Sony Beats OnePlus, Xiaomi, And Other Brands In Stable Android 16 Release

Sony stole the start in the competition for operating system updates. When big brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo were still busy with the beta stage, Sony had officially rolled out a stable Android 16 update for the device.

The first phone that got away was Sony Xperia 1 VII, which was launched last year with Android 15. This Android 16 update comes with firmware number 71.1A2.68 and is about 1.13 GB. Sony confirmed that this is the first major update of a total of four major updates promised for Xperia 1 VII.

Users can directly install them through the Settings > System > Advanced > Software update menu.

Although Sony managed to launch Android 16 first compared to its rivals, unfortunately the changes brought were minimal. Some of the big features of Android 16 from Google, such as Live Updates and the new design of Material 3 Expressive, were absent.

In addition, this update also does not include an official changelog. According to a report by one user on Reddit, the security patch still persists at the level of August 2025, so that in experience it is used, this phone feels similar to Android 15. The most noticeable change is just a new look in the Settings application.

Increased Security And Additional Features

Despite the lack of visual changes, the Android 16 update in Xperia 1 VII still brings a number of important improvements, especially in the security sector. Google includes the Advanced Protection feature to protect users from malicious malware and sites/applications.

In addition, Android 16 also adds intelligence notifications grouping capabilities and better support for hearing aids.

Sony emphasized that there are still three other devices that will soon receive Android 16, namely Xperia 10 VII, Xperia 1 VI, and Xperia 10 VI. With this quick step, it is very likely that all of Sony's newest lines will soon be completed enjoying Android 16 earlier than many other big brands.