Sweet treat for Xperia owners as Sony outs Jelly Bean, KitKat roadmap

Sweet treat for Xperia owners as Sony outs Android Jelly Bean, KitKat roadmap
The Xperia Z1 will get KitKat, you know, at some point

It's that time again; when Android smartphone and tablet owners cross their fingers in hope that someday their device will be chosen to join the elite few on the newest version of an operating system.

On Thursday, Sony lived up to last week's promise and delivered its roadmap, not just for Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but for the handsets that'll eventually be rocking Android 4.4 KitKat.

Here's the long and short of it: In the next months, the Japanese giant will begin bestowing Jelly Bean on Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1.

The Xperia T, V and TX will go straight from 4.1 to 4.3.

The zees have it

Sony stopped short of offering a timeframe for Android 4.4 KitKat updates, but the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1 are the first in line for the roll-out whenever that may be.

Given Sony is taking some services straight from Android 4.1 to 4.3, some users might be asking why the aforementioned devices can't go straight to Android 4.4.

Of course, Sony would probably answer by regaling us all with tales of the vigorous testing that must take place before each update can be rolled out.

Google, on the other hand, seems keen for as many devices as possible to end up on KitKat and has designed the new OS to play nice with lower memory devices.

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.