The little things like software and security updates are important to low and phones even though high-end specs phones usually get the latest updates first. A recent report from counterpoint ranked your favorite smartphone vendor TECNO as the worst among top 10 phone makers in the World when it comes to rolling out software updates.
TECNO Mobile has captured the market with their devices that have carefully been crafted to target buyers at various price points. However, the company has always struggled in one major area that is software updates and It looks like most of the users are comfortable and doesn’t mind much about it either.
The TECNO brand has been a household name in Uganda for the past few years and the continent at large. They command a whopping 37.4% share of the market and have broad portfolios mostly in the sub 200$ department ( around 300,000ugx) and their device lifecycle of their models tends to be short.
According to Research Analyst Abhilash Kumar, products like TECNO Mobile’s “often transition from launch to end-of-life in as little as six months, which means they have less incentive to provide long-term updates,” something we can truly attest to with the recent launch of the Camon 12 series, the third refresh in about a year and a half.
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TECNO vs the Competition
Sometime in May, we reported about Spark 3 Pro receiving Android Q beta, but until today, the original build hasn’t received any updates. Even more annoying is that the company isn’t saying anything about it.
Oppo’s Realme, a very popular brand in India, recently admitted that the Realme 3 Pro won’t be receiving any update to its initial Android Q build that came out in May alongside the Spark 3 Pro. Instead, those uninterested in the old beta can roll back to the latest Pie stable as they wait for the stable update to Android 10.
The TECNO Spot forum is full of disgruntled owners of various Tecno Mobile devices venting their anger at the Chinese company with what they feel is neglecting their devices with respect to software updates. Some say they’ve never seen a single update for over a year, which is pretty shocking given that even the Nokia 1 is set to be upgraded to Android 10.
TECNO software updates
It’s no wonder Nokia tops the Counterpoint Research with 96% of its devices currently running Android 9 Pie. The Nokia 8.1 is also set to open the floodgates for other Nokia devices to receive Android 10 in the coming weeks.
In comparison, TECNO Mobile comes last on the list with a mere 5% of its devices running Android Pie. The majority is still on Android Oreo (47%) and a good number are running Nougat, Marshmallow, and Lollipop. Heck, there’s even some room for KitKat users, so yeah, the story speaks for itself.
