Worst decision from Sony...!! No JB updates for XU, Sola, Miro, Tipo..

Devices that will be updated to JB priority-wise:

1st:
Xperia T
Xperia TX
Xperia V

2nd:
Xperia P (fortunately)
Xperia J
Xperia go

3rd:
Xperia S
Xperia SL
Xperia ion
Xperia acro S

Devices that will not be updated to JB:

Xperia U
Xperia miro
Xperia tipo
Xperia sola

Source: Xperia Blog

now can someone tell me why Xperia U having cortex a9 dual core processor + mali gfx not getting JB update which is powerful than Xperia J which is having cortex a5 single core processor + adreno 200??

The answer from one Sony's spokesman in comment section:

The quality of Xperia’s software experience is dependent on a number of factors including: screen resolution, hardware platform and RAM. In the case of Xperia go, this combination came together in a way that meant the user experience running JB was not adversely affected.
Unfortunately, in the case of Xperia tipo, Xperia miro , Xperia U and Xperia sola this wasn’t the case – so we made the decision to keep them on Ice Cream Sandwich.
I hope that makes sense?

PATHETIC..:X

Also the updates coming so late..they will roll out jb in march when klp might be on the way..samsung motorola htc already started to roll out jb updates..this is pathetic from sony..:X

Can't believe I was a SE user and I loved them!

ithehappy said:
Can't believe I was a SE user and I loved them!

people will stop taking xperia phones after hearing this..

welcome to future ruling nexus world..

I didn't expected this from Sony.

Sorry, but I didn't expect much! They are acting like this for sometime now. People who like to use Android and want to be updated, why they purchase SE? Yes, they don't apply plastic everywhere, yes their build quality is far superior than some other brands, yes still their camera sensor and audio hardware is better than most, still, if you don't give the desired update to users, all those pros could be considered as cons! Damn, Sony, get back on track and take my money.

Im not defending them or anything but they probably didnt put enough money in the R&D for the Xperia U and other relatively cheaper phones. They had extreme value for money WHEN they were launched so I guess thats why. And now if they spend money on their JB OS Development (Maybe) the costs will start cutting into the profits they made.
And now tell me, would you rather want half baked poorly optimized ROMs for ALL phones other than the High End ones by a company, or get good ROMs for the mid-range AND high end ones?
My Android 2.3 ROM on my Xperia P was not optimized and looked like it, but the ICS fixed all bugs and actually IMPROVED the performance a bit.
Do you know all phones by Xperia on ICS released in 2011(Neo V, Pro, Ray) are slower now that they were on 2.3 GB? I think its cuz the ROM is not optimized... at all. (Correct me if Im wrong but this is all from reading on blogs and using a friend's Xperia Neo V)
So I think Im gonna skip the Jelly Bean for my Xperia P from Sony, and get custom ROM instead! That is IF benchmarks dont show a significant improvement in performance.

I agree with TheLetterD in this regard............ As long as my Xperia P is functioning smoothly, I dont give a damn to the time of updates(if they come at all)... If I need JB so badly, I will definitely install Custom Rom, and trust me, those who dont know about Custom Roms, flashing and rooting, wont be able to tell the difference b/w 4.0 and 4.1 either........ And many a people dont...

If I absolutely have to get on the update band-wagon, why not get a Nexus and have peace of mind for the next 3 years...............

Do you seriously want JB on miro and Tipo? About Xperia U, I can understand the argument, much like the Arc S case of 2011 line-up........

Android 4.1 update will arrive in Q1 2013 for their flagship with Qualcomm Krait and the end ones may have their update delayed as far as Q3 2013. By then we'll have Android 5.0. So those who care will take the custom rom route and those who are happy shall be happy with Android 4.0.

As for Xperia U, it can be cause of the limited internal memory. Android 4.1 update is lot bigger than Android 4.0 so maybe they ran out of space after adding the garbage called Timescape to their rom.

lol does it really matter? as long as it runs properly without hiccups I don't care if it runs on android 2.3, 4.0, 4.1.....ok the change from from 2.3 to 4.0 was pretty big, but 4.0 to 4.1 is not that much of a deal breaker

By version number the change doesn't seem much but to me the change is HUGE! I hated ICS so much (well it could be Samsung's poor implementation, but I don't think that happened), so after it JB is like, I don't know, definitely smoother (project butter is still hype imo), and the most important thing is it's WAY more stable, and that's what matters, least to me. Way lesser crashes on OS, way fewer unresponsieness etc etc. So in short, JB>>>>>>ICS.

