With the announcement of Android 4.3, this marks another potential fragmentation in the Google ecosystem which still has a majority of its device running on a two year OS. This runs counter to the iOS world which has over 90% of its smartphones and tablets running on iOS 6, the latest from Cupertino. Sony in the past has never been part of the solution as they’ve routinely left devices in the cold with no way of getting to the latest OS from Mountain View. Even worst has been the long wait times for phones from Sony that would eventually receive the next version of Android. With that in mind, it’s a welcoming sign to see Sony announce their software roadmap for their current smartphones. While there is no information on release date, even this information tended to come long after news about the latest OS. In this case, Android 4.3 was only released a week ago and Sony is already talking about it which is very much a change of pace for them. So what phones will get it? The details, after the jump.

According to the Sony Blog, with Android Jelly Bean 4.2 already available for the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL, the company will turn its attention to the Xperia ZR and Xperia Tablet Z which will receive Android 4.2 in early August. This means that those devices will then be able to move towards Android 4.3. Beyond that, Sony plans on upgrading the Xperia SP, and Xperia Z Ultra to Android 4.3 as well. No news on older devices like the Xperia S and Xperia ion which means don’t bet on it as  Qualcomm has refused to release the 4.2 binaries required for their Snapdragon processor, making an upgrade to 4.2 impossible. As to if Android 4.3 is a possibility is still up in the air but on a personal level, I remain doubtful.

With no other major Android player rolling out Android 4.3 anytime soon except the Nexus fleet which isn’t a proper comparison, seeing how their made by Google, this is a promising glimpse into Sony’s mobile efforts and how they’ve changed compared to a year or two ago.