Just the other day I closed this article by saying that we should start seeing leaked firmwares of the devices Samsung plans to update in October and November soon. Barely a few days later we have the first culprit: the Galaxy S4. A leaked Android 4.3 test firmware for the Snapdragon 600 variant of the device (model number GT-I9505) is already available for download and installation.
The folks at SamMobile who leaked this firmware thanks to some Samsung insiders who are as excited as we are about the update say that it is mainly an under the hood upgrade and there aren’t many visible cosmetic changes. The most notable features in the update are (in addition to all Android 4.3 features as released by Google) Samsung Knox and Samsung Wallet apps. Knox is said to be working flawlessly and as I had noted earlier, it is obvious the recent update that most Galaxy S4 owners were getting over the last month was geared at preparing their devices for this. Samsung Wallet is however said not to be working since one needs access to Samsung servers and this being test firmware that is not possible.
The leaked firmware is said to be very stable so if you know your way around Samsung firmware flashing using Odin then get flashing (see source link below). Remember this is only for the GT-I9505 model of the Galaxy S4 so if you have the GT-I9500 like some of us stay put, our day will come. SamMobile has also put together a short video outlining the new features found in the Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S4 so watch below to see what is coming to your device soon.
For Kenyans most likely the variant you have is the I9505 (check Settings > More > About device to confirm) so you can go ahead an update your device. If you are interested and don’t know how then hit the comments below, I can be of help. Just remember, if you have the GT-I9500, keep off. This is test firmware so as usual the best advice is to wait for the official release. It is not yet far.
Source: Sammobile
