Manufacturers always have a tough time managing Android updates for their smartphones.
Sony is no different as the company releases new security patches and Android versions to their flagship models whenever possible.
The brand’s official blog recently released a statement confirming that they now have a fixed timeline on how long their smartphones will be supported. Compared to companies like LG, Google, Samsung and many others, Sony is lacking in the smartphone department. Their flagship models are often great but they are ridiculously expensive and don’t come with an assurance to get Android 8.0 Oreo or other future updates. The situation turns customers skeptical as they think twice before buying one of their smartphones.
Smartphone manufacturers, even big players like Samsung always find themselves in a situation where they are unable to provide a strong word on software updates. Google is the only firm which also happens to own Android that rolls out new software updates, security patches and support their phones in time. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL fall in this category while many models from Motorola that features Vanilla Android receive updates.
The same cannot be said about Sony’s Xperia range of smartphones or the Samsung Galaxy devices. The manufacturer often uses lots of customization on top of the original Android operating system and every update should first be tested before it is rolled out to their users. Sony has made a promise now or at least specified a timeline making it easier for buyers to come to a conclusion when they choose to buy a Xperia smartphone.
Sony’s mid-range phones may get supported for a year or two based on how powerful their software specifications are. The big announcement is primarily focused towards models like the Sony Xperia XZ, XA1, XA1 Ultra, X, X Compact, XZ1 lineup of phones and other similar models. All these devices will receive a security patch to protect users against Spectre and Meltdown flaws.
While Sony didn’t explicitly confirm about bringing Android 9.0 among other future operating systems to their flagship smartphones, the announcement confirmed their willingness to support phones at least for two years. It makes the devices more future proof than before as it has a specific timeline even though two years sounds less for the expensive price tag many flagship models are associated with. Google offers three years of support for their Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones till 2020.