It wasn't too long ago that Samsung announced that it's 2012 flagship phone, the Galaxy S3, wouldn't be receiving Android 4.2.2 and would instead get Android 4.3 in October. Well, it looks like Samsung is going to be living up to its words as another Galaxy S3 has been spotted in the wild running Android 4.3.
A new image has surfaced in the technosphere thanks to website AndroidSaS. The blog claims that a source sent in an image (visible above) showcasing a Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.3. The firmware is apparently still in the testing phase and will roll out in October. The source also claims that Galaxy S3 owners might be in for a nasty surprise.
According to the AndroidSaS source, the Android 4.3 update will only contain some "bug fixes, security improvements, and some new features." Apparently, Samsung won't be porting over many of the Galaxy S4 TouchWiz features that most users were expecting. The source gives no reason for this cut, but it recalls early summer reports that Samsung was having trouble porting over Galaxy S4-inspired TouchWiz features to the older Galaxy S3. If this is indeed true, then Samsung may have completely scrapped the idea.
This isn't the first time a Samsung Galaxy S3 has been spotted with Android 4.3. A recent benchmark sighting showed off an AT&T Galaxy S3 on Android 4.3. While it's great news that Galaxy S3s around the globe should begin to see an Android update sometime in October (U.S. consumers with carrier-tied Galaxy S3s will most likely have wait a couple extra months), it's not so great to realize that Samsung delayed an update almost half a year to roll it out with no major advancements. However, until Samsung officially comments on the matter, we'll have to wait and see.
If you're a Galaxy S3 owner, let us know your thoughts on the fact that the long-delayed update might contain nothing noteworthy in the comments section below.