Google has started the Android 7.0 rollout to its Nexus devices. Obviously, the next question everyone asks is, “When am I getting it on my device?” If your device happens to be from Sony Mobile, the company has provided an answer.
If you bought your Sony Xperia smartphone or tablet before the year 2015 then you are out of luck. Sony is only focusing on devices launched after the start of 2015. As such, the confirmed list of devices in line to receive Android Nougat is rather small with just two devices staining the grouping of Sony’s most recent flagship smartphones in the Z5 and X series.
In order to be more specific, here they are:
- Xperia Z3+
- Xperia Z4 tablet
- Xperia Z5
- Xperia Z5 Compact
- Xperia Z5 Premium
- Xperia X
- Xperia XA
- Xperia XA Ultra and
- Xperia X Performance
The exclusion of the Xperia Z3 from the list is rather surprising, though, despite the device having been launched back in 2014 and as such an unlikely candidate going by Sony’s criteria. This is because the Xperia Z3 was one of the few non-Nexus devices besides the Android One devices that had access to Android 7.0 pre-release. Google released the Android N Developer Preview to some variants of the Xperia Z3 (D6603 and D6653) in partnership with Sony and if anything, this was seen as a sign of good things to come for the two-year-old device. How wrong we were!
Like it has done in the past, Sony is not showing any love to mid-tier devices like those in its C series and others down the food chain.
The company has not provided any timelines on when the update will be hitting the devices it has confirmed will be getting it.
In case you’re thinking, “Wow, Sony device users are getting a raw deal,” then just remember that HTC has only committed to updating 3 recent smartphones and nothing more. Yup, it’s that time of the year when you get reminded why you should give Google’s Nexus smartphones a second look next time you go shopping because only them are assured of getting a new version of Android early.
