Android 2.3 upgrade list: Is your phone getting Gingerbread? UPDATED 5 MAY

After months of warming in the oven, Google’s Android 2.3 operating system — better known as Android Gingerbread — is finally starting to make its way to handsets around the world.

Android 2.3 provides faster speed, better battery life, and a refreshed user interface. It also introduces a new and improved keyboard with a more intelligent cut-and-paste system. More Gingerbread goodness may be on the way, too: Google is believed to be working on a follow-up release numbered Android 2.4.

So how do you know if your phone will get the upgrade — and if so, when? We’ve made it easy. This list has everything there is to know about the Gingerbread upgrade, broken down by device. It’ll be updated regularly as new info becomes available, so you can always check in to get the latest info on your phone’s status.

Want a more detailed look at Android 2.3 and what it’ll do for your phone? Click over to our Android Gingerbread FAQ. And when you’re ready for a real eye-opener, be sure to check out our in-depth report: Android upgrades: Which manufacturers can you trust?

[Page last updated: May 5, 2011]

Android 2.3 Upgrade List: Phones That Have Received (or Are Receiving) Gingerbread

• HTC Nexus One: After a longer-than-expected delay — from users’ perspectives, at least — Google started sending the Android 2.3 upgrade to its Nexus One flagship phone on February 22, 2011.

• Samsung Galaxy S [UPDATED 4/19/11]: Samsung started rolling out Gingerbread to Galaxy S phones in parts of Europe, including Germany and Holland, on the weekend of April 16, 2011. On April 18, meanwhile, Vodafone in the U.K. made the Android 2.3 upgrade available to its Galaxy S users, as noted in a posting on one of the company’s forums. A day later, however,Vodafone announced that the update had been temporarily suspended by Google “due to an issue” and that it was working to resume the process “as soon as possible.” Samsung has made no official statement thus far about if or when the upgrade will reach American users. Previously, Samsung’s U.S.-based handsets — including the Samsung Captivate on AT&T, Samsung Epic 4G on Sprint, Samsung Vibrant on T-Mobile, and Samsung Fascinate on Verizon — have been fairly far behind other Galaxy S devices in getting Android upgrades.

As far as other parts of the world, Samsung’s official Samsung Mobile India Twitter account has stated numerous times that its Galaxy S model will receive Gingerbread — version 2.3.3 — but that a definite launch date has not been set. Samsung’s Romanian Facebook page has issued similar promises. Samsung’s Finnish site has also posted a news release stating that Gingerbread will reach its Galaxy S handsets “in mid-April.”

• HTC Desire HD [UPDATED 5/4/11]: HTC announced the start of the Gingerbread rollout for its European Desire HD phone on May 4, 2011, fulfilling its promise for a second-quarter release. The update is being sent to users over-the-air and, like most OTA rollouts, may take several days to reach everyone. A notification will appear on your phone when the software becomes available to you. (Note: HTC now says the update is “in the final stages of testing” for users in the U.K.; the rollout there is expected to begin shortly.)

• HTC Incredible S [UPDATED 5/4/11]: In late April, HTC made the Android 2.3 upgrade available to Incredible S in Italy. In early May, the companyannounced a wider rollout for customers across Europe. (Note: HTC now says the update is “in the final stages of testing” for users in the U.K.; the rollout there is expected to begin shortly.) Thus far, no rollout date has been announced for the U.S. variation of the phone, known as the Droid Incredible 2, but the fact that the Incredible S is now receiving the upgrade can only be seen as a promising sign.

• Meizu M9 [UPDATED 5/3/11]: China’s Meizu M9 received the Android 2.3 upgrade in early May 2011.

Android 2.3 Upgrade List: Phones Expected to Get Gingerbread

• LG Optimus 2X [UPDATED 5/2/11]: The LG Optimus 2X — known in the U.S. as the T-Mobile G2X — is confirmed by both LG and T-Mobile to be in-line for the Android 2.3 upgrade. While no official announcements have been made about upgrade timing, a support page on LG’s Danish website, first discovered by Engadget, says the phone will be updated in June or July. LG has not explicitly said whether that same time frame will apply to handsets in the U.S. or other countries. T-Mobile, meanwhile, has said via Twitter that new G2X owners “won’t have to wait long” for the upgrade. An apparent leaked build of Gingerbread for the G2X surfaced in early May, heightening speculation that a rollout could be near.

• LG Optimus Black: Despite the fact that it ships with Froyo, LG’s upcoming Optimus Black smartphone will eventually enjoy the taste of Gingerbread, LG has confirmed. No specific date has been announced.

