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Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Update Release Date: What Not to Expect

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Last month, Samsung not only confirmed the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for arrival, it detailed the update and the features that will be coming along with. Thanks to a leak, we now know that U.S. carriers plan to get the device upgraded starting in November. Here, ahead of its release date, we take a close look at the release date itself.

In 2012, Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, its big-screen smartphone that it paired with the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 to take on devices like the iPhone 5 and HTC One. The device, which arrived in September of last year, was one of the first devices to sport Android 4.1 Jelly Bean right out of the box. Because it came with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, many people suspected it to be among the first to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out that way.

Earlier this year, rumors pointed to a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update sometime this summer. However, soon after those rumors emerged, another rumor suggested that Samsung would be skipping Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 for Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, an update that would apparently arrive much later in the year.

Last month, Samsung finally confirmed those rumors, saying that the Galaxy Note 2 would indeed be getting Android 4.3 Jelly Bean instead of Android 4.2 and that the update would be coming with a host of new features including:

  • Samsung KNOX, a secure and comprehensive mobile solution for enterprises and consumers.
  • Smart Switch to seamlessly transfer content from other smartphones to Samsung devices.
  • HomeSync to store, share and enjoy content securely wherever you are.
  • Group Play 2.5 with shared video support.
  • New capabilities provide easier text input, and updated graphics and multimedia.
  • Galaxy Gear support

It will also come with features from the Galaxy S4 and should also have some select features from the Galaxy Note 3 on board as well. With the update now out in the open and rumored dates pointing to November, we fully expect the upgrade to start rolling out soon. We’ve already taken a look at what Galaxy Note 2 owners should expect from the Android 4.3 release date and now, it’s time to take a look at what Galaxy Note 2 owners should not expect from the date when it arrives.

Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Update That Isn’t on the Fast Track

Don’t expect the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update to hit the United States in any month but November. We don’t expect there to be any delays and we don’t anticipate anything other than a device that is getting fast tracked to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The reasoning is pretty simple.

Look for a new design from the Galaxy Note 3.

Carriers are pushing these updates live faster than usual because they want to get them upgraded ahead of the holiday season. Why? So that the Galaxy Gear accessory, which all five major carriers offer to Galaxy users, is more appealing to buyers in the weeks ahead. It’s a $299 device and it’s one that apparently is getting returned with great frequency so carriers want to get their devices outfitted with support sooner rather than later.

This is an update that isn’t going to miss its deadline at any of the five carriers that will be offering it.

Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Update in U.S. First

That said, don’t expect the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update to land in the United States first. Typically, the United States is far behind the curve when it comes to major Android update release dates. However, this update is special due to the Galaxy Gear support and the fact that carriers have had a ton of time to prepare given that they likely had Android 4.2 in development. But while the Galaxy Note 2 will get the update extremely quickly in the United States, it won’t get the update first.

bbandroid4.3-620x203

Instead, the United States roll out should come a few days or weeks after the international device gets its upgrade. This is how Samsung usually starts its roll outs and its exactly what has happened with the Galaxy S3 update which started rolling out today and started in just one region in Europe. With the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 updates rumored for late November, we expect the international model to get the software sometime in the next two weeks with the U.S. variants following its lead in the days after.

U.S. Cellular Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Update Far Away

Interestingly enough, the nation’s fifth largest service provider, U.S. Cellular, is the only carrier that has confirmed the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for Galaxy Note 2. The other carriers remain silent. The Galaxy Note 2 for U.S. Cellular was the only device that didn’t appear on the leaked release date schedule but we don’t expect the carrier to take forever to update its variant.

GalaxyGear_007-575x383

U.S. Cellular claims that it will be updating the Galaxy Note 2 to Android 4.3 in the “coming weeks” and we expect this to mean that the update will fall somewhere close to the other updates in the United States. U.S. Cellular, like the other carriers, has incentive to upgrade the Galaxy Note 2 to Android 4.3 ahead of the holidays thanks to Galaxy Gear, so we expect it to land in late November or early December. Don’t expect it outside of 2013.

Tons of Communication

Do not expect carriers to communicate beyond U.S. Cellular’s note to customers. Carriers have shown an unwillingness to unleash detailed information about software upgrade ahead of time and they typically don’t confirm a release date until the day of a roll out. We don’t expect anything to change with the Galaxy Note 2 roll out.

Galaxy Note 2 users should operate under the assumption that they will not get any release date information prior to the release date and that the software will most likely just appear out of thin air after a change log or an announcement is posted. This is typical of a Samsung software roll out in the United States and this is what we expect to happen.

Last Major Android Update for Galaxy Note 2

We don’t expect this to be the last major Android release date for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Not only would it be shocking to see a big name device like the Galaxy Note 2 only get one major update, we’ve already seen the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update rumored for arrival. No specific dates have been mentioned though we think 2014 is very likely going to contain a release date.

android_kitkat

Samsung typically offers big Android updates on its new flagship smartphones as a perk. It did it with Android 4.3 on the Galaxy Note 3, Android 4.2 on the Galaxy S4 and Android 4.2 on the Galaxy Note 2. So, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Galaxy S5, rumored for early 2014, be the first device to hit shelves with Android 4.4 KitKat.

Then, sometime after its launch, a Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update. The big thing to keep in mind here is that these upcoming release dates should not be the end of the road for the Galaxy Note 2. It’s still got some life left.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. supersparticus

    11/04/2013 at 5:20 pm

    I really really hope this update gives us app to sd functionality.

    • John

      11/05/2013 at 2:17 pm

      App 2 SD will never be available because it may slow the phone down, its much faster the internal memory than SD.

      • fullparamo Egeter

        11/07/2013 at 11:31 am

        Tell that to Verizon that only released 16GB Note2 phones. I dont mind the slower app for some of my larger apps.

  2. Jackson

    11/05/2013 at 5:56 am

    It’s very disappointing that a $299 device is left in the dust regarding updates for it’s first full year of service. If this is Samsung’s approach to their devices, I’ll move on. It’s why I left Motorola.

    • Epic Tea

      11/05/2013 at 9:45 am

      I agree, i hate to lose all the features but the alck of updates on android devices in general are making me want to only purchase nexus devices or even ios just so I get updates right when they come out. I mean you can always flash roms, but I feel I shouldn’t have to do that.

  3. Scott

    11/05/2013 at 8:07 am

    Galaxy Note 2 came with 4.1. At least mine did.

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