JB is way better than ICS.
However I still feel Sony is one of the best at updating their phones. Look at the other competitors , like Motorola,LG ,etc.
As far as XU is concerned , might have been the limited memory.

I have a Xperia U phone. I am shocked to read this but not much, after the late ICS update I was already sure that this will be my last Sony phone. And fortunately I already ordered Note 2.

Well *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/technology-news/167302-sony-releases-flash-tool-xperia-devices.html
I guess they made it clear those who wont get can get their hands dirty with custom ROM's etc

Well its one side of the coin.

bhushan2k said:
people will stop taking xperia phones after hearing this..

welcome to future ruling nexus world..

One among those people is me!
Have a planned upgrade in Jan2013, and was considering Xperia Sola or P. But now wouldn't risk it! :/
Nexus 4 else S Advance it is!

vipul619 said:
One among those people is me!
Have a planned upgrade in Jan2013, and was considering Xperia Sola or P. But now wouldn't risk it! :/
Nexus 4 else S Advance it is!

no. at least xperia p with go is getting jb among those mid rangers..but after this news, don't expect 4.2 JB version..forget about 5.0 klp..well, in the case of s advance too, samsung won't release 4.2 n beyond..(so still xperia p rocks

)

Not cool... Not cool at all.

Better go for Google nexus phones or samsung

That is sad. Convinced my cousin to buy Tipo last week. But if I hadn't she would have bought Galaxy Y or HTC Explorer.

I hope Sony atleast commits to one update for entry/ budget phones and two for medium budget phones. Happy that Xperia P is getting JB.

But from Sony's standpoint, updating budget phones means more expense on the development front on phones that has very little margin. That means Xperia E will likely come out with JB and will not be updated further.

Sam said:
As for Xperia U, it can be cause of the limited internal memory. Android 4.1 update is lot bigger than Android 4.0 so maybe they ran out of space after adding the garbage called Timescape to their rom.

if we consider this case then it's true..xperia j has adreno 200 gpu which consumes less ram memory whereas xperia u having mali 400 gpu which uses more ram memory..and project butter too consumes more ram than ics...as far as the xperia go having 512 mb ram is concerned, it has low resolution so jb on it will consume less ram than xperia u..

agreed..

then what about xperia miro n tipo?? 800mhz proccy should handle 320x480 low resolution on project butter in front of 480x854 high resolution of xperia j...question still remains... guess pre-planned..

On how the decision is made as to which Xperia to update to JB:

Our priority has and always will be, to deliver the best possible smartphone experience – this means accounting for hardware, functionality and stability alongside Android version development.

As we are making the JB upgrade available to a considerable portion of our 2012 portfolio, finding a balance between these elements, means the process takes a little longer than if we had done it only for particular models at the high end.

We are continually investigating upgrades to the different/latest Android OS versions. As always, we will only share firm information when we’re confident of hitting the deadlines.

When we start an upgrade process we look for the way to get the very best out of the new software; that normally means starting with the most capable/latest devices. Once we’re satisfied that we’re really stretching the capabilities of that software, we then start to look at how we can re-create that user experience on earlier products. This takes a little more time but we believe it pays dividends in terms of the final product.

I think its ok...the phones which r not getting JB are old ones anyways....or u can say the 1st lot phones

From GSM

In case you are wondering how is that the low-end Xperia J is getting the Jelly Bean update, while the dual-core U and sola aren't - despite Sony didn't make any statement, we guess the GPU is the one to blame.

All three phones have 512MB of RAM, but the Adreno 200 GPU on the Xperia J uses far less RAM than the Mali-400 inside the Xperia U and sola. We also know that Project Butter needs more GPU power than what the ICS UI. And the insufficient RAM due to GPU usage is probably the reason why these phones won't be getting to taste Jelly Bean.

Doesn't matter really, Custom ROMs FTW!

