Samsung
promised at its Mobile UNPACKED Episode 2 event that it will start
rolling out Galaxy S4 updates in October and we are very pleased that
Samsung has kept their promise. As Samsung has just started rolling out
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) update to the Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505).
Samsung is always a bit late with updating its devices to the latest
version of Android but always manages to delivers the most bug free and
stable software after a ton of R&D. Also, Samsung is the only OEM
which gives its older devices the latest version of Android even after
completing the usual 18 month update cycle. For example, Samsung
provided Galaxy S II users 2 major Android updates (Ice Cream Sandwich
and Jelly Bean), a device which was released in April of 2011 and
initially shipped with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), and finally ended its
support in May 2013 (25 Months).
Now let’s talk about the new Android 4.3 update. There are not much
visual changes but there are a ton of under the hood improvements and
optimisations. The device simply feels much faster than before, and
benchmark scores have significantly increased as well. In Antutu
Benchmark we used to get a score of 25-26K with Android 4.2.2 and now
with Android 4.3 we get around 29-30K. Samsung doesn’t provide an
official change log for its updates but after testing a few internal
builds and this official one, we can give you folks our own list of
changes and improvements we have noticed.
CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ANDROID 4.3 UPDATE
- OpenGL 3.0 Support
- GALAXY GEAR Support
- TRIM Support (Makes the device much faster)
- ANT+ Support
- Samsung KNOX Implementation (KNOX bootloader and dedicated application)
- Samsung Wallet comes pre-loaded
- Improved RAM management
- Improved Display colour reproduction (Display looks much sharper than before)
- Improved TouchWiz Launcher (Much less launcher redraws and less lag)
- New Samsung Keyboard
- New Samsung Browser (Full screen by default, new tab interface and more)
- New Reading Mode (Optimises display for reading, used by only a few specific applications)
- New Camera firmware
- Minor UI tweaks (Contacts app, Flashlight Widget, dialog boxes etc)
The software update is being rolled out in phases, so it may not yet
be available in your country at the moment but don’t worry it will
arrive very soon. If your device is carrier branded then it might take
sometime as the update has to get improved by the carrier first and only
then Samsung will make it available for your device.
To keep track of the countries and carriers receiving the new Android
4.3 (Jelly Bean) update for the Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE (GT-I9505), check
out our live feed below:
To update your Galaxy S4 to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, connect your device
to your computer and use Samsung KIES or simply use Samsung’s OTA
service. To download and install the firmware via OTA, go to Settings
> More > About Device > Software update > Update.
All new Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Firmwares for the Galaxy S4 LTE (GT-I9505) are present in our
Firmware Section, as well. You can use our
Firmware Section
to manually update your device if for some reason you can’t officially
update your device via Samsung Kies or via OTA as you might be using a
Custom ROM or if your country has not yet received the Android 4.3 Jelly
Bean Update. Also, bookmark this page as we will keep this page up to
date with the latest information on countries and carriers releasing the
Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Update.
VIDEO
SCREENSHOTS (From Android 4.3 test firmware)
