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Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3 to get Android 4.4 update in January: Report

Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3 to get Android 4.4 update in January: Report

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 20 December 2013 13:48 IST

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Samsung has been tight-lipped about the rollout of Android 4.4 KitKat for its premium smartphones, including its 2013 flagships, the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3.

However, French carrier, SFR has claimed that the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 will receive the Android 4.4 KitKat update by the end-of-January and in early-February respectively. The French carrier has also revealed that it will announce the exact dates for the update release soon.

The Android 4.4 KitKat iteration brings some new features such as the translucent menu bar, which is located at the bottom of the screen; new dialler and caller ID; unified Hangouts messaging app; smarter Google Now integration; step counter and detector, and support for screen recording. It's worth pointing out that Samsung uses its TouchWiz UI on top of the Android OS and it is still to be seen, what changes are introduced in the new company UI.

Samsung has still been pushing the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for its top of the line smartphones that include the 2012 flagship, Galaxy S III; and its 2013 flagships, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note II.

Notably, the Android 4.3 update for Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note II brings Galaxy Gear support, Samsung's first wearable tech device, which only supported the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition at the time of launch.

In November, Google and Samsung released the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition, soon after the HTC One Google Play Edition received the update.

Smartphone manufacturers such as HTC, Motorola and Sony had already revealed plans for the Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade soon after the release of the new OS. However, Samsung has been a late entrant for announcing the Android 4.4 KitKat update for its Galaxy line of smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S4

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Brilliant HD screen
Great performance
Decent battery backup
Good camera (except low-light shots)

Bad
Same old design that doesn't feel premium
Camera is not good at taking low-light shots
No FM radio
Major portion of internal storage taken up by Samsung apps (read bloat-ware)

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S4 review

Display 5.00-inch

Processor octa-core

Front Camera 2-megapixel

Rear Camera 13-megapixel

RAM 2GB

Storage 16GB

Battery Capacity 2600mAh

OS Android 4.2

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Brilliant HD screen
Excellent performance
Latest OS version
Options for easy single-handed operation

Bad
No FM radio
No 4K video recording
Expensive
Bad low light photography

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review

Display 5.70-inch

Processor 1.9GHz octa-core

Front Camera 2-megapixel

Rear Camera 13-megapixel

RAM 3GB

Storage 32GB

Battery Capacity 3200mAh

OS Android 4.3

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Android, Android 4.4, Android 4.4 KitKat, Mobiles, Samsung Android 4.4 KitKat Release, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Mobiles

Ketan Pratap

Email Ketan

Ketan Pratap is the Editor at Gadgets 360. His primary role - debugging the tech hype, benchmarking the future, and compiling it all into precise news, features or reviews. He has spent over 14 years calling out vaporware and identifying the best tech. He’s your guide for everything from chipsets to smart-home meltdowns. When his own batteries are low, he heads for the hills—literally. He’s someone who prefers a remote mountain pass, appreciating a 12,000-foot view that no VR ...More