Android 6.0 Marshmallow Update Release Dates for Sony Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact, Z5 Premium, Z4, and Z3 series

By Mark Rollins
Sony Xperia Z4
Sony's new Xperia Z4 smartphones are displayed at the company headquarters in Tokyo April 20, 2015. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

It has now been almost three months since Google has announced the official rollout of the latest version of Android 6.0 (also known as Android M or Marshmallow).  The issue is that it is on very few devices, leaving many users of "newer" Android devices wondering when it will finally be available.  This is what is known about the Android M Version 6.0 Marshmallow Release Date Sony Z5, Z5 Compact, Z5 Premium, Z4, and Z3 series for carriers like Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and US Cellular. 

Since we are technically still in the holiday season, news about Android updates have been pretty scarce in the past two weeks.  A recent list on GSM Arena revealed what devices are going to be receiving the update, but not a date when. 

Some of the devices that will be receiving the Marshmallow upgrade are from this last year, like the Sony Xperia Z5, the Xperia Z5 Premium, the Xperia Z5 Compact, the Xperia Z3+/Z4, the Xperia C5 Ultra, the Xperia C4, the Xperia M5, and the Xperia M4 Aqua.  As for 2014, the Xperia Z3/Z3V, the Xperia Z3 Compact, the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, the Xperia Z2, and the Xperia Z2 Tablet are also due for the Marshmallow upgrade.  For 2013, only the Sony Xperia Z Ultra GPE will get Marshmallow. 

Generally, the newest gets it first rule applies to the rollout of the latest version of Android.  That means the latest flagships of the Z5, the Z5 Premium, and the Z5 Compact will be receiving it first.  Considering it didn't make the "end of 2015" that many smartphone device companies were going for, it could be a few months, and that is just for the latest.

Know Your Mobile says that Sony will be updating the entire Z5 line-up in January, which is a good estimate.   This news comes from a reliable Twitter tipster named @Ricciolo who said:  "an update has come yesterday, #marshmallow READY next month for #sony #z5 family..older #xperia models to follow shortly".

Android Pit also states that when a Sony device could receive the update to Version 6.0 will also vary directly on the carrier, which in the United States would be Verizon, US Cellular, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile.  It also says that there was a beta test of Android 6.0 on the Z3 and Z3 Compact users, with a built in the first OTA update.  The word on Pocket-Lint says that Sony says that it is "working as fast as it can to bring this update to devices, although there's no confirmed timeline".