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State of Android 4.1: Two Big Jelly Bean Updates Remain

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A few days ago, we told you that three big promised Android Jelly Bean updates remained missing. Specifically, owners of the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX and Droid RAZR, AT&T HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy Note were still waiting for their upgrades to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Over the weekend though, one of those updates was stricken from the list leaving only two major announced Android 4.1 updates left on the watch list.

Read: Galaxy Note Android 4.1 Roll Out Starts.

Anyone that has owned an Android smartphone knows that the Android upgrade process is a tricky and often frustrating process. Software updates, including major Android upgrades and smaller bug fixes, can be delayed, bungled cancelled, and ignored. Often, they are also promised well ahead of their actual release date.

As we noted, there are three devices that seemed to have gotten the shortest end of the stick when it came to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the previous version of Jelly Bean from Google.

Included in our list were the Motorola Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX, the Samsung Galaxy Note and the HTC One X on AT&T’s network. To us, those were the biggest Android 4.1 updates remaining on the docket list for a number of reasons.

For the Samsung Galaxy Note, it was because Samsung had promised the update soon all the way back in August of last year when the company introduced the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 at IFA in Berlin, Germany. Unlike the other updates that were promised beside it though, the Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update didn’t arrive soon after launch.

Instead, the update arrived just recently, over the weekend, in the form of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the international version of the device. And with the Galaxy Note’s update underway, it leaves us with two big Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update situations that remain unresolved.

AT&T HTC One X

Tomorrow, HTC will launch the HTC One, it’s latest flagship smartphone that will be replacing its flagship from last year, the HTC One X. It has been nearly a year since HTC launched the HTC One X and just about four months since the company rolled out its Jelly Bean update and it looks like the launch of the company’s new phone will beat the AT&T HTC One X to Jelly Bean.

AT&T HTC One X owners bought the One X thinking it would be treated like a flagship. For an example of that kind of treatment, look no further than Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S2 from 2011 which were swiftly updated with Android 4.1.

HTC’s flagship from 2012 on AT&T still remains without it, despite roll outs in just about every other region in the world.

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The AT&T HTC One X remains without Android 4.1.

Thus far, AT&T hasn’t said anything about the update, or why it’s taking so long, but owners have spoken out loudly about the lack of an update. And the groans should get even louder tomorrow when HTC shows off its brand new smartphone touting some version of Jelly Bean.

At this point, owners deserve some answers after getting none for four months and given this kind of treatment, we don’t expect there to be as much excitement around the AT&T version of the HTC One as there might have been had this situation not played out as it did.

Motorola Droid RAZR & Droid RAZR MAXX

The other big, much-needed update that remains missing is the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Motorola Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX on Verizon.

If AT&T HTC One X owners thought a four month wait was bad, try a six month wait for a much needed bug fix update that still hasn’t arrived.

Back in the summer of 2012, Verizon rolled out Ice Cream Sandwich for the Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX. Since then, owners have been struggling with a number of issues while waiting for a bug fix.

DroidRAZR17-620x33011-575x3061

Droid RAZR owners are still looking for bug fixes.

That bug fix is likely going to be Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and update that accidentally rolled out around Christmas, but was pulled and is now supposed to roll out sometime during February or March.

Like the AT&T One X Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, this is an update that needs to roll out sooner rather than later. Having to wait six months for bug fixes is entirely too long and unfortunately, we still don’t have a firm time for this roll out which means owners are going to have to sit in the dark for even longer than they have already.

Predictions

Those looking for these updates likely won’t encounter any hard dates as companies have shied away from those because they don’t want to disappoint. That of course doesn’t mean we can’t make some predictions.

The AT&T Galaxy Note update should be a few weeks away. The Android 4.0 ICS update rolled out to AT&T’s Galaxy Note a few weeks after the international version and we’re hoping that AT&T has narrowed the gap this time around.

There is still no word on the roll out for the HTC One X, but we are hopeful that owners don’t have to wait until March 22nd, the HTC One’s rumored U.S. release date, to get the update. It has been far too long already and we think the timing is right at some point between now and the end of next month.

Finally, we’ve seen Motorola commit to timing and stick to it and we expect the same from the Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. Look for it no later than late March.

Of these, the only one of these devices we feel is probable for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is the HTC One X though we imagine that its roll out, if it happens, won’t take place for quite some time.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Tony

    02/18/2013 at 1:44 pm

    “Back in the summer of 2012, Verizon rolled out Jelly Bean for the Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX.”

    Dude, I think you mean ICS….?

    • Christina

      03/03/2013 at 4:41 pm

      Everybody hasn’t been updated yet, dude. I have A DROID RAZR and am still running Ice Cream Sandwich.

  2. Kurt

    02/18/2013 at 8:07 pm

    Please come rant at AT$Ts forum page. Just for kicks. Get your troll on. https://forums.att.com/t5/Android-Discussion-and-Support/Htc-One-X-update/td-p/3378599

  3. patientlywaiting

    02/20/2013 at 4:44 am

    Droid 4 is still waiting too

  4. Goo-gle

    02/20/2013 at 10:42 pm

    Who cares? I am fed up with these money hungry lazy corporations. Why does one need a cell phone anyway? Do you think you are so important that you must remain in contact with everyone all the time? Until consumers start canceling their phone plans these corporations will continue to hold us hostage.

  5. Steve

    03/09/2013 at 12:45 am

    I think the Droid 4 is a pretty major piece of hardware still missing 4.1. The last powerful QWERTY phone should receive more attention than this. It was released before the RAZR yet shares most of the internal components. Review after review said the RAZR and Droid 4 were identically in hardware except for the lack of keyboard the the slightly better screen on the RAZR. I see no reason it’s taking so long for 4.1 on the namesake of the DROID line.

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