Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S III is finally rolling out

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Galaxy S III Garnet Red

Settings > About Phone > Updates

The above is your first class ticket to happiness if you own the Galaxy S III. The international Galaxy S III (GT-I9300) is now receiving the long-awaited Android 4.3 Jelly Bean treatment from Samsung. The update has been out for a couple of hours now and if you have not yet updated then its about time.

Samsung Galaxy S III

The update is rolling out in phases so for folks in countries like Kenya and many others around the world, it is not readily available as an OTA or through Kies so for now Odin is your best pal. If you know your way around Samsung’s firmware manual update process then the Vodafone Ireland firmware release that is currently available is a good place to start while you await your region specific update to hit Samsung’s servers. If you’re the patient type then you can keep waiting. It should be a couple more weeks before things get smooth.

Here’s what’s new with the Android 4.3 update which comes a day after we saw the first leaked firmwares of the international version of the GSIII as posted on SamMobile.com:

– GALAXY GEAR Support
– TRIM Support (Makes the device much faster)
– ANT+ Support
– Core UI elements updated to the ones on the Galaxy S4 (Galaxy S4′s theme all over)
– New Samsung Keyboard
– GPU drivers have been updated (Higher GPU benchmark scores)
– New Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message
– New Screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo
– Daydream
– Driving mode
– Actionable notifications
– Move-to-SD-card feature
– New Camera mode : Sound and Shot
– New Additions in Notification Centre
– Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the Galaxy S4)
– Implementation of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)
– New Samsung Apps: Calculator, Clock, Contacts, Gallery, Music
– Full screen Samsung apps
– New S-Voice (from Galaxy S4)

Update process:

  • Download Odin (see the leaked GSIII article here)
  • Download the firmware (check samfirmware.com or samsung-updates.com)
  • Flash

 

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