Galaxy S4 Mini and Ace 3 could get 4.4 KitKat, says leak
Samsung's putting its more recent mid-range Android phones through their paces to see if it can update them to Android 4.4 KitKat, according to a leaked schedule.
Samsung's putting several of its more recent mid- and low-range Android phones through their paces to see if it's feasible to update them to Android 4.4 KitKat, according to a leaked company document.
Phones up for consideration include this year's mid-range mobiles the Galaxy S4 Mini and Ace 3, and older low-powered blowers such as the S3 Mini, the Ace 2, the S Advance, the Core, the Fame and the Fresh, which never came to the UK.
The above snap, sent to Samsung fan blog SamMobile by an anonymous source, shows which phones the Korean company is evaluating for a possible upgrade, and doesn't promise anything.
A previous leak from the same source gave estimated dates for when KitKat should arrive on Samsung's flagship phones, the Galaxy S4, S3, Note 3 and Note 2. Those will take priority, and with the S3 and Note 2 not due to rock 4.4 until March or April next year, I wouldn't expect to see it on cheaper phones until next summer at the earliest.
"Samsung UK will announce rollout plans for Android 4.4 in due course," a company spokesperson told me.
One of Google's priorities with Android 4.4 was to make it work well on phones with as little as 512MB of RAM. Even the S3 Mini and Ace 3 have 1GB of memory, and the ageing Ace 2 has 768MB, as does the S Advance, so all of those should qualify.
Samsung will have to get its TouchWiz interface working nicely with KitKat on these low-powered devices, which could prove a challenge, especially with the sheer tonnage of extra apps the company crams on.
For loads more on KitKat, read our complete Android 4.4 guide here, or one of our excellent how-to guides:
- How to remove Hangouts and more Android 4.4 KitKat apps
- How to create and edit Office documents on Android 4.4 KitKat
- How to get the best photos from Android 4.4 KitKat
Are you desperate for an update to your Galaxy phone? Do you think Samsung should get a move on? Roll out your thoughts down in the comments, or over on our up-to-date Facebook page.
Image credit: SamMobile