As expected, Sony has finally officially brought us new details about their Android upgrade roadmap, both in regards to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and Android 4.4 KitKat.
On the Android 4.3 front, we can expect the rollout to make its way to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1, Xperia T, Xperia TX, and Xperia V. That’s a lot of devices — which is certainly a good thing.
Sony didn’t highlight specific rollout times for each device, though they did say that the updates will begin starting sometime next month.
The Android 4.4 KitKat list isn’t quite as long, and consists of more recent popular devices: the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1. No timeframe was mentioned here at all, though we would imagine that the updates will start rolling out sometime in the 1st quarter of 2014. Keep in mind that’s just speculation on our part.
It’s also important to note that this isn’t the complete list of devices getting KitKat, as Sony calls it a “first raft”. In other words, if you have a fairly recent Sony device that’s not on the list, there is still some hope that you’ll see KitKat.
It’s good to see several manufacturers chiming in with the Android 4.4 KitKat plans, though so far only HTC has really nailed down a specific timeframe. What do you think of Sony’s plans — do you feel they are handling updates in a timely enough manner or not?
First up, Jelly Bean 4.3
We’re pleased to tell you that we’ll start rolling Android 4.3 for Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1 from next month*.
We also mentioned that a few of our products would be jumping software version – so, we can confirm that Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V* will be upgraded to Android Jelly Bean 4.3… also from next month.
And, to Kit Kat 4.4
We’re also happy to tell you about the first raft of Xperia products that we’ll make Android 4.4 Kit Kat available for – they are: Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1*.
