Sony Mobile continues to push Google’s latest version of Android OS on some of this year’s Xperia X models, and after bringing Android 7.0 Nougat to the Sony Xperia X Performance in late November, the company is now rolling out Android 7.0 on the Sony Xperia X (model number F5121), the Sony Xperia X Dual (F5122) and the smaller Sony Xperia X Compact.
The new firmware pushes the build number to version 34.2.A.0.266 and as yet, the update is available in select regions including Latin America, Australia, Middle East, Russia, Turkey, Thailand, and Vietnam. As is usually the case with new software updates, Android 7.0 Nougat arrives on the Sony Xperia X series in phases, meaning that some regions will have priority over others. The update’s availability will expand over time to accommodate all the models “in the wild” but until then, Sony Xperia X, Xperia X Dual, and Xperia X Compact owners can either wait for the update notification to pop up or try to trigger the updating process manually from their device’s settings menu. As for what one can expect from Android 7.0 Nougat, the new OS version introduces a number of under (and over) the hood changes, including a redesigned notification area, the re-introduction of System UI Tuner, and of course, Multi-Window mode. While Multi Window was previously seen on Android devices running proprietary custom user interfaces, split-screen multitasking finally and officially arrives on Google’s operating system with Android 7.0 Nougat. Other goodies worth mentioning include an improved Doze Mode for better energy management and battery life, better performance, and a redesigned “Settings” menu which now contains suggestions at the top of the screen.
As far as the smartphones themselves are concerned, both the Sony Xperia X (Dual) and Sony Xperia X Compact have been released earlier this year running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box. Both smartphones share roughly the same hardware specifications including a Qualcomm MSM8956 Snapdragon 650 System-on-Chip, 3GB of RAM, an Adreno 510 graphics chip, a 23-megapixel main camera with phase detection autofocus, and a 13-megapixel front-facing sensor. However, the main difference between the Sony Xperia X and Xperia X Compact lies in dimensions, and while the Xperia X carries a 5.0-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, the Sony Xperia X Compact accommodates the same internal components in a smaller package carrying a 4.6-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720.