OnePlus X was launched shortly after the company brought out the OnePlus 2 in August 2015. Android 6 Marshmallow started hitting the Nexus devices a few months later in October. While the OnePlus 2 received the Oxygen OS 3 update in June and Google getting ready to push Android 7 Nougat to Nexus phones in a few months, the OnePlus X is still left waiting.
OnePlus confirmed on Twitter that it would definitely be rolling out the Android Marshmallow-based Oxygen OS update for the OnePlus X. However, one can't help but wonder whether the device would still remain relevant if it were to receive Android Marshmallow update when Google switched focus to developing Android 7 Nougat.
OnePlus dragging its feet with the Android Marshmallow update also makes one wonder why the smartphone-maker is taking long and one possible reason could be that the line of the devices isn't the company's focus anymore.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau told Engadget that the company's focus will no longer be on low-cost and budget offerings. Much like what Apple did in the past, the company will go back to its one-device policy and focus on what Lau called their "true flagship."
OnePlus dragging its feet on the OS update even for the OnePlus 2 seems like an irresponsible move on the company's behalf. According to Symantec, cybercriminals are discovering a new zero-day vulnerability every week and smartphones are no exception. Running outdated operating systems poses a serious security risk to users.
While Google does its part by releasing regular security updates, according to security firm Duo Labs, its only Nexus and Samsung smartphones that receive the updates in a timely manner.
"As always, we find the only Android devices that we can recommend without major reservations are Nexus and, now, Samsung devices, provided they keep releasing those security updates quickly," Duo Labs said in a blog post.
While OnePlus X users wait patiently for the update, the race is really between whether the OnePlus X will get Android Marshmallow first or whether Nexus 6 users will have the last laugh.
