The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be turning three years old next month so it is understood that it would not be getting the official Android 6.0 Marshmallow update from the Korean tech giant.
However, even before the official Marshmallow update to Samsung devices that are between one to two years old come this month or next month, a custom ROM based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow has arrived on the Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE variant recently, reports the Lawyer Herald.
Developed by OctOS, the custom build of the Marshmallow firmware update offers a couple of exclusive features on top of a few original apps and features that typically come with the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
However, it is important for users to note that the OctOS custom ROM based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow shall specifically come to the Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE variant with model number I9505.
Users are also advised that OctOS is still in beta version so it is expected that bugs will occur once in a while. However, the developers have assured Samsung Galaxy S4 owners that the firmware will be stable, fast, and smooth when the final version is released within the next few weeks.
Splendid specifications
The Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with a 5-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 441 ppi, notes NDTV Gadgets.
The Korean tech giant’s flagship smartphone of 2013 is powered by a 1.6GHz octa-core processor and comes with 2GB of RAM and an internal storage of 16GB with an option to expand up to 64GB via the microSD card slot.
The Galaxy S4 also features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front snapper.
When the smartphone came out to the markets almost three years ago, it was already running on Android 4.2 KitKat while drawing power from a 2,600 mAH removable battery.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a single SIM (GSM) smartphone that accepts a micro-SIM. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, and 4G.
The different sensors on the smartphone include the proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, and gyroscope.
Benefiting from the Apple iPhone 5SE
If the rumors going around lately are accurate that Apple is about to release its 4-inch and mid-range iPhone, the iPhone 5SE, sometime this month, the Korean tech giant’s 2013 flagship smartphone would actually benefit from it.
It could be recalled that when the Samsung Galaxy S4 was released in April 2013, the American tech giant launched its first ever mid-range iPhone, the iPhone 5C, a little over six months later. And the two flagship smartphones from Samsung and Apple has gone on head-to-head since, with the favor going to the Korean tech giant towards the end.
Apple was able to offset the overwhelming advantage of Samsung on the Galaxy S4 when the Korean tech giant unveiled the less-than-satisfactory Galaxy S5 in March 2014 and the American tech company was able to eat up on Samsung’s market.
When Apple unveiled its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September 2014, Samsung knew right there that it shot itself in the foot with its undoing for the Galaxy S5.
The Korean company only managed to turn things around again by redeeming itself big time with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge in March last year and the rest is history.
There were rumors that Apple would be releasing an iPhone 6C last year as the American tech company’s entry into the midrange smartphone market but none came.
Of late, however, rumors are swirling wildly that Apple would be launching an iPhone 5SE which would be the Cupertino-based tech company’s answer to the mid-range category where it hardly has an entry.