A third-party Android phone manufacturer delivering major OS updates ahead of schedule? Tech wonders will truly never cease! After dropping the Android Pie update for its XZ2 and XZ2 Compact smartphones a month ahead of schedule, earlier this month, Sony is at it again.
It says more early updates are coming, while the rest of the handsets earmarked for Android Pie are “bang on schedule.” In a blog post, the company announced the XZ Premium, XZ1 and XZ1 Compact will now get the update from October 26. The XZ2 Premium gets a slice of Pie from November 7.
Meanwhile, mid-range handsets like the XA2, XA2 Ultra and XA2 Plus will have to wait until March 4 2019 for the update.
Related: Android Pie Phones: When will my handset get it?
While the six month wait isn’t exactly ideal for owners of those devices, it’s refreshing to see Sony pick a date and publicise it. Usually phone makers will only commit to arbitrary deadlines like “Spring” only to miss them anyway.
However, there’s no faulting Sony this time around. It has been on the ball with Android Pie thus far, with its Xperia XZ3 handset among the first to ship with the operating system out of the box.
If the company can develop a reputation among smartphone consumers for lightning fast Android updates, it could use that as a unique selling point. Demand for Sony Xperia handsets has fallen dramatically in the last few years, largely due to Sony’s reluctance to modernise its design language.
The XZ3 is certainly a progression overall, with a great OLED screen, fast performance and decent battery life. In his review, our own Richard Easton called it “a big step in the right direction for Sony flagships.”
Will fast access to Android updates convince you to give Sony phones another chance? Or have you moved on to the likes of OnePlus and Huawei while Sony’s designers were asleep at the wheel? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
