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Samsung pushing Android 4.4 to more phones, says leaked doc

Samsung may be readying a new crop of smartphones for an Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Scott Webster
Scott Webster has spent the better part of his adult life playing with cell phones and gadgets. When not looking for the latest Android news and rumors, he relaxes with his wife and son. Scott also is the senior editor for AndroidGuys. E-mail Scott.
Scott Webster

Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3
The plus-sized Galaxy Mega 6.3 is expected to receive a KitKat update. Josh Miller/CNET

Samsung could be prepping an Android 4.4 KitKat update for a new batch of smartphones within the coming weeks, according to a new report.

A document obtained by tech site SamMobile suggests that Samsung has finalized the software update for a number of last year's models, including the Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy Note 3 Neo. Testing is allegedly still underway for the international versions of the Galaxy Grand 2 , Galaxy Mega 5.8, and Galaxy Mega 6.3 . Reportedly, there are up to eight models set to see 4.4 in May and June.

It's not all rainbows and unicorns for the Samsung faithful, though. The international Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) update has been canceled, according to this document. Citing "unsolved problems", SamMobile posits this is likely a result of the phone's 1GB RAM, instead of the 2GB found on the phone's LTE and US variants.

kitkat-update-status.jpg
Multiple Samsung smartphones expecting to soon see KitKat updates. SamMobile

It will be interesting to see what happens here. The Galaxy S3 was within its first 18-month window when Android 4.4 was announced, so we'd expect to see it get an update, too. According to sources close to the blog, Google has urged Samsung to upgrade that phone as well, though it remains unclear if Google will have sway here.

Looking ahead, Samsung has allegedly begun testing Android 4.4.3 updates for its flagship Galaxy S5 . It's possible that Samsung may forgo the 4.4.2 update and jump directly to the latest release.