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OnePlus admits to throttling phones after launch to improve battery life

40 points by sciurus 5y ago

ummonk 5y ago
I don’t see what the fuss is about. I do want my web browser throttled if it it still remains responsive but extends battery life.
- commoner 5y ago
  It's a way to manipulate reviews, giving the reviewers a false impression of the devices' actual performance: > It's pretty troubling that the company decided to lower the device performance after the phone was released and reviewed by most outlets. Now customers aren't getting what they were expecting. This isn't just minor tweaking either. AnandTech's article shows some Chrome tests turning in numbers that are 85-75 percent lower than they should be.
  - simfree 5y ago
    If I recall there was an Android manufacturer caught using RAM with slower speeds (reducing memory bandwidth) and higher CAS latency after their initial production run of their flagship phone for that year. This news is also concerning given I just got a free OnePlus Nord N200 5G, I wonder what bodges OnePlus did to make this $200 phone and still meet T-Mobile's battery life and app opening time requirements. The 300Mbps to 600Mbps download and 60Mbps to 100Mbps upload this phone delivers in most areas of the Puget Sound is awesome! That being said Signal and other VOIP calls perform poorly when the phone flutters between LTE and 5G (or between band 71 and 41 on 5G)
    - krono 5y ago
      I have long suspected that OnePlus' toggles for their "RAM Boost" and battery optimisations are just for show. Disabling them still doesn't give you normally functioning apps.
- robbedpeter 5y ago
  If so, then that decision should be enacted by you, and only you. The only reason to hide things like this is to get away with a lie, elsewhere. Consumers need to be given total control of the devices they use - the idea that they can't or shouldn't simply enables more lies and misdirection from relevant market factors, like actual performance, security, sustainability, interoperability, and accessibility. Walled gardens are monopolistic microcosms used to exploit the ignorance and unearned good faith of consumers. Marketing has turned into the science of maintaining the ignorance of your target market, actively suppressing users ability to understand and engage with their technology in a competent and informed manner.

40 points by sciurus 5y ago

I don’t see what the fuss is about. I do want my web browser throttled if it it still remains responsive but extends battery life.

commoner 5y ago
It's a way to manipulate reviews, giving the reviewers a false impression of the devices' actual performance: > It's pretty troubling that the company decided to lower the device performance after the phone was released and reviewed by most outlets. Now customers aren't getting what they were expecting. This isn't just minor tweaking either. AnandTech's article shows some Chrome tests turning in numbers that are 85-75 percent lower than they should be.
- simfree 5y ago
  If I recall there was an Android manufacturer caught using RAM with slower speeds (reducing memory bandwidth) and higher CAS latency after their initial production run of their flagship phone for that year. This news is also concerning given I just got a free OnePlus Nord N200 5G, I wonder what bodges OnePlus did to make this $200 phone and still meet T-Mobile's battery life and app opening time requirements. The 300Mbps to 600Mbps download and 60Mbps to 100Mbps upload this phone delivers in most areas of the Puget Sound is awesome! That being said Signal and other VOIP calls perform poorly when the phone flutters between LTE and 5G (or between band 71 and 41 on 5G)
  - krono 5y ago
    I have long suspected that OnePlus' toggles for their "RAM Boost" and battery optimisations are just for show. Disabling them still doesn't give you normally functioning apps.
robbedpeter 5y ago
If so, then that decision should be enacted by you, and only you. The only reason to hide things like this is to get away with a lie, elsewhere. Consumers need to be given total control of the devices they use - the idea that they can't or shouldn't simply enables more lies and misdirection from relevant market factors, like actual performance, security, sustainability, interoperability, and accessibility. Walled gardens are monopolistic microcosms used to exploit the ignorance and unearned good faith of consumers. Marketing has turned into the science of maintaining the ignorance of your target market, actively suppressing users ability to understand and engage with their technology in a competent and informed manner.