^ Not for those that prefer warranty.. and yes I m aware you can install ROMs without unlocking bootloader

Thats where Sony's own Flash Tool comes in to save us if we are screwed up

I've a question, other than the mentioned Xperia lineup, is there any Xperia phone which has been updated to Jelly Bean already?
Kindly answer, I've a reason to ask this. TIA.

^^nope..won't be happening this year..

Xperia U, Sola had this coming because of their RAM and resolution combo. 512MB ram which is shared with Mali 400, just won't cut the frame buffer need of Project Butter. About Xperia Tipo, Miro... It's just Sony's marketing techniques.

I myself ordered Xperia U, yesterday despite reading the Sony's announcement. I just need a stable ICS. JB is not that far from ICS and there is always this route of Custom ROMs. Galaxy S Advance which has single core Mali 400 like Xperia U is getting JB. I guess developers will take advantage of those libs and will give a decent enough JB.

^ There is no problem in resolution, they have WVGA, which is standard for most phones

Its not the resolution. Xperia U's resolution FWGA resolution. GPU needs more RAM for the buffer to render frames at that resolution because of the Project Butter effect. U will be running out of because of it's low buffer memory.

But that doesn't mean that it is impossible. My old X10 mini pro runs JB custom rom acceptably. But the experience will not be fluid, IMO.

I bought Xperia U a month ago. and upgraded it to ICS... I find it too slow. There are times when the call manager or messages take almost 7-8 seconds to load. Dont have much new apps installed besides the default ones like FB, maps and other google service apps. I even tried the the task killers. Once the phone is restarted it starts slowing down after few hours. after a day of usage it gets so slow that have no choice but to restart it.

this might not be the right place to post this, but i see too many U users around here..any suggestions ??

^ is it on latest firmware?

desai_amogh said:
I bought Xperia U a month ago. and upgraded it to ICS... I find it too slow. There are times when the call manager or messages take almost 7-8 seconds to load. Dont have much new apps installed besides the default ones like FB, maps and other google service apps. I even tried the the task killers. Once the phone is restarted it starts slowing down after few hours. after a day of usage it gets so slow that have no choice but to restart it.

this might not be the right place to post this, but i see too many U users around here..any suggestions ??

gingerbread on xperia u is smoother than ics..heard it from many users..switch on gb temporary and wait for stable CM release..else try launchers which consume less ram memory like Nova...keep less home screens..not more than 2..don't keep widgets on them..when u switch on that screen on which widget of 3rd party is put, respective process starts to run in background consuming memory..uninstall bloatwares or pre-installed gapps which u not using..hope it works..

I updated my Xperia U to ICS today. It was jittery soon after the update. But after a factory reset, ICS is running far better than GB on this device. I think most of the users are ignoring the necessity of a factory reset.

Xperia T got the JB upadte but from where can I download the full ROM?

Sony Vi

ithehappy said:
Xperia T got the JB upadte but from where can I download the full ROM?

Sony Vi

Little offtopic, is Xperia T going to be released in India?

bhushan2k said:
gingerbread on xperia u is smoother than ics..heard it from many users..switch on gb temporary and wait for stable CM release..else try launchers which consume less ram memory like Nova...keep less home screens..not more than 2..don't keep widgets on them..when u switch on that screen on which widget of 3rd party is put, respective process starts to run in background consuming memory..uninstall bloatwares or pre-installed gapps which u not using..hope it works..

ok. Il try the nova launcher. but how do I remove the built in xperia launcher?? cant remove the pre-installed G+, EA Games, G search, G recommendations, timescape, g talk, g+ messenger, facebook, chrome, etc apps.

also, facebook, maps, officesuite, whatsapp, email, etc keep running in the background all the time. stopping them doesn't help, they restart in seconds.

desai_amogh said:
ok. Il try the nova launcher. but how do I remove the built in xperia launcher?? cant remove the pre-installed G+, EA Games, G search, G recommendations, timescape, g talk, g+ messenger, facebook, chrome, etc apps.

also, facebook, maps, officesuite, whatsapp, email, etc keep running in the background all the time. stopping them doesn't help, they restart in seconds.

