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HTC One X and One XL to get Jelly Bean update in October

Jelly Bean could hit the HTC One X in a mere matter of weeks -- and the 4G One XL could have Android 4.1 from day one.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Jelly Bean could hit the HTC One X in a mere matter of weeks. Word on the street suggests the latest version of Android is finally coming to HTC's flagship phone -- and the 4G One XL will have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board from the off.

Rumours from MoDaCo suggest Jelly Bean is coming to the One X in October if it's unlocked, and before Christmas to locked phones on phone network contracts. That's the same schedule as the Samsung Galaxy S3 -- which Android powerhouse will be the first to get Google's latest software?

The One XL is the LTE version of the One X, and will run on the EE 4G network. The rival S3 LTE, the 4G version of the S3, has already been confirmed to have Jelly Bean from the start.

I've asked HTC for confirmation and I'm yet to hear back, but HTC is usually cagey about update schedules anyway. The last statement regarding Jelly Bean for the One X and its One ilk would commit only to "confirm that we have plans to upgrade our HTC One X, HTC One XL and HTC One S to Jelly Bean".

HTC probably won't commit to the update until it's 100 per cent certain, no doubt mindful of Samsung's broken promises around the previous Ice Cream Update for the Samsung Galaxy S2

Hardware as sophisticated and powerful as the One X -- and the S3 -- deserves the latest software. Not to mention the fact that if you've just dropped a monkey on your dog and bone, you don't want to feel like it's already behind the times.

Jelly Bean adds clever features such as Google Now, which gives you information before you even know you need it, as well as a bunch of other features I can't remember that you'll never use anyway. Click here for our guide to every version of Android.

Software updates don't always improve your kit, however, as Apple fans discovered this week with the disastrous new Apple Maps app in iOS 6 for the iPhone 5, iPad and iPod. And the fractured nature of updates could be argued to be Android's own worst enemy. Check out this week's CNET UK podcast to hear us discuss whether updates are more trouble than they're worth.

Which is better: the HTC One X or Samsung Galaxy S3? Is Jelly Bean worth the fuss? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.