Actually the hardware on the current Axon 7 is completely fine and more than capable of running almost everything. As long as there's no statement to an update guarantee for Android O, i'm not planning to support ZTE in building another phone and another and another. More important than any hardware-upgrade today should be a clear commitment of the vendor to support this device with major versions until the end of the device guarantee, as well as opening up the bootloader globally for further possibilities to update it afterwards.
You really get the feeling that the vendors today are just rotating their ideas when building a new phone, while implementing the current qualcomm-Chipset into the device, but what really will it bring to us in terms of usability, functionality?
"This time let's put this button right here, how about the fingerprintscanner right on the volume toggles, no one did that before, let's put more pixels into it, yeaah, or 100mAh more into the battery, 0,01m thinner, let's make everything thinner so it handles a lot worse, but it looks sooo goood, ....but wait, what did apple right there? let's include it as well..."
Android OS including all of the relevant security fixes should be on the main priority list of every vendor, to support their user base with the current OS not because of features, no. Because of the responsibility to secure the data of their customer base, to provide a secure plattform, which actually is available for every vendor out there. Currently we trust these devices more than we should (Photos, Notes, Address Book,Messages, VPN Access). We're constantly connected to the internet.
And I mean, it just works in the PC-market. All the manufacturers like Acer, Lenovo, Asus, etc. are building their hardware-base, selling their PCs through hardware-refinement, design, functionality, cooling-solution, audio-implementation, but Windows itself is provided by Microsoft and updated through their main update-functions. Everyone get the same treatment. And even here we got a router at home, who at least hold of a few of the nasty malicious stuff from the internet, if i got an unpatched system. What do we got on Android? Why not here? I decide what pleases me hardware-wise, but the software should be the same on all the devices and constantly maintained.
I love every little bit of the current Axon 7, it's extremely well made, the display is gorgeous, the fluid speed. I'm happy, but at this point i'm already concerned about the time, when the vendor stops supporting this device with even the smallest security fixes, when i'm in the position to look for OS-alternatives on the XDA-forum. Fortunately i'm in the position with an unlocked/hacked bootloader, something customers had to find out, because ZTE didn't felt the need to provide the same services in Europe as in the US. What about the other customers, who are not technical savy and still on locked devices.
Actually it's not a problem with ZTE alone. Almost every current vendor uses the Android OS-Version combined with their "UI-treatment" (Overlays, Icon-Scheme, Wallpapers, Soundfiles) as a selling factor. "Oh, your mobile phone only got Android 6, that's old and sad" "look our current one got Android 7 (and will probably stop there), it's so much newer and better". This shouldn't be a sales argument in the first place. Vendors are even punishing developers and customers by withdrawing hardware-failure support who are trying to get out of that marketing cage by developing bootloader unlock procedures or alternate "native" Android-experiences.
I think ZTE (or another vendor) should try to go a completely different route by providing a native Android-OS-experience, putting their own on-top-functionality in seperate apps (which are updateable through the play store) and be the first vendor, to offer continuous OS-versions for their current devices (independent of Snapdragon 800, 600 or 400-series-chipsets; all of them are capable of running the OS just fine). Afterwards there could be for instance yearly paid-service-contracts for further support, because why not? Not everyone needs a new device because of hardware-specs. They will just use their phones for 4 or more years, but (!) with an old and insecure OS-Version which is a threat to the customer, an image-threat for the company and as whole a threat for the fragmentation and image of Android itself.
Newer devices can still be developed, because of course there will be vr-stuff, games or applications who are taking advantage of newer qualcomm chipsets. Of course new or old designs can be rotated with newer devices. In my opinion nothing would be lost, as there are still those people, who wants to own the newest devices, or current ones are getting damaged and need a replacement. The need will still be there, but new customers would gather around that vendor, because of the support, stability and trust he would gain and give.
It's just my opinion but in the end, i think we're a going a wrong way helping them just producing more and more phones while stopping their support for their current ones.
