Sony Xperia Z getting updated to Android 4.2 'shortly after launch'

posted by Victor H. / Jan 17, 2013, 6:35 AM

Sony Xperia Z getting updated to Android 4.2 'shortly after launch'

The Sony Xperia Z was the star of CES 2013 with a dust and water-resistant yet beautiful design, and what’s expected to be a powerful camera and quad-core processor. However, the Xperia Z is set to launch with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean which sadly isn’t the most up-to-date version of Google’s mobile operating system.

However Sony has now confirmed the obvious - the Xperia Z will get updated to 4.2 Jelly Bean and moreover it’d be the first Sony device to get the update.

"Xperia Z launches on JB 4.1, but will receive 4.2 shortly after launch. As always, we’ll share more info on this over the coming weeks on the blog," a Sony rep confirmed in a recent Q&A session.

The jump from 4.1 to 4.2 is mostly about user interface improvements but no major under the hood changes. Still, it does bring features like a new and convenient camera interface, lockscreen widgets and more.

source: Sony via Android Central

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Display 5.0" 1080 x 1920 pixels

Camera 13.1 MP / 2.2 MP front

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, Quad-core, 1500 MHz

Storage 16GB + microSDHC

Battery 2330 mAh(14h 3G talk time)

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37 Comments

1. MeoCao unregistered

This is huge, PhotoSphere and HDR combined to make a dream phone.

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 6:40 AM 17

10. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

My rooted HTC Droid DNA has those features already. I have HDR & PhotoSphere. Man I love Android. I can get an EPIC phone like the HTC Droid DNA & make it even more EPIC. What word should I use for that? EPICMONDO? Or how about Magnificent? lol +1

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 8:31 AM 6

24. pyradark

Posts: 895; Member since: Jun 10, 2012

hahahaha!!! but can you use it under the rain???

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 7:13 PM 4

26. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

I have used my phone in rain before so please get a grip on yourself. lol

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 6:35 AM 0

25. Igneel unregistered

It's usual to see Droid DNA users get jealous of this awesome phone. With the Exmor RS sensor, waterproof and dustproof feature.... not to mention the microSD card slot. Now it'll get 4.2 without the need to root!

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 2:11 AM 3

27. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

Jealous of WHAT?!?!?!? The Sony Xperia Z is a HTC Droid DNA/J Butterfly with a 13MP camera (that is no better than the 8MP camera on the HTC) with a glossy plastic body, slapped with a Sony logo. lol Just so you know HTC was first with waterproofing, HDR, MicroSD card slot, & the 5" 1080p SLCD display. The HTC J Butterfly came out in late October of 2012. Sony LITERALLY ripped-off of HTC with the impressive 2012 tech Sony Xperia Z. lol You got me I am VERY jealous that Sony is coming out with stuff in March that I have been using daily since Nov. 2012. lol -1 for you. :-)

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 6:43 AM 0

36. Igneel unregistered

Oh thanks. You're one ticked of fella. I just don't get why would you be so offended. So what if it's better than DNA? In your opinion, it's not and your device is better. Then what? Can't you just be glad with it? Without defending yourself over the 'awesomeness' of Z? I own a Nexus 4. With the glass back, non expandable memory, decent-enough camera.. I can still be happy without bragging around its features. Hope you're living happily with your godly DNA :)

posted on Jan 19, 2013, 6:22 AM 0

30. taikucing unregistered

HDR & Bravia Engine in Xperia Z are hardware based. So they don't cost CPU resources. In other words, these features won't make the phone lagging.

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 7:15 AM 2

31. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

What lags? Are you saying that my HTC Droid DNA with the Qualcomm quad-core Krait S4 Pro with Adreno 320 & 2GB's of RAM running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean lags?!?!? You are kidding me right? Just so you know my HTC Droid DNA NEVER EVER lags. So you sir could not be any more wrong than you are right now. lol

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 7:23 AM 0

32. sportbiker

Posts: 6; Member since: Jan 18, 2013

Maybe it can't make your phone lag. But it still costs your CPU resources.

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 7:27 AM 2

33. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

Let me ask you something. Would the camera on the Sony Xperia Z work without the Qualcomm quad-core S4 Pro? I think NOT so there will be some CPU usage when using HDR & Bravia Engine on the Sony Xperia Z. lol What are you talking about?

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 7:33 AM 0

34. sportbiker

Posts: 6; Member since: Jan 18, 2013

As an electronic engineer myself, I can say maybe yes, maybe no. Depends on the hardware itself. Some hardwares don't depend on CPU. This bravia & HDR, It's like input & output hardware. You know... TV? What makes the picture brighter or darker when you adjust the TV is processed in the TV hardware, not in the CPU. Sorry for my bad english, I'm from Asia.

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 7:43 AM 3

35. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

No your English is actually really good. Well we really don't know how it works but I think in the mobile world ESPECIALLY in smartphones the CPU governs pretty much everything. +1

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 8:55 AM 0

2. aayupanday

Posts: 582; Member since: Jun 28, 2012

Exorbitant amount of news of this beast surfacing these days....

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 6:40 AM 9

3. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

Sony doing a good job so far on their updates.

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 6:57 AM 19

6. wendygarett unregistered

I don't know why you get those red thumb... Probably the hater who cannot accept that it's a 1st non nexus device who upgraded to android 4.2...

