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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Update: 5 Key Details

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update is on its way though Galaxy Note 2 users still don’t have a specific release date to look forward to. With rumors swirling, a Galaxy S3 update that is seeing its fair share of trouble and an Android 4.4 KitKat update that has started to roll out, anticipation amongst Galaxy Note 2 users is high. Here, we take a look at the most important details concerning the still unreleased Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update.

Earlier this year, all signs pointed to the first major Galaxy Note 2 Android update being the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update that was released last November alongside the Nexus 4. This seemed like the natural progression given that the Galaxy Note 2 launched with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board, one of the first devices to do so, just a few weeks prior.

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Oddly enough, that didn’t happen and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 owners instead had to sit back and watch the rumored summer months go by without an Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update. Of course, there was no shortage of rumors. Whispers out of Samsung suggested that the update had been postponed due to issues and that it would be replaced by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean later in the year. Whispers suggested a November to December time frame for the software, something that many users brushed off given how late in the year that was.

As it turns out, those rumors were dead on. In September, Samsung hinted at a Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update and last month, the company went as far as to confirm it and detail its contents. Problem is, we’re now in mid-November and there still is no sign of the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update and features like Galaxy Gear support, Samsung KNOX, and camera options from the Galaxy S4’s software.

Recent developments have made the wait even worse for those with Samsung’s aging 5.5-inch smartphone and it has left them looking for answers. While we don’t have all of the answers, we still do have some important information to offer those still looking for the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update and its release date.

Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Update Should Be Close

Earlier this week, SamMobile, a site with a solid reputation, reported that the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update had arrived in service centers and that at least one person received the update on their Galaxy Note 2. The information has come under fire for being fake but at this point, it doesn’t matter. We think the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update is extremely close. Here’s why.

First, the leaked Android 4.3 upgrade chart that we saw a few weeks ago suggested that the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean roll out would land in the United States starting November 20th. The United States typically isn’t first to updates and we fully expect the Android 4.3 update to land somewhere else before it lands in the U.S. If there are no issues, expect it to roll out in the next few days. If there are issues, we expect it to roll out sometime in November.

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However, the most important thing to consider is how close to Black Friday we are. The Galaxy Gear is a device that Samsung and its carriers are going to heavily promote this holiday season but they are going to have a hard time selling it to Galaxy Note 2 owners without Android 4.3 on board. Why? Because it won’t work without Android 4.3.

So, with that in mind, we expect the roll out to emerge within the next two weeks as Samsung and its carriers prepare for the start of the holiday shopping season.

November 20th Release Dates in Jeopardy

The first Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 updates in the United States are supposed to roll out on November 20th. AT&T and Sprint are the two carriers that will supposedly deliver the update that day though neither has confirmed anything. At this point, the leaked Android 4.3 upgrade chart has been dead on with Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 updates and dead wrong about Galaxy S3 Android 4.3 upgrades in the United States.

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The Galaxy S3’s software is closer to the Galaxy Note 2’s software so we imagine that whatever delayed these Galaxy S3 Android 4.3 updates could possibly delay these Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 updates as well. It’s also possible that these carriers will pull through and deliver. That said, the dates are certainly in jeopardy at this point and Galaxy Note 2 users in the U.S. should temper their expectations because AT&T and Sprint could certainly swing and miss.

Roll Out Should Mirror Other Roll Outs

We’ve seen two Samsung Android 4.3 update roll outs and both of them have followed a similar pattern. The Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 Android 4.3 updates both started to rolling out in one region before they moved to others a few days later. Those roll outs have also been staggered in that they have been rolled out Over-the-Air over the course of several days. This is exactly how the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update should play out.

We could see a metal Samsung Galaxy S4 in early 2014.

First, Samsung will roll out the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update to one variant, probably one of the first countries that saw it arrive last September. A few days later, we should see it roll out again, possibly in Korea. Then, with any luck, a few days later, it will roll out in the United States. Most of these updates will be done OTA which means that they will take a few days to complete.

In other words, don’t expect Samsung to deviate from the plan or do something different with the Galaxy Note 2. It, and its customers, will get the same treatmenet from Samsung.

Update Still Planned for U.S.

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update and for good reason: Galaxy Note 2 users are anxious to get their first major Android update. One question that we’ve been asked many times is whether or not the Galaxy Note 2 will simply skip Android 4.3 for Android 4.4, due to the problems that have been uncovered with the Galaxy S3 roll out.

While we can’t say for sure, our gut says that that absolutely will not be happening. First off, we’ve seen the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update appear on Sprint’s website. It’s clear that the carrier is working on the software and that it plans to release it. However, that’s not all. More importantly, this update brings support for the Galaxy Gear, a $299 accessory that should figure heavily into Black Friday plans and holiday sales.

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Skipping Android 4.3 for Android 4.4 would take an immense amount of time and we highly doubt that Samsung, and its carrier partners, would be able to get it ready in time for the holiday shopping season. Remember, this is a smartphone that hasn’t seen a major update since it was released back in September of last year. We highly doubt that it’s moving to Android 4.4 Kitkat in the United States or anywhere else, even with Android 4.3 issues.

Android 4.4 is likely on the agenda but as we have pointed out, we think it’s going to come next year rather than in 2013.

Outside U.S.

Outside of the United States, we’ve seen two carriers offer up specific and very specific timing for their Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean upgrades. In the case of French carrier SFR, it’s specific as the company says that the update will arrive sometime in December. This date came with a schedule that was released just a few days ago so it appears to think that it’s still on track for a release within the next few weeks.

Look for a new design from the Galaxy Note 3.

Australian carrier Telstra was very specific about its release timing when it offered up its software timeline back in October. The carrier stated that it expected to approve the software on November 11th with a release pegged for November 25th. The carrier has not followed up since October 21st so it’s difficult to say if it will be able to stick to this time frame. What’s important here is that we’re starting to move closer to these dates and we should see some news, good or bad, in the near future.

At this point, the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update roll out is extremely hard to predict but here are the important details that users in the United States and elsewhere should know:

  • The start of the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 update roll out is likely very, very close.
  • We should see staggered releases and roll outs, so don’t expect the software to emerge for everyone, everywhere, on day one.
  • The Galaxy Note 2 likely won’t skip Android 4.3 for Android 4.4 KitKat.
  • The rumored release dates are in jeopardy.
  • Carriers outside the United States are way more communicative so stop asking AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile,
5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Chris

    11/17/2013 at 1:57 pm

    …im gunna say you’re wrong…based on the fact I called sprint and tge 4.2 update is scheduled for 1/3/14 and then 4.3 sometime after…just saying

    • alberto

      11/30/2013 at 6:28 am

      I have the note2 international vertion and the dowload is here day and a half ago. I still have not installed but is about 650mg. My main concern is the glitches and the installinfg directions read that we can not go back to previous versions because of the security part of the upgrade.

  2. Chris is wrong

    11/18/2013 at 4:23 am

    Umm… No. Also you are a knob for believing anything some entry level sack answering phones at the Sprint call center says. Samsung made the call to skip 4.2 due to problems. I don’t think you actually read the article. Just saying.

  3. marius

    11/18/2013 at 8:25 am

    BEAN 4.3.JELLY VERSION .. is a failure .. DESTROI battery life .. and crashes frequently

  4. i hate samsung updates

    11/29/2013 at 3:55 am

    I wait update for note 2… but sumsung love only s4…

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