Sony extends the period that it provides Xperia phones with upgrades from one and a half to two years. The warranty only applies to more expensive models. With cheaper models, the manufacturer checks whether the device performs well after the upgrade.
Sony previously mentioned a year and a half as the period in which it releases new Android versions for existing Xperia smartphones, but now says that support is valid for two years, Xperiablog reports. The support applies to devices that Sony calls ‘premium range’, presumably devices such as the XZ1, XZ1 Compact and XZ Premium from last year.
With cheaper models, Sony does try to perform the upgrade, but checks whether the device still performs well enough to actually release the upgrade. Security updates are separate from operating system upgrades, the manufacturer reports.
A two-year period for upgrades is common with Android devices. Many manufacturers do that with high-end smartphones. The only exception is Google, which guarantees three years of operating system upgrades with the Pixel 2. Apple usually releases new iOS versions for iPhones for four or five years, although new features are sometimes missing on older models.