Android 5.1 Lollipop for Xperia Smartphones Coming Next Month; What are the Changes?

If you have been waiting to use the latest Android OS on your Xperia smartphone, you'll be glad to learn about this incredible news that Sony announced. The Japanese conglomerate confirmed on Thursday that the entire Xperia Z series will start receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop update in July along with several other models. Users will witness a host of new features and improvements in the new Android version. Here's everything you need to know about the major software update coming your way.

According to Sony, Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia C3 will conjoin Xperia Z series in getting the Android 5.1 Lollipop along with Xperia M2 and Xperia M2 Aqua, which haven't been updated to the major Android 5.0 Lollipop as yet. This will be a major change for Xperia M2 and M2 Aqua users as the update will bring all the features in Android 5.0 Lollipop and improvements from Android 5.1 Lollipop build.

What are the Changes?

Android 5.1 Lollipop mainly focuses on bringing stability to the handsets and overall improvement. The update will make apps perform better, launch faster than before, thanks to the enhanced ART (Android Run Time). Some of the known problems with earlier builds will finally be put to rest with Android 5.1. Issues like memory leak in Android 5.0 Lollipop, causing apps to crash along with "Ok Google" performance issues and silent mode issues will be addressed in the latest software.

Some users who had issues with SMS will be relieved of the problem after the update.

These changes are for those who are upgrading from Android 5.0 Lollipop to Android 5.1. But Xperia M2 and Xperia M2 Aqua will skip Android 5.0 and get direct update from Android 4.4 KitKat to Android 5.1. This is a major change as the overhauled Material Design UI will embrace the upgraded handsets. The notifications, lock screen will get fully customizable options as well as introduction of guest mode. Users will also be able to move apps from device's storage to SD card to free some space on the ROM. Luckily, Xperia M2 and M2 Aqua users will not suffer from any bugs that originally occurred with Android 5.0.

Starting July, Sony Xperia handsets that will receive the Android 5.1 Lollipop OS are:

• Sony Xperia Z3
• Xperia Z3v
• Xperia Z3 Compact
• Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
• Xperia Z2
• Xperia Z2 Tablet
• Xperia Z1
• Xperia Z1 Compact
• Xperia Z1S
• Xperia Z Ultra
• Xperia Z Ultra GPe
• Xperia Z
• Xperia ZL
• Xperia ZR
• Xperia Tablet Z
• Xperia M2
• Xperia M2 Aqua
• Xperia T2 Ultra
• Xperia C3

The updates will be pushed to your devices over-the-air, which do not involve a lengthy upgrade process. Users can check for latest software by going into the Settings menu, then About Phone and Software Updates. If any update is available, you will get a notification to install and make sure you are using a Wi-Fi network to avoid using up your data limit.