Android 14 update arrives as early Christmas gift for Sony Xperia 1 V users
While Google certainly fumbled the initial Android 14 rollout a little, treating Pixel owners to an unusually late stable update to the newest OS version about a month ago, a number of third-party device manufacturers seem to be doing a pretty good job of optimizing the same goodie pack and delivering it to their users.
Hot on Samsung's heels, Sony is making its latest and greatest flagship even better, although as usual, you may need to wait a few more days or even a couple of weeks or so to receive the over-the-air update on your Xperia 1 V unit depending on where you live.
For the time being, the Android 14 deployment is reportedly underway in select European territories, and most folks who've been able to install and quickly try out the 1.3GB collection of UI tweaks, system enhancements, and add-ons appear content with pretty much everything about the update.
This is relatively "clean" on the whole, largely replicating the changes and improvements Google has added to its eligible Pixel devices, but Sony is also putting its own personal touch to the update with neat features like an enhanced Bokeh mode and the Video Creator app, both of which debuted fairly recently on the Xperia 5 V.
The Xperia 1 V, mind you, is a tad older than its little brother, having seen daylight back in May with a state-of-the-art Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor under the hood and an even more state-of-the-art 4K HDR OLED display in tow. Unfortunately, the 6.5-inch handset doesn't come cheap as a consequence of its cutting-edge specifications, normally costing $1,400 and never going below $1,200 in the US to date.
If you're happy to pay that price for what's clearly one of the best Android phones around, you'll undoubtedly be happy to score a surprisingly early update to the latest version of the world's most popular mobile OS with fresh October 2023 security patches baked in as well.
Things that are NOT allowed: