Jolla to Begin Testing Sailfish OS on the Sony Xperia X this Month

We may earn a commission for purchases made using our links.

During Mobile World Congress 2017, Jolla announced a new collaboration with the Sony Open Devices program to bring Sailfish OS for Sony Xperia smartphones. Now, the company has just released a new post to inform us that Sailfish OS would be available for the first Xperia devices starting in this month.

The first Sony device to officially support Sailfish OS will be the Sony Xperia X. Initially, only a small number of users will get Sailfish OS 2.1.2. Jolla plans to use its Cbeta, a small community development group, for alpha and beta testing. The team consists of developers, translators, and attendees of various community events. The first few members of the Cbeta group are expected to get resources from Jolla sometime this month.

The Finnish company is not in a hurry, though, and plans to test the new OS on the Xperia X thoroughly before the first public release. One of the biggest challenges is retaining compatibility with Android apps. Also, given the fact that the Xperia X is the first 64-bit ARM device to run Sailfish OS, some flaws need to be fixed. Jolla is also working on an easy and more convenient way of installing any future updates. The company does not want to force its users to use a custom recovery install updates.

While the Sony Open Device program is huge and supports many devices, Jolla will only be focusing on bringing Sailfish OS to the Xperia X, at least initially. The company completed its work on the Xperia X single SIM model and will consider how to proceed with other Sony devices.

Finally, Jolla has also addressed the idea of offering Sailfish OS for Sony Xperia software as a type of compensation alternative in the Jolla Tablet refund program. As a reminder, over 20,000 contributors backed the highly anticipated device in late 2014. Despite collecting $2.5 million, Jolla faced severe financial problems and had to cease production. The company is still recovering from the situation and is evaluating the possibility of offering Sailfish OS as a form of compensation.