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 7:58 AM 12

8. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

Umm the Sony Xperia Z is not out yet. Secondly "shortly" can be a month or 2 away. Give me a FIRM date then I will decide if indeed it's "shortly". I really don't trust OEM's words unless they can back them up with a concrete date. lol

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 8:26 AM 8

9. wendygarett unregistered

From what I see, you have a prejudice towards this device... What's wrong with you recently superandroidevo? Lol

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 8:30 AM 7

11. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

I like the device if it were coming out today. I don't like the device because it's coming out in March of '13. In the Spring of '13 the Xperia Z will be going against the likes of the HTC M7 & the Samsung Galaxy S IV. The Xperia Z will be the best for a month or less & then become obsolete. The HTC Droid DNA/J Butterfly have been the best since Nov. of '12. I just don't like the timing of this device, that's all. I really like the Xperia Z, but I think it's way too late. +1

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 8:38 AM 4

13. wendygarett unregistered

Let me ask you one things, are you happy to your current droid DNA? Will you think your DNA obsolete? I believe you will say that droid DNA is future proof and hence you won't say it will obsolete (since you know how to root) Same goes to this device, if Xperia z user happy, they will never think it will obsolete... Don't fall to the "grass is always greener" syndrome, where the grass are almost similar each other lol +1

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 8:47 AM 11

14. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

wendygarett, BOTH the HTC Droid DNA & the Sony Xperia Z are future proof. Obsolete was too strong of a word & I am sorry for that. What I am trying to say is that in the Spring of '13 the Sony Xperia Z will have to compete with the HTC M7 & the Samsung Galaxy S IV. Why would you get 2012 tech in the form of the Sony Xperia Z when you can get true 2013 tech from both HTC & Samsung? By the time the new HTC & Samsung phones come out my HTC Droid DNA will be 5 months old. The Sony Xperia Z will be about a month old. Why not just wait a few more weeks & get a HTC M7 or a Samsung Galaxy S IV? You follow what I am trying to say?

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 9:01 AM 3

19. Aaron_R96 unregistered

Easy, you get the Z for better build quality, design, its waterproof and dustproof features, the 13MP stacked sensor camera which the S IV and M7 definitely will not have, also neither the S IV or M7 will have more than 2gb RAM same as the Z, and only the S IV has a possibility of coming with a better processor, but that eight core exynos is meant to be being saved for the Note 3, so even it may not have a better processor anyway. In conclusion, this would actually mean the Z would still be the better phone.. just without the same level of hype the S IV generates (the M7 is unlikely to generate that much - it's a HTC after all) and the Xperia Z far bests the DNA despite launching 4 months or so later, so anyone would choose a Z over a DNA in that time frame..

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 3:57 PM 0

28. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

Everything you mentioned HTC has done in October of 2012. The HTC J Butterfly is waterproof, has a MicroSD card slot, & has an 8MP camera that has HDR. Sony's Xperia Z is a HTC J Butterfly with a 13MP camera. How can the Sony Xperia Z be designed better if it has the same components as the HTC Droid DNA/J Butterfly? That is subjective because I DON'T like the design. The almost 2 month old design of my HTC Droid DNA is better than the Sony's in my opinion. As far for build quality, it's WIDELY KNOWN that HTC has some of the BEST built mobile devices in the WORLD. There is no WAY you can put Sony there yet with such a small sample size. HTC has had this reputation since the late '90's. You may like Sony's build quality but to say it's better is a stretch. You need to tone it down a little. Also why GET a Sony Xperia Z when in mere weeks the BETTER HTC M7 & the Samsung Galaxy S IV will be coming out. You are going to enjoy a phone that is on par with the HTC J Butterfly & slightly better that the HTC Droid DNA for a good month & then the big boys come out. While I would have been enjoying my HTC Droid DNA for almost 6 months when the big boys come out to play. (Get my drift?) Hey to each is own though.

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 7:03 AM 0

21. HDShatter

Posts: 1021; Member since: Jan 17, 2013

Your looking just at phones specs, which has by far the best build quality, the xperia z. Personally I love Sony's android variant and hate HTC's, that's a preference we are all different but this phone is defiantly better than the HTC droid dna/m7, the s4 will have better specs but Samsung just can't do software right. Why do you keep referencing the m7 to be like a next gen phone? Its not at all lol, the design is horrible and the hardware is near identical to the DNA.

posted on Jan 17, 2013, 4:16 PM 5

29. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

Umm.... I haven't seen the HTC M7 yet. Have you? If so please provide me with what you have seen. Also Samsung's software is one of the best right now for Android. What on Earth are you talking about? Looks like you are fluffing up some stuff here. lol The HTC Droid DNA & the M7 will not look alike. Face it the Sony Xperia Z is 2012 tech, NOT 2013. If the phone had a new Qualcomm quad-core S800 or an ARM A-15 quad-core then the Xperia Z would be fine in my book. But it doesn't & I think it will hurt Sony because BOTH the HTC M7 & the Samsung Galaxy S IV will be out in weeks after the Sony Xperia Z.

posted on Jan 18, 2013, 7:14 AM 0

37. Aaron_R96 unregistered

The thing is, the J Butterfly and Xperia Z are both 2013, I don't know what everyones expecting of the S IV and the M7, but the way it looks, people are gonna be left bitterly, bitterly disappointed based on their expectations of them being so much better than the Xperia Z.. I mean, this article basically sums it up: http://www.phonedog.com/2013/01/16/why-i-m-scared-the-samsung-galaxy-s-iv-will-be-a-disappointment/ And personally, I prefer the look and build quality of the Xperia Z to the Butterfly/DNA, I don't really like the looks of HTC phones anymore.. there's just nothing spectacular about them, and I imagine that trend will continue with the M7.. Also remember, regular consumers aren't too fussed about which processor their phone has, hence why a no doubt dual core iphone 5S will outsell some octa-core handsets later this year, and we don't know what processor the S IV or M7 will have yet, so really this octa-core speculation, is just that, speculation. I wouldn't be surprised if the M7 has the same S4 chip as the Xperia Z (S4 will undoubtedly allow for higher profit margins for OEMs as Snapdragon will be selling them off cheaper ready for the S800's & S600's)