This is what pure Lollipop looks like on a Sony Xperia Z3
Sony knows you’re itching to get your Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade, so it’s making matter worse by publishing a new video that demonstrates Google’s latest software running on its flagship Xperia Z3. This won’t be the software you get from Sony, however, because it’s pure Lollipop without any third-party tweaks.
What you get to see in the video below, then, is what Lollipop would look like on an Xperia Z3 Google Play Edition. It’s essentially exactly the same software we’ve already seen on the Nexus 5, but it’s running on a different device. What it does provide, though, is a feel for just how snappy Lollipop is on Sony’s latest smartphone.
If you’re an Xperia user who uses a custom ROM like CyanogenMod, then this will give you a good idea of what Lollipop will look like on your device. If you use stock Sony firmware, however, you’re likely going to end up with a few user interface tweaks, as well as apps like Walkman, Albums, and Movies when the update goes public.
Sony has already confirmed that its entire Xperia Z family — including tablets — are in line for a Lollipop update, but it doesn’t plan to start rolling them out until early 2015. A select few users will be getting the software early, however.
Sony, alongside the 3 network in Sweden, has launched a new initiative with called 3Beta, which gives a small number of customers the opportunity to “test drive” Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact devices running the company’s Lollipop software ahead of its official public release.
With the 3Beta program, Sony hopes to “gather as much early feedback as humanly possible in order to make the Sony User Experience on Android Lollipop as good as it possibly can be” before placing it into public hands.