If you own a Sony Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact or Z3 tablet and you haven’t received a notification yet, check that Update section now as Sony just announced a global update to Android Lollipop for these devices! If you were eager to explore Lollipop ever since you heard about it but had a Sony device from the new line, now you can finally go ahead and taste some of that candy!
Xperia Z2 and Z2 Tablet will get their update next week too, as it appears. Sometime in the near future Xperia T2 Ultra and C3 will get their due updates as well. We will have to wait until then though. Below you can see what your Sony life will be after all devices are upgraded to Android Lollipop.
Sony Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact and the Z3 Compact tablet are getting CyanogenMod nightlies as we speak. You can find the files in the CyanogenMod download section. The Z3 Compact WiFi version got its support a few days ago as well.
They are all CM12 builds, which means you will also get Lollipop juiciness with them. In order to install the nightlies you will need an unlocked bootloader and many Sony phones support bootloader unlocking through their dev program, but it could affect camera performance in some phones. Be warned.
Considering you will be working with nightlies, you can be sure there will be bugs to be had. Don’t forget to back up your device before tinkering.
Even if Sony is not the best or the fastest in updating its phones, it does take into consideration support for AOSP more than any other manufacturer. It usually contributes tons of code to Android and it encourages devs to work on their unlocked devices. Sony just announced AOSP support for Xperia E3 and Xperia T3, which means that most if not all Qualcomm-based phones made in 2014 will be running on pure Android soon.
This mopve is part of Sony’s open device project where they do not provide Android ROMs but they do release the hardware binaries for each device. These drivers help devs roll their own versions of Android and the ones we are talking about are destined to KitKat and Lollipop. Sony even gives out instructions on building Android from the AOSP.
The current supported devices are Xperia E3, Xperia T3, T2 Ultra, Z3, M2, Z3 Compact and others. In order to flash non-standard Android builds you have to unlock the bootloader which means the warranty will be void. So be careful!
Sony Xperia Z 3, Z3 Compact and Z3 Tablet Compact have a nice Play Station 4 Remote Play system that will launch soon. The smartphones are the first non-gaming gadgets that use this proprietary feature which allows users to stream PS4 games and play them across a Wi Fi network. The feature is already used by PS products in the sense that PS4 can stream live gameplay to a PlayStation Vita device.
In order to fully take advantage of the system, users will need a Dual Shock 4 controller and Sony will sell attachment devices that allow users to clip the controller to their phones. It is unknown if Sony’s accessory will be necessary or if the device will be able to control things on-screen, but it is almost certain that Sony will implement this function on its Xperia line.
The PS4 Remote Play experience is not unique only to Playstation though, as Wii U can stream games directly to its controller – a tablet-type device – and NVIDIA’s SHIELD and SHIELD tablet can stream PC games as well. Bear in mind that PS 4 Remote Play is not Playstation Now, the service that streams games from a centralized Sony server to different input devices.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzFc5zGMjCk
The Xperia Z3 devices will launch later this year and Remote Play will be enabled in November.
Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact completely leaked online a few days before the official reveal! Almost six months ago, Sony released the Xperia Z2 at Mobile World Congress and now, at IFA in Berlin this week, newer devices may be released as well. A Facebook page released photos of what appears to be the Xperia Z3, even if the photos cannot be confirmed.
Xperia Z3, source Sony Xperia Ailesi/Facebook
According to this leak, the Xperia Z3 is powered by a Snapdragon 801 processor with 3 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage space aided by a microSD slot. Its display is a 5” 1080p screen whereas the camera has a 20 MP Exmor sensor. The device is pretty much the same as Z2 in hardware terms, but it is 0.7 mm thinner, reaching only 7.5mm in frame. The phone weighs only 154 grams and presents the STAMINA mode that increases the battery life to up to two days.
Xperia Z3 Compact, source Sony Xperia Ailesi/Facebook
Xperia Z3 Compact is interesting because it sports a similar Snapdragon 801 processor with a smaller screen (4.6” at 720p), the same 20 MP camera sensor and a 2600 mAh battery.
Apart from the leaked photos, two official press images were recently released by the same Facebook page. The colors that adorn the new Xperias seem to be red, white, mint green, orange and copper.
Sony phones are much more popular on the Asian market than in the US, even if these past few years Verizon and T Mobile have been trying to show interest in promoting the devices. Sprint may be working on carrying some Sony hardware as well.
