Nothing lasts forever. As it is with leftovers, so it is with Android phones, or at least their manufacturers' willingness to expend time and money updating the software. XperiaBlog reports that Sony announced a dozen of its older Android phones won't be getting any more software updates. That means no software at all, not just major Android version bumps. The former flagship Xperia S and its American cousin the Xperia Ion are probably the most popular phones among them. Here's the full list, complete with the last major Android revision officially released:
- Xperia S (4.1)
- Xperia ion (4.1)
- Xperia P (4.1)
- Xperia J (4.1)
- Xperia U (4.0)
- Xperia SL (4.1)
- Xperia arc S (4.0)
- Xperia acro S (4.1)
- Xperia go (4.1)
- Xperia miro (4.0)
- Xperia sola (4.0)
- Xperia tipo (4.0)
All the models in that list are at least 18 months old, with some stretching to two years. Looking back through our own archives, we can see that many of these phones made it as far as Jelly Bean 4.1, and others were at least upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich. The Xperia L saw a little late-life action with an AOSP build of KitKat. Sony is also pretty liberal when it comes to bootloaders, so those with the inclination for root can try their luck with custom ROM scene. If you've still got one of these phones, it might be time for an upgrade anyway.
Source: XperiaBlog