Affirm vs. Confirm [closed]

Anyone may affirm a claim, but only those in a position to do so may confirm it. A claim cannot be confirmed ere it is affirmed. Middle English: from Old French confermer, from Latin confirmare, from con- ‘together’ + firmare ‘strengthen’ (from firmus ‘firm’). Confirmation is corroborative affirmation: one claimant makes a claim, and the claim is subsequently strengthened in its warrant by another claimant possessed of a greater degree of of credibility than the original claimant. In this case, a rumor regarding a prospective product may be confirmed or disconfirmed definitively by the concern involved, i.e., OnePlus. It could be confirmed less definitively by an insider such as an employee or someone else in a position to know.

This is a case where each word has multiple definitions that somewhat overlap, and at least "affirm" is defined using "confirm". So the dictionary definitions are of limited help. I'll focus on just the aspects and usages that are different and common.

To affirm is to assert something, or to express a strong belief in or dedication to something. It is often in relation to something that has been an issue or topic of interest in the past, but the affirmation can happen on its own timetable. While it may generally relate to something previous, it is not necessarily a direct response to a specific previous action. See M-W.

To confirm is to remove doubt or to give new assurance of something's validity, and it is typically a direct response to something specific. See M-W.

Examples:

• Someone can affirm (officially state) that he is a candidate for an office. There may or may not have been speculation or waffling and the announcement could serve to remove doubt. However, that is more of a side effect; the announcement isn't a direct response to a claim that he is or isn't a candidate. The affirmation is simply an announcement.
• A suspect is accused of a crime. If the judge asks him how he pleads and he states that he is innocent, that is an affirmation of his innocence. If a press reporter asks him, "You're innocent, right?" And he says, "That's correct, I'm innocent", that's a confirmation.
• Laws generally establish things. They may get created as the result of a lot of debate. When they are actually written, however, they simply state a position. They don't say that one side or the other of the earlier argument was correct. Laws may also clarify, refine, or replace earlier laws, but they don't simply refer an earlier law and say yes, we really meant what the old one said. So you might talk about laws "affirming" the racial equality of all people, rather than "confirming" it.
• If someone asks you whether a rumor is true or false, or asks you to verify an order, your positive response to those requests would "confirm" the rumor or "confirm" the order.

So to the example in the question:

However, OnePlus has not yet affirmed the points of interest.

The correct word would depend on the context of the events. If the sentence means that OnePlus has not yet announced the details, "affirmed" would be correct. If they announced the details and subsequently issued conflicting updates on what the final package would actually look like, people may be waiting for them to "confirm" the particulars.