Samsung is finally going public with plans to update some of its U.S. phones tablets to Android 4.4 KitKat.
In total, 14 devices are set to get the update:
- Galaxy Note 3
- Galaxy Note II
- Galaxy S4
- Galaxy S4 Active
- Galaxy S4 Zoom
- Galaxy S III
- Galaxy S III Mini
- Galaxy Mega
- Galaxy ght
- Galaxy Note 8.0
- Galaxy Note 10.1
- Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 ition
- Galaxy Tab 3
Samsung hasn’t said exactly when these devices will get Android 4.4 KitKat, noting that availability will vary “by carrier product, with updates beginning today continuing throughout the coming months.”
Compared to some of its rivals, Samsung is joining the update party a bit slower. Motorola began updating its Moto X to KitKat last November, U.S. carrier versions of the HTC One are getting the update this month. HTC has also tried to be more transparent about its update process, with a website where users can follow the progress of updates for various phones.
Still, it’s good to see a wide range of Samsung devices getting the update, including some that launched in 2012. The update for Samsung’s Galaxy S III is especially encouraging, given that the phone originally included Android 4.0 Ice Cream Swich. This will be the fourth major version update for the Galaxy S III.
Android 4.4 includes lots of cosmetic interface changes, many of which aren’t likely to translate to Samsung’s custom “Touchz” interface. But according to Samsung, the update will include Drive integration, new Emoji icons the ability to set Hangouts as your default SMS app. Users will also get a new location menu with battery stats on location-based apps.