I have Samsung Galaxy S III when I updated The phone to the latest JB it some what slower than ICS so I was going to factory reset it then I don't know simply refrain from factory reset instead of that I simply Boot the phone in Recovery mode and cleared the cache now the phone has been faster and smoother than ICS to make the phone faster just factory reset + Wiping cache now your all done.

arsenalfan001 said:
Little offtopic, is Xperia T going to be released in India?

Last time I checked, which was just before a month ago, NO, it was NOT planned to be released officially in India. Now maybe Sony changed their mind, but I am unfortunately not updated with that news.

ithehappy said:
Last time I checked, which was just before a month ago, NO, it was NOT planned to be released officially in India. Now maybe Sony changed their mind, but I am unfortunately not updated with that news.

Why dont we have any Kraits based handset available here

arsenalfan001 said:
Why dont we have any Kraits based handset available here

May be shortage of supplies.. Or Partiality.. Manufacturers know that Indians are interested only in budget devices.. They can't afford high end devices so why to give premium service to them..

though I may be wrong..

Sony should not do this. First they are struggling with their phones in the market and now not letting people for jelly bean upgrade. Disgusting.

bhushan2k said:
May be shortage of supplies.. Or Partiality.. Manufacturers know that Indians are interested only in budget devices.. They can't afford high end devices so why to give premium service to them.. though I may be wrong..

Also, here a phone running a processor with 1.7Ghz dual core performs better than Kraits @ 1.5Ghz
And Sony, I am also disappointed that Arc is not going to be updated to JB

Most of the reasons that manufactures give about not providing updates to devices are just plain lies. Face it - sony makes money by selling new handsets and that is exactly what providing updates to earlier phones hinders. Its a form of programmed obsolence IMO.

arsenalfan001 said:
Why dont we have any Kraits based handset available here

nobody cares. anyone with a 30k+ budget will go for quadcore mobiles. for most dual core means same with clockspeed being only difference. and some have even started comparing Cortex A5 based processor to Krait as both have similar naming (Qualcomm S4). So if nobody cares, why bring in Krait to Asian countries.

^^true..

one thing i noticed with Sony phones is, you can not tell android version unless you go to sys menu and check for android version! Its heavily skinned android version where all phones looks exactly same just like nokia phones used too look 4-5 years back with Symbian! So my point is Be it ICS or JB Sony phones will look exactly same so any average user wont notice the difference (i have seen that with Neo L updated from GB to ICS). Well this is my personal opinion, for me i need bare basic android. Hoping someday google would launch its Nexus series in India

ninad_mhatre85 said:
one thing i noticed with Sony phones is, you can not tell android version unless you go to sys menu and check for android version! Its heavily skinned android version where all phones looks exactly same just like nokia phones used too look 4-5 years back with Symbian! So my point is Be it ICS or JB Sony phones will look exactly same so any average user wont notice the difference (i have seen that with Neo L updated from GB to ICS). Well this is my personal opinion, for me i need bare basic android. Hoping someday google would launch its Nexus series in India

what are you saying brother? Android update is not only GUI difference. It also brings major performance changes and many other cool features like google now in jelly bean. Here Nexus series won't come because of piracy and people with no interest in purchasing ebook, magaizine, tv shows etc. Google is selling Nexus 4 phone for cheap price because they expect users to purchase stuffs from play stores.

what he meant is, you can easily fool others saying your sony device is a jellybean device but actually it would be 2.3..
I +1 him.. timescape is just too common in all sony devices

D

Even ICS is lagging in my xperia U...

Nerevarine said:
what he meant is, you can easily fool others saying your sony device is a jellybean device but actually it would be 2.3..
I +1 him.. timescape is just too common in all sony devices

Only fools can be fooled by this. The exclusive features of jelly bean are google now, expandable notifications and project butter that these phones can not get officially. There were many visible changes comes out in ICS from GB in stock android. That's why I don't like these phones.

duke123 said:
Even ICS is lagging in my xperia U...

Same for my Arc also. Sony is taking a lot of time to release updates still they are not optimised.

I've purchased Xperia U two months ago and was planning to upgrade it to ICS
But after going through this topic and learning that Xperia U would trouble after upgrading, I think I'm fine with GingerBread

@reddick - Before updating my Xperia U to ICS (via Sony PC Companion) I did a factory reset. And when the update finished and the U booted up, I did another factory reset and ICS is running smoother than GB on it.