• LG Optimus One: LG has confirmed that all of its Optimus One phones will receive the Android 2.3 upgrade at some point in the foreseeable future. This includes the Optimus S on Sprint, the Optimus T on T-Mobile, and the LG Vortex on Verizon, as well as the Optimus C on Cricket Wireless, the Optimus M on MetroPCS, the Optimus U on U.S. Cellular, and the Optimus V on Virgin Mobile. LG has not announced any specific time frame for the Gingerbread rollout, saying only that details will be “announced locally in due course.”

• HTC Desire [UPDATED 4/13/11]: HTC says its original Desire Android phone will receive the Android 2.3 upgrade, according to a spokesperson quoted in tech blog SlashGear. The update is said to be scheduled for sometime in the second quarter. British carrier Three sent a tweet in early April stating that Gingerbread was “coming in for testing” on April 4 and should be sent out to users around the “end of April” or “early May”; afollow-up tweet sent by Three on April 5 said the upgrade was “expected in the next couple of weeks.” Even more recently, a comment made by a Three employee on the company’s official blog mentioned a “middle of May” time frame.

• HTC Desire Z [UPDATED 5/5/11]: The Desire Z is on-track to get Gingerbread, according to an HTC spokesperson quoted at SlashGear. The Desire Z’s update is said to be scheduled for sometime in the second quarter. More recent information taken from an HTC support page indicates the update could arrive before the end of June.

• HTC Droid Incredible [UPDATED 4/14/11]: According to an email said to be from an HTC rep and published by Android blog Droid-Life.com, the HTC Droid Incredible is set to receive the Gingerbread upgrade. The email says the upgrade will be made available “before the end of the second quarter of this year.” A second email said to be from HTC also says the Incredible is in line for an upgrade but does not specify any particular time frame. Neither HTC nor Verizon has officially confirmed the information.

• HTC EVO 4G [UPDATED 4/14/11]: While Sprint and HTC have stayed fairly quiet on the EVO’s Gingerbread status, the phone certainly seems poised to receive an Android 2.3 upgrade. A small tech blog, citing a conversation with an HTC employee at the CTIA mobile tech show in March, suggests the upgrade could arrive sometime after the launch of HTC’s new EVO 3D device. An email purportedly sent from HTC and leaked to a different website, meanwhile, points to a possible second quarter rollout. A second email said to be from HTC says the EVO is “definitely” on-track to receive Gingerbread and mentions the same second-quarter timing. In mid-April, meanwhile, an apparent leaked version of Gingerbread customized for the EVO surfaced online, leading many to speculate that the development process was well underway.

• HTC G2 [UPDATED 4/8/11]: HTC has confirmed its T-Mobile G2 will get Gingerbread. The phone is on-track to receive the upgrade sometime in the second quarter of this year, an HTC representative tells me.

• HTC MyTouch 4G [UPDATED 5/2/11]: An apparent chat between a user and an HTC customer service representative suggests the MyTouch 4G could receive Android 2.3 sometime this summer. The chat, posted by mobile blog TmoNews.com, is accompanied by a rumor that T-Mobile retail employees will be testing Gingerbread on MyTouch 4G devices over the next few weeks. HTC has thus far declined to provide any official confirmation. In late May, however, an apparent test build of Gingerbread for the MyTouch 4G surfaced, leading to fresh speculation that a rollout could be growing closer.

• HTC Thunderbolt [UPDATED 4/11/11]: An email said to be from an HTC rep and published at Android blog Droid-Life.com claims the HTC Thunderbolt will get its Android 2.3 upgrade sometime in the second quarter of 2011. A second email, published at the blog TalkAndroid.com, mentions that same time frame.

• Motorola Atrix 4G: Motorola has indicated it plans to upgrade its AT&T-based Atrix 4G phone to Android 2.3 at some point in the future. No specific date, however, has been announced.

• Motorola Droid 2: While we’ve heard no official word about Android 2.3 upgrade plans for Motorola’s Droid 2, some Android blogs have postedleaked versions of a Gingerbread update apparently customized for the phone. It’s not entirely clear if the update is official or final, but many Android enthusiasts are taking it as a sign that something is a-cookin’.

