

Btw, I still use occasionally a 2013 Moto G (OG) with a mid-tier cpu at the time, 1gb of RAM and 8gb of storage. With Android 7.1.2 via LineageOS, it is perfectly usable for basic tasks and streaming. The battery can be easily swapped (not the case of my iPhone SE 2016, which would cost me a lot of money relative to its worth to fix).
There are plenty of options out there for sustainability-conscious people, if that is your cup of tea.

[erik_paladin]

landsome

Btw, I still use occasionally a 2013 Moto G (OG) with a mid-tier cpu at the time, 1gb of RAM and 8gb of storage. With Android 7.1.2 via LineageOS, it is perfectly usable for basic tasks and streaming. The battery can be easily swapped (not the case of my iPhone SE 2016, which would cost me a lot of money relative to its worth to fix).

There are plenty of options out there for sustainability-conscious people, if that is your cup of tea.

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I agree with your comments, but you said it yourself: "usable for basic tasks". Why is a phone that was lightning fast at release and could be used for more than "basic tasks" today only suitable for those?
Why does my Huawei P10 take 20+ minutes to update 5-10 apps through the play store? It didn't take that long when I got it.
Maybe I could install a custom ROM on it, but Huawei killed the program that gave you a bootloader unlock code according to your IMEI.
In my opinion, support should also include optimization of software/drivers so devices don't get downgraded to "basic tasks" after a few years. And as I said in my previous post, this concept of support also includes software and web developers who should lower their reliance on fast hardware to perform badly optimized operations.

[R_2]

For those who are interested only in basic tasks and maybe change their device every year or 2 years i can understand... For those people it doesn't change much. However why you buy such an expensive device if it's not for compact size and android stock? Buy china phone and change it after 1-2 years easily...
Now i tell you my reasons.
I play heavy games so i need a powerful and optimized device. This also means i need updated gpu drivers, so an updated and optimized software. Android 14 will have vulkan 1.3 so hell yeah if i need it. It would improve my device. If you put powerful soc in a device you shouldn't put it just for marketing.
I paid more than 600€ for a flagship phone and the support should last 2 years?? Are you f*cking kidding me? I paid for something which should last definitely more.
Custom rom will be the way absolutely if no a14 for zenfone 8

[smchay]

I voted with my $$$ and gave Asus the 🖕 ........ Yeap, that's my take.