Sony announced official end of life cycle of several Xperia devices and most of these smartphones are ending with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware while others in Android Ice Cream Sandwich and owners may only expect incremental upgrades containing bug fixes, if lucky. Xperia SP, T, TX, V, M, L, C, and E/E Dual are still enjoying their life cycles.

End of Life Cycle Declared

Sony Mobile finally decided which Xperia smartphones are ending life cycles this year, and sadly, most of them are going to end up on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean version. The main reason why these devices are no longer getting future Android versions is the expiration date on the 18-month update window period ruling from manufacturers.

"Older smartphones will 'not receive any further software upgrade support'," according to Sony Mobile, as noted by Xperia Blog.

In addition to the expiration of update window period, most of these Xperia smartphones are also no longer commercially viable to most territories and have been replaced by newer models running Android Jelly Bean.

Convicted Devices

Here ia the list of Xperia smartphones with details of official release dates and current Android version.

Xperia Device Model

Release Date

Current Android Version

Xperia S

February 2012

Android 4.1

Xperia SL

September 2012

Android 4.1

Xperia Arc S

September 2011

Android 4.0

Xperia Ion

June 2012 LTE and 3G models

Android 4.1

Xperia Acro S

August 2012

Android 4.1

Xperia Go

July 2012

Android 4.1

Xperia P

May 2012

Android 4.1

Xperia J

October 2012

Android 4.1

Xperia Miro

September 2012

Android 4.0

Xperia Sola

May 2012

Android 4.0

Xperia Tipo

August 2012

Android 4.0

Xperia U

May 2012

Android 4.0

Owners of devices listed above may still upgrade to Android 4.4 or 4.4.2 KitKat by resorting on customised firmware or ROMs which are made by third-party developers. However, even with bloatware-free system provided by these ROMs, users will never expect to get the exact Sony apps and services unlike with stock ROM. Still, good enough in exchange for the latest features of Android KitKat.

Getting Future Updates

Only a handful of Xperia smartphones are expected to receive Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and Android 4.4 KitKat in 2014. It includes Xperia Z series, Xperia SP, T, TX, V and M. Xperia E and E Dual running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean weren't included on the convicted list, while Xperia L may remain for quite some time on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Xperia C has no future upgrades yet, but Xperia M has been scheduled to get Android 4.3, according to Vodafone Australia.