• Motorola Droid X [UPDATED 5/4/11]: Numerous rumors have circulated about possible Gingerbread rollouts for Verizon’s Motorola Droid X. Leaked versions of the Android 2.3 software apparently customized for the Droid X have also hit the blogosphere, heightening speculation that a rollout could be near. On April 12, a Droid X user posted a message in an Android users’ forum stating that he had received an over-the-air update to Gingerbread on his phone. Verizon Wireless, however, confirmed to Android Power that a rollout had not begun. The latest blog-fueled hearsay — which is completely unsubstantiated at the moment — predicts a rollout date of either May 10 or May 13.

• Samsung Galaxy Ace [UPDATED 4/25/11]: File this one under “unofficial” for now, but a leaked version of Gingerbread apparently customized for Samsung’s European Galaxy Ace handset has been making the roundssince late April. The software is said to be direct from Samsung. The company itself, however, has yet to comment or release any info about the possibility of an officially sanctioned update.

• Samsung Galaxy Player: It isn’t technically a phone, but Samsung’s new Galaxy Player Android device will be upgradeable to Android 2.3, according to a press release put out by the company. No target date has been announced.

• Sony Xperia X10: Sony disappointed countless customers when it said its Xperia X10 line of phones wouldn’t be upgraded past Android 2.1 earlier this year. Now, however, Sony has reconsidered its stance and said it willupgrade the Xperia X10 to Android 2.3. According to a company blogposted in late March, Android 2.3 — 2.3.3, to be specific — will hit Xperia X10 phones late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2011. Before you get too excited, though, note that Sony says the upgrade will be delivered to “generic trade versions” of the phone — and that carrier-customized versions may or may not be included. “We will have to get back with more information on this at a later stage,” Sony says, “but we want to be very clear already at this stage on the fact that some of you may not get this upgrade.” Sony also notes that Xperia X10 phones will not be upgraded again beyond the Gingerbread level.

Android 2.3 Upgrade List: Phones Where Gingerbread Looks Iffy

• Motorola Backflip: Neither Motorola nor AT&T has said a word about the Backflip even receiving Froyo — so while there’s no official denial of Gingerbread for the device, a 2.3 upgrade certainly doesn’t seem like a strong possibility.

• Motorola Cliq: Motorola accidentally announced a Froyo upgrade for the original Cliq last fall, then quickly deleted the apparently typo-caused mention. Since that time, the phone has been stagnant at the 2.1-level on Motorola’s corporate upgrade list — a sign that isn’t very encouraging when it comes to the newer 2.3 release.

Android 2.3 Upgrade List: Phones Not Expected To Get Gingerbread

• HTC Droid Eris: Verizon has confirmed that its HTC Droid Eris device will not receive even the Froyo upgrade. The phone is no longer sold by the carrier.

• HTC G1: The T-Mobile G1 was denied Froyo due to hardware limitations, and the same restrictions will keep Gingerbread from officially reaching the device. “Like Froyo, Gingerbread is too large to fit on the G1’s system storage,” Android team member Dan Morrill explained via Twitter.

• HTC Hero: The Hero got a “no” for Froyo, so it seems safe to say the phone won’t be receiving Gingerbread, either.

• Motorola Charm: The Charm will not receive upgrades beyond its current 2.1 level, according to Motorola.

• Motorola Cliq XT: Motorola said Froyo “could not meet the basic performance standards required” while running on its Cliq XT device. As such, the phone is now set to remain at Android 1.5, the company has confirmed.

• Motorola Devour: Motorola says the Devour will remain on Android 1.6.

• Motorola Flipout: The Flipout will not receive upgrades beyond its current 2.1 level, according to Motorola.

• Motorola i1: The Motorola i1 will remain on Android 1.5, Moto says.

• Motorola Milestone XT720: Motorola has said its XT720 tablet phone won’t be upgraded beyond its current 2.1 level.

• Samsung Behold II: Samsung has confirmed its Behold II handset won’t be upgraded beyond Android 1.6.

• Samsung Moment: Like the HTC Hero, the Moment was given a no-go for Froyo and consequently isn’t likely to receive Gingerbread.

• Sony Xperia X10 Mini and Xperia X10 Mini Pro: Though it changed its mind on its upgrade stance for the Xperia X10, Sony says it’s sticking to its guns with the X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro; neither device is scheduled to receive the Android 2.3 upgrade. “We have had to prioritize our resources and have therefore focused on delivering the upgrade to Xperia X10,” Sony says.

Android 2.3 Upgrade List: The Rest of the Phones

If a phone isn’t listed here — like the original Motorola Droid, for example — it’s likely because there just isn’t much clear info available yet about its fate. Odds are, we’ll soon be hearing more and more details with each passing week.

From computerworld