Pushing the high end of midrange phones with its quadHD display and HDR camera, the Sony Xperia M2 and M2 dual are finally transitioning to Android 4.4 KitKat.
Released in March, the M2 series launched with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean just a few months after Google released Android 4.4 KitKat. The M2 series has more than enough system resources to run 4.4, but development and deployment time likely made 4.3 a more viable option for the smartphones.
The 4.4 KitKat update has only been applied to D2303 LTE version of the Xperia M2 so far. There has been no word on when the update will be rolled out to the D2305 and D2306.
As Sony prepares to unveil its Xperia Z3, indicated by "leaks," the release of 4.4 Kitkat for the M2 and M2 Dual may comfort some of the phone's users who've wondered if their devices had been forgotten. Sony Mobile announced the roll out of Android 4.4 KitKat in a blog post, detailing the performance and user interface (UI) optimization the firmware update will bring to the smartphones.
"We've added our tweaked Status Bar and Quick Settings -- now more intuitive and customizable (and pretty easy on the eye -- [and] cleaned up to ensure you only get the notifications you really need," stated Sony Mobile. "If you've got a Sony PlayStation 4, you might recognize our new user interface -- we've added the same sleek launch animation and live wallpaper across the lock and home screens."
Along with the UI optimization and performance upgrades, Sony Mobile said 4.4 KitKat brings expanded support for Xperia Themes. Sony Mobile said it counted more than 2 million downloads of the custom UI packages, indicating that the themes were important to its customers.
Acknowledging that the M2 series 8 GB of internal storage may feel a bit tight for many users, the 4.4 KitKat update makes it less of a hassle for users to move data around.
"You now have the option to easily move applications from internal memory to SD card," stated Sony Mobile. "We recognized the need to have more control over your content as something particularly useful for devices with slightly less space."
The M2's native apps will get updates from the series' latest firmware package, according to Sony Mobile.
The Messaging, Smart Connect, TrackID, What's New, Battery Stamina, Walkman, Album and Movies app will all experience at least minor tweaks to their performance or appearance, stated Sony Mobile. The new firmware update will also give the M2 series compatibility with Sony' SmartWear products.
