The next update to Google’s OS will be Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. It’s likely to be unveiled on the 24th at Google’s event this week where we’ll be having breakfast with Sundar Pichai, the man in charge of Android, and now we’re seeing it possibly already running and being tested on the Galaxy S III.
As we all know, Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 Google Play edition has already been leaked running a few different versions of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, so at this point we’re just waiting for an official release by Google. Reports have also stated Samsung is finished and ready to push the OTA, and waiting for Google to announce it and give the okay.
Add that report to last weeks rumor that Samsung would also be skipping Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on the Galaxy S III and Note II and going straight to 4.3 Jelly Bean, this is all starting to line up. Today we received a photo of the international Galaxy S III already running latest OS version, but that’s all we know at this point.
However, after a closer inspection this photo is iffy at best. A simple build.prop edit can show any rooted device running Android 4.3 in the about page, and it even has a kernel build date listing February. So while this is likely a fake, this is another (of many) reports claiming Samsung will be skipping 4.2 and going straight to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean for the Galaxy S III, Note II, and possible more. Good news indeed. Now lets just hope Verizon lets this update arrive before Christmas.
VIA: SamMobile
Wonder how long it will take for this to role out to the SIII and the Note2?
A month or two for the international editions (i9300 and N7100 respectively). The carriers of countries like Canada and the US will test and release on their own accord. I didn’t get 4.1.2 on my S3 until like March-April time when the international phones got it in October. My Note II got the update for LTE from T-Mobile in like April to activate the modem and the radios. So it depends on the carrier. AT&T doesn’t have 4.1.2 yet on their S3.
Sadly…that sounds just about right.
Well, put it this way. Everything you do in the US would require some sort of bureaucracy to manipulate a device on a large scale (in this case, updates.) Carriers also pay to update their phones. They only update phones if they are profitable at some point in the future. Updating the Galaxy S and Note lines are important to show stability and support for a high premium phone. If you look at the Lumia 521 or the T-Mobile Prism, good luck trying to get updates on those because those are midrange phones that people just buy for a cheap option. It is highly unlikely the specs of that phone can be stable to update from a Gingerbread to Jellybean to Keylime Pie in the next 1-2 yrs. I am sure it can be done by devs because they have the time and energy to innovate for products. In countries like Romania, you don’t have to go through so many levels and Samsung is the only one who releases the software and they are responsible for patching any loopholes in their software, so they can just push an update OTA with ease on their unlocked devices, which the standard devices are, so quicker updates because of less bureaucracy. You notice that some of the differences in between the devices though. S3 i9300: 1.5 GHz quad core processor with 1 GB of RAM, S3 US: 1.5 Dual Core Processor with 2 GB of RAM. So it is an incentive with choosing between quicker updates or different quality specs.
Wow, I did not know that AT&T doesn’t have 4.1.2 yet. I knew that they suck but I didn’t know they suck this bad:-)
Well, who knows about Metro PCS, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile’s S3’s? I know that Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular have 4.1.2. The biggest addition to 4.1.2 is the Multi Window using two apps at once. The rest are just nifty stuff to use on the side. I think it is just a profitability issue for those 4 really? I mean Metro and AT&T are selling the S4. The S4 is a phone to support over the S3. Sure, tons of S3 users are around and they deserve support, but they like to add new activations for more cash. The iPhone is the most profitable phone for Virgin, I think. T-Mobile took awhile to update the S2 to JB too. If software is your concern, go with a Nexus. Google makes the updates and pushes them quick. Android 4.3 is about to be released for the Nexus devices. I think the idea of the Nexus program is good, but the software is too bland for me since I like Touchwiz’s innovations. Whatever Google makes, Sammy gets it later. 5.0 will come to the S3 and the Note II as well according to multiple articles.
I agree completely. I like Touchwiz, too. It seems to me that a lot of people unfairly jump on the bandwagon of criticizing Touchwiz. I guess it all comes down to a matter of personal taste.
Exactly. Most people just say this about Samsung: too much lag, cheap building material, and too cartoon like. Well, AOSP exists, so people can just root.
Once the international version comes out then the ROM’s will get it I don’t bother waiting for carriers