Sony will only update Xperia Z series Android phones to Lollipop

There is one complaint that is constantly levelled at the Android ecosystem, and that’s the notion that it's a platform that has become very fragmented. For all of Google's bluster about Lollipop, only a tiny proportion of handsets are actually running the latest version of the operating system. This is something that doesn't show signs of changing soon.

Sony has revealed news that will undoubtedly upset many smartphone owners -- only the Xperia Z series is in line for an Android 5.0 upgrade. No Lollipop for the Xperia T2 Ultra, the Xperia M2 Aqua or anything from the E series. A perfect demonstration of why fragmentation is so prevalent. Anyone with a non-Z series Xperia is stuck with KitKat, Jelly Bean or whatever version of Android they may have.

Of course, there will almost certainly be hacked versions of Lollipop available for the eager to install, but for the most part anyone with a slightly older handset is going to miss out on Android 5.0. In fact, it's not really fair to refer to the handsets missing out on the upgrade as "older"; many of those missing out are current generation. But this does make clear that Sony is only really interested in its Z series -- everyone else can just go and whistle.

The news came on Twitter via the official Sony Xperia account:

@roi_rdzdal Hi Roi. The Android 5.0 Lollipop update is only going to be available for the Xperia Z series, we do apologise.

— Sony Xperia (@sonyxperia) March 6, 2015

Predictably, this did not go down well with Sony's followers. Cries of "unfair!" and proclamations of future Sony boycotts followed.

Sony -- just like any other manufacturer -- is free to decide which handsets will receive updates of any sort, but limiting operating system upgrades to a single phone range isn’t doing anyone any favors. It perpetuates the problem of fragmentation, and creates a disillusioned user base. Sony may backtrack on the announcement, but for now the company is sticking to its guns.

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