Japanese brand Sony today announced that it will roll out software updates to its flagship smartphones for two years, up from the usual 18 months upgrade cycle. But only the company's flagship devices fall under this category. For example, Sony's Xperia XZ lineup of smartphones will receive software updates for two years from the date of launch. However, there's no luck for Sony's mid-range, and entry-level devices as the company confirmed that it wouldn't provide any update if the hardware doesn't meet the requirement.
“We aim to support all premium range devices with the latest Android updates for two years after the device has launched. We may choose not to upgrade a mid-range or entry-level device if testing does not meet our exacting standards and we feel the hardware isn’t capable of delivering a stable user experience," said the company.
Recently, Google announced that it would be delivering three major software updates to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL along with security patches. Earlier, Google used to provide two major software updates and three years of monthly security patch updates to its smartphones, but for all the bad stuff Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL had undergone after the release, Google silenced everyone by issuing this news.
Sony is one of the few smartphone brands who focus on software part, but the company's name has faded away over the past three years with the resurgence of Chinese brands. A few Sony smartphones in November 2017 arrived with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, and only Google's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL arrived with Oreo out of the box back then. It delivers software updates on time too, but there are hardly any Sony smartphone users these days.
On the side of this news, Sony also released its earnings for the final quarter of 2017. The Japanese company stated that its sales have increased by a decent 11.46% and the company managed to ship just 4 million smartphones. Furthermore, Sony made an announcement that Kazuo Hirai who is the current CEO of the company will become chairman of the unit starting April 1, 2018. And Kenichiro Yoshida will replace him.
