Samsung Galaxy S3 Update Release Date: Finally, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Rolling Out to S3 Handsets

Finally, the moment that Samsung Galaxy S3 have hoped for, and feared might never come: Samsung plans on rolling out the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update to Samsung Galaxy S3 handsets in October, according to Android Authority.

This has been a long time coming, and Galaxy S3 owners have been more than patient waiting for this announcement. As we reported earlier in the summer, a whole slew of lesser Samsung handsets started getting an upgrade to Android 4.2.2, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 was stuck at Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

Meanwhile, there were several rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S3, along with the Galaxy Note 2, was slated to skip the Android 4.2.2 update, going directly to Android 4.3.

But Samsung never confirmed this. So months went by, with Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos, and other mid to low-tier devices from 2012 getting an update to the new Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system. And during that time, Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition handsets even got an update to the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system, weeks after it debuted, further frustrating S3 owners. And Samsung still wouldn't tell if Galaxy S3 owners would be getting an update of any kind.

But now, the wait is (almost) over. Expect the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system to roll out over the air sometime in October for the Samsung Galaxy S3. With Android 4.3 comes a couple nice features, including OpenGL 3.0 support, which should visibly enhance the graphics in video playback and video games. There's also support for restricted profiles on multiple user accounts, and Bluetooth 4.0 LE support, along with other little performance improvements.

Of course, now there's Android 4.4 KitKat to be jealous about, though we have yet to know what exactly it will bring. But Galaxy S3 owners, just be glad you're not being left in the dust with Android 4.1.