No phone is truly perfect. There are always elements worth improving in a successor, both big and small. From lackluster camera quality and limited battery life to significant hardware flaws that can brick a device, every phone is about tradeoffs. That’s why it’s essential to consider what you prioritize before buying one. But what if the manufacturer was making those decisions for you?
This week, OnePlus admitted to throttling 300 of the most popular apps on the Play Store on its latest flagships. The company claimed it was an attempt to improve battery life and heat management, two essential elements for a great smartphone experience. However, by attempting to improve those two elements, OnePlus slowed down everything from social media apps and Chrome to Candy Crush Saga on its latest flagship phones.
It’s reminiscent of Apple’s throttling controversy a few years ago, revealing it had been slowing down its older devices through software updates to improve the lifespan of degraded batteries. Of course, OnePlus’s phones are brand new flagships, and there’s a certain expectation with new hardware that the user gets all of the power and functionality that comes with dropping nearly a grand on any smartphone.
Apple ended up adding an option to switch off throttling — though not without naming it “peak performance capability” first. It’s possible that the blowback OnePlus experienced this week could result in a similar toggle, or perhaps all OnePlus devices moving forward will fall victim to its software tweaks. Would you be okay with lowering your phone’s performance for better battery life, or is this incident a complete turn-off?
