Sony Ericsson Will Not Ship Xperia Arc With Android 2.4

Eager to put an end to rumours that the Xperia Arc will be receiving an Android 2.4 upgrade, Sony Ericsson executives have denied its super-thin handset will launch on anything other than Android 2.3.

Speaking at an informal event demonstrating the new Xperia Arc, executives noted that whilst Sony Ericsson engineers are testing all available software options for its devices, Android 2.4 would not ship at launch, it was evident that the individuals involved knew nothing of the launch upgrade.

That’s the official word at the moment, this of course could always change.

The news came quickly after the announcement that Sony Ericsson would no longer support Android updates for the Xperia X10 range, choosing instead to focus on the development of future devices. The company has managed to “unhook” its UI improvements from the Android Gingerbread operating system, allowing engineers to modify and enhance future Android updates in a more timely fashion.

For more information on this handset, have a read of our Xperia Arc hands on.

Update: Sony Ericsson issued a statement clarifying Android updates for both the Arc, the X10 range and its future devices:

“We believe that the current Xperia range on Android 2.1 coupled with Sony Ericsson’s proprietary upgrades and unique hardware delivers a user experience that is on par with, and in many cases better than, a vanilla installation of Android 2.2.

We’re planning another upgrade to bring new features (such as for example multi-touch for Xperia X10) to the current family of Xperia™ smartphones in Q1 2011.

Our priority right now is to keep enhancing the user experience of the existing products through coming updates and to deliver a fantastic range of smartphones in 2011 that are all on the latest possible version of Android – that is a target we are determined to hit.”