Well smothness depends on usage i.e installed apps n games, no. of music, videos etc.
Secondly I've heared tht one should upgrade OS frm Servive Centre rather than yourself via PC.
As doing upgradation ourself may reveal some problems and Service Centre guys were much professionals in this process.
Plz correct me if I'm wrong

^Nothing more than a myth. They don't "compile" the update, like you run it, so they run it.

reddick said:
Service Centre guys were much professionals.

D

reddick said:
Well smothness depends on usage i.e installed apps n games, no. of music, videos etc.
Secondly I've heared tht one should upgrade OS frm Servive Centre rather than yourself via PC.
As doing upgradation ourself may reveal some problems and Service Centre guys were much professionals in this process.
Plz correct me if I'm wrong

i dont know anything about android..still i was able to root,upgrade,install custom rom within two days after purchase and its no big deal..
Its better to upgrade to ICS..There was huge lag with official ICS but after installing custom rom its much smoother...

reddick said:
secondly i've heared tht one should upgrade os frm servive centre rather than yourself via pc.
As doing upgradation ourself may reveal some problems and service centre guys were much professionals in this process.

lolwut

Okay...I've got my answer...Thanks!

piyoosh528 said:

Well this reminds me when I updated my Uncles S2 to ICS it was a pure HORRIBLE experience must say. It got bootlooped soon after the update I was kinda ripped off then he took it to the official Samsung Service Centre and those professional guys saved the phone lol

A

Neo L AFAIK comes with ICS. I haven't seen a single Neo L with GB out of the box. I guess Sony is still thinking what to do with this phone; as none of the blog posts address it. Given the Xperia J is getting a firmware upgrade; I'd rather say Sony has committed an error and has too many builds on it's hands by not using common hardware. That's why they are trying to "phase out" as many as possible quickly.

It's still up in the air whether Neo L gets 4.1. I'd say no, but Sony has delivered at least 1 version upgrade for all users so....

101gamzer said:
Well this reminds me when I updated my Uncles S2 to ICS it was a pure HORRIBLE experience must say. It got bootlooped soon after the update I was kinda ripped off then he took it to the official Samsung Service Centre and those professional guys saved the phone lol

when flashing custom rom, you are always asked to clear cache and dalvik cache or if possible do a complete wipe. this is same for official rom. old files can get left over in case of official update and cause bootloop or even freeze the mobile. just do a factory reset before and after flashing the mobile and you are good to go. sadly nobody follows this step and shout that ICS update is a fail.

Okay Guys I tried to upgrade my Xperia U to ICS but I'd face some problems.
As I connect phone to Laptop via Sony Companion, it shows that new software available. And when I click on Update, it shows blank screen with only possible icon of 'Back'.
The fact is that I'm unable to upgrade my phone to ICS

Plz help...Thanks

reddick said:
Okay Guys I tried to upgrade my Xperia U to ICS but I'd face some problems.
As I connect phone to Laptop via Sony Companion, it shows that new software available. And when I click on Update, it shows blank screen with only possible icon of 'Back'.
The fact is that I'm unable to upgrade my phone to ICS
Plz help...Thanks

Try with SEUS / SUS [It is the old Sony Ericsson Update Service, should be SUS now]

Sam said:
nobody cares. anyone with a 30k+ budget will go for quadcore mobiles. for most dual core means same with clockspeed being only difference. and some have even started comparing Cortex A5 based processor to Krait as both have similar naming (Qualcomm S4). So if nobody cares, why bring in Krait to Asian countries.

Sam, I was thinking how Samsung and others are going to promote newer quad core mobiles with A15 chips to the market.
To the masses it is still a quad core, same as in S3 and one x and the lot.
Galaxy will be a hit as usual, because it is from the "Galaxy S x" series, others will have a tough time promoting new gen quad based mobiles - atleast in the Asian countries.

Why am I asking? I am not sure to wait for A15 based new gen mobiles or to get a Note 2. Reports saying A15 based chips offers ~60% performance improvement over the A9s [with same clock and cores]. But will they be released here - if yes, are they worth waiting 6 months?

L

I am dissapointed being owner of tipo