On that day we buy a phone, we all think it will easily run five years or so. But a phone's lifespan doesn't depend on battery or screen alone, it depends on software too. From exactly that place comes upsetting news, because Xiaomi End-of-Life list just grew again with a whole batch of phones, among them sits Xiaomi 12 series, once a flagship of pride.

Let's first understand End-of-Life in simple terms. A name landing on this list means those phones will receive no more Android or HyperOS updates. No new features will arrive, software faults won't get repaired, most importantly of all, security patches stop coming too. Phones won't shut down, they'll run just like before. But from today they stand alone, Xiaomi's shadow no longer covers them.

Now let's see who fell onto this list. Biggest names are Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro, plus China's Xiaomi 12S Ultra. Worth remembering, for Xiaomi 12 plus 12 Pro, several regional versions sit on this list alongside global models. From tablet territory, China's Xiaomi Pad 6 plus Pad 6 Pro got dropped. In Poco's house, blows fell on Turkey's Poco X5 5G plus Indonesia's Poco X5 Pro 5G. Redmi's list holds China's Redmi Note 12T Pro, Redmi K60E, plus Europe's Redmi 10 5G. Full list sits on Xiaomi's official End-of-Life page.

Pause a moment, this stings a little. Take Xiaomi 12S Ultra itself. Back in 2022 this phone was a name causing uproar across camera world, Xiaomi's first work with Leica. Merely four years later, that phone stands outside update doors today. For anyone who spent big money on a flagship, this farewell may feel a bit early.

Truth be told, some of these phones had already stopped receiving major Android updates as per Xiaomi's promised policy. So this news doesn't exactly fall from sky. Still, an official announcement arriving means even that last bit of hope runs out.

Now comes that question, what do you do if your phone sits on this list? Nothing to panic about, your phone runs fine tomorrow morning too. But risk keeps growing slowly. Any newly discovered security flaw stays unrepaired forever, hackers' favorite prey happens to be exactly such update-less phones. A phone holding banking apps, personal photos, vital information deserves no gambling. So if your name sits on that list, slowly starting plans for a new phone is wise.

One last reminder before closing. While buying phones, we spend so much time behind cameras plus processors, yet rarely ask about update policy. Meanwhile Samsung plus Google now offer up to seven years of updates, Xiaomi too promises longer support on new flagships than before. Before buying your next phone, never forget asking this question, brother, how many years of updates do I get? Because a phone's true lifespan stays written right there.

Source: ithome