The first Sony phone of 2013, the Xperia Z. It’s a great looking device, I can’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s also supposed to be launching in late-February and into March, depending on the market, and it’ll be launching with Android 4.1 – Jelly Bean. Which isn’t the latest version of Android, but it’s still Jelly Bean. For most consumers, Android 4.2 isn’t a “big deal” especially on skinned handsets like Sony, HTC, and Samsung devices, a lot of us still like to buy a new device that is already running the latest version of Android, right? Because we already know how manufacturers are with updates.
In a recent Q&A session with Sony, they answered a few questions regarding Android 4.2 upgrades to its new flagship device. So you’ll be seeing Android 4.2 update hitting “shortly after launch” which is a pretty big time frame. We’d like to see the update hit OTA as soon as we pick it up from our favorite carrier, right? Here’s the official word from Sony:
“Xperia Z launches on JB 4.1, but will receive 4.2 shortly after launch. As always, we’ll share more info on this over the coming weeks on the blog.”
The jump from Android 4.1 to 4.2 won’t be as huge or dramatic as the update from Android 2.3 to 4.0 or even Android 4.0 to 4.1, so we should see manufacturers pushing it out soon. Unless they decide to skip it and wait on the next version of Android which should be a major version (Android 5.0 perhaps?). The changes in Android 4.2 are mostly interface changes, which means most of us that aren’t running a pure Android device like the Nexus S, Nexus 4, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 or the Nexus 10 probably won’t see to much of a difference. But the update will always be welcome.
So the Xperia Z is launching with Android 4.1, and Android 4.2 will be available shortly after. Hopefully Sony keeps their word and pushes it out via OTA as soon as they can. Who’s planning on grabbing the Xperia Z? Let us know in the comments below.