Sony made good on its promise of launching phones with the latest Android version when the Xperia XZ1 and the Xperia XZ1 Compact came with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, even before the Pixel 2 phones did in 2017. Now, new findings reveal Sony’s flagship devices will receive Android version updates for up to two years after launch.
The new update policy was revealed by Xperia Blog and by the looks of it, the Xperia XZ1 and the Xperia XZ1 Compact will get the updates to Android P and Android Q.
The two-year update policy is also adopted by the likes of Google for its Pixel phones and phones under the Android One Program like the Xiaomi Mi A1.
The new update policy does not guarantee that every Xperia phone will receive the same treatment. The mid-range and budget phones may not get updates for two years after launch. Sony will push out updates to only the devices that meet the company’s “exacting standards.” If the hardware cannot create a stable user experience, the update will not be pushed out.
The new update policy also states that the flagship Xperia phones will receive security updates outside the regular version updates, “depending on the timing and situation”.