Irresponsibility is a characteristic feature of most smartphone manufacturers on Android. Many of them sincerely believe that the consumer will survive the monthly security patches that come out once, or even after two monthly patches, wait for the adaptation of the next versions Android for six months and will not be indignant if they are deprived of all this. Does it happen, some will think? Of course it does. But if the interruptions in updates can still be tolerated, then the termination of support for even new devices is no longer there.
Xiaomi has no plans to update even some new smartphones
Xiaomi has never been famous for the stable support of its smartphones. She could refuse to update the still quite old devices, which had just turned a year old. Therefore, probably few people paid attention to the fact that this year Xiaomi decided to stop software support for more than a dozen devices at once. In addition to the models of a year and a half ago, which seem to be about to retire already, the list includes frankly new devices that are still very popular.
Which smartphones Xiaomi will not receive Android 11
Redmi Note 8 – less than a year old and no longer supported
Just look at the list of smartphones that do not shine Android 11:
- Redmi Note 7, Note 7 Pro, Note 7s
- Redmi Note 8, Note 8 Pro, Note 8T
- Xiaomi Mi CC9e
- Redmi 8, Redmi 8A Dual, Redmi 8A
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
- Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha
As you can see, the oldest in this list was the lineup Redmi Note 7. When I first learned that Xiaomi was refusing to support it, I thought that there was nothing catastrophic in general. Still, these devices are already 2 years old, which means that they cannot claim Android 11. But what was my surprise when I found out that only in January the classic 'seven' turned a whole year old, and the rest of the modifications that came out with a noticeable delay were even less. It's just that when new models of the line Redmi are released, the Chinese do not wait a whole year, but limit themselves to 6-9 months, hence a slight shift in the perception of their true age.
Problems Redmi Note 8
Redmi Note 8 is even newer than Redmi Note 7, because Xiaomi introduced the updated line only at the end of August 2019. It turns out that at the moment, when it is already known for sure that the update Redmi Note 8 does not shine, they have not even turned one year old. No, I can understand that there may be some restrictions on updating smartphones four and five years ago. But I sincerely refuse to believe that Xiaomi does not have the opportunity to update a one-year-old device. Most likely, the Chinese simply did not want to adapt Android 11 for processors MediaTek, on the basis of which almost the entire line Redmi Note 8 works and which at one time already became the reason prohibition of flashing.
Xiaomi Mi x Alpha is a non-commercial smartphone so no one will be upset if they don't receive Android 11
As for the Mi Mix 3 5G and the Mix Alpha, there are almost no complaints here, although these are the most flagships. Practice has shown that Mi Mix 3 5G was practically not in demand, and adapting Android 11 for the sake of those couple of thousand people who bought this model is clearly not economically feasible. Undoubtedly, it would be better if Xiaomi still released an update, but since there are almost no people who will be especially outraged, there is no point in updating.
Mix Alpha is another story altogether. Despite the fact that it was supposed to be sold for 3 thousand dollars, it did not go on sale, and it remained a showcase model – an indicator of what the Chinese are really capable of. Does this change anything? In my opinion, no. Xiaomi treats its consumers as its own resource, which it has the right to dispose of as it wants. Today the company releases a smartphone and cuts money on it, and tomorrow it simply stops updating it and releases a new one. And it will continue this way exactly as long as we ourselves allow it.