Samsung Galaxy S3 owners around the world have been patiently waiting for a new Android update, and there's no good news in sight. Australian wireless carrier Telstra has confirmed that the Galaxy Note 2 on its network will not be receiving Android 4.2.2, lending credibility to the rumor that the Galaxy S3 won't either.
An early report hinted at the possibility that the Galaxy S3 might receive Android 4.3 in November instead of Android 4.2.2, but the fact that an official carrier has confirmed that Samsung is skipping Android 4.2.2 is an even major blow. Samsung tends to update flagship devices in bunches (Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2 and the original Galaxy Note) and if the Galaxy Note 2 doesn't get it, the Galaxy S3 might not either.
It wasn't too long ago that Samsung released its earnings forecast for Q2 2013, and despite raking in the most successful quarter the company has had in years, Samsung ended up losing. The company fell short of investor expectations by more than six percent, leading many to believe that Samsung's momentum had peaked. The rumor mill then took it one step further and hinted that the slowing Galaxy S4 sales meant Samsung would hold off on updating the older lineup.
Why, you ask? Simply because Samsung might want to make sure that customers who want the newest version of TouchWiz and Android will have to buy the latest and greatest. Offering a cheaper, yet-still-top-of-the-line option (the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2) would cannibalize Galaxy S4 flagship sales. By waiting to unveil Android 5.0 for the Galaxy S4, and then deciding to bump up the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 to Android 4.3, Samsung could eliminate a lot of internal sales problems.
Samsung has not commented on the matter, and the fact remains that there has been a reliable Galaxy S3 Android 4.2.2 leak, so the Galaxy S3 might still be luck. Still, the stars are aligning themselves towards a November release time frame for the next Android update.