Sony 2011 Xperia phones won’t get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

JAPANESE ELECTRONICS FIRM Sony dealt a blow to owners of its Xperia Arc S and Mini Pro handsets today, revealing that it won't upgrade those smartphones to Google's Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

Although the company had earlier said that all of its 2011 Xperia phones will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), Sony today took to its Facebook page to announce that the phones won't receive the next version of Google's mobile operating system.

In response to a curious customer, Sony explained, "Unfortunately Arc S won't be getting the Jelly Bean update but we're always developing new phones and making sure they get the latest updates."

Sony's Facebook post added, "The Xperia Mini Pro won't be getting Jelly Bean," suggesting that it might not upgrade any of its 2011 smartphones to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

This means that owners of the Xperia Active, Neo V, Live with Walkman and Xperia Mini are also likely to miss out on Google's latest version of Android.

Sony told us that it is reviewing which handsets are best for the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, a list that is likely to include the firm's high-end Xperia S and Xperia Ion devices. µ