Google proudly unveiled Android N at their I/O Conference a few weeks ago, but when it comes to Sony's current Android devices, the news of the upgrade to Android M (also known as Version 6.0 or Marshmallow) is pretty scarce. The fact that the media has so little news about the Android M upgrade except betas and possible release dates does not help the big Japanese company or its users. This is the latest news about Android M Version 6.0 Marshmallow and Android N Release Date for Sony Xperia Z5, Z4, Z3, and Z2 on Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, US Cellular, and Verizon.
According to Know Your Mobile, Sony announced that up to 10,000 Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact owners can upgrade to Marshmallow thanks to a test program. For some reason, most recent articles about getting Android Marshmallow on a Sony product tend to emphasize the beta program rather than an actual rollout.
Even a recent report from Android Authority, which has been pretty good about keeping users of many different Android devices, seems to be very vague on most recent updates to Sony. The list of devices to be upgraded are the same that are found on most tech websites which include:
- Xperia Z5 Series (including the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact, and Xperia Z5 Premium)
- Xperia Z4 Tablet
- Xperia Z3+
- Xperia Z3
- Xperia Z3 Compact
- Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
- Xperia Z2
- Xperia Z2 Tablet
- Xperia M5
- Xperia C5 Ultra
- Xperia M4 Aqua
- Xperia C4
As for April 11, Sony will continue the Xperia Marshmallow preview into the summer. Yes, that isn't really good, considering that most of the recent Android devices from HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and LG already have this upgrade. It sounds like Japanese, Canadian, and other International variants of the Z5 series received their Marshmallow upgrade, and this report is from March, but Neurogadget says that this series should have the Marshmallow upgrade now. This goes for the International versions of the Z3 Plus and Z4 Tablet.
Notice that all of these reports seem to concern International variants. Sony might not be the best-selling Android device in the United States, but it still has a following here. There really isn't any word of when it will come to the United States, and which one of the aforementioned five major U.S. carriers will receive it first.
Therefore, the best and only advice one can give a Sony user of a newer device in the United States is to see if you can't get the OTA (Over The Air) download now. Just go into the "Settings" and "System Update" to see if the upgrade is available. The upgrade may not be available depending on your carrier like T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, AT&T, and Verizon. Again, feel free to leave a comment here saying whether or not you received your Marshmallow on your Sony device, as well as what carrier that you subscribe to.