The Samsung Galaxy S3 is more than three years old and it is one of the most, if not the most durable flagship smartphone, to come from the Korean tech giant and perhaps among the world’s reputable smartphone makers.
It’s really hard to let go especially for Samsung after witnessing the smartphone getting more than 30 million units sold as of November 2012. Amid the launchings of three flagship smartphones after the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung’s 2012 flagship smartphone still has plenty left in its tank despite its age.
When Samsung finally decided that it will not roll out the Android 5.0 Lollipop firmware update to the Samsung Galaxy S3, Stuff actually reported that the Korean tech giant has put an end to the run of its most sellable flagship handset since 2012.
But it was not meant to be, as the company strongly recommended to its users to consider upgrading their Samsung Galaxy S3 units with custom ROM Android 5.0 Lollipop or higher. Given the popularity of the device, there was more than a handful of developers who came up with custom ROM Android 5.0 Lollipop and higher for the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Unwritten two-year rule
When the Samsung Galaxy S3 was released in 2012, it came out with the Android 4.4 KitKat on it as its mobile operating system. Given the unwritten two-year rule in updating the mobile OS of Android devices, rumors have circulated as early as November last year that the device would not be getting the Android 5.0 Lollipop.
While users of the device remained hopeful and express optimism that Android 5.0 Lollipop will eventually be rolled out to the Samsung Galaxy S3, it never came even when the mobile OS started coming to the Samsung devices starting early this year.
Other Samsung devices have taken on the subsequent updates to the Android 5.0 Lollipop including the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop which was the OS on board the latest flagship smartphone devices of the company – the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge – when it was rolled out to the market in April this year. But nothing has been heard for the Android 5.0 Lollipop release on the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Early in July, Samsung announced that its devices will start taking on the Android 5.1 Lollipop and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop firmware updates but nothing has been heard of yet with regards to the Galaxy S3.
A sort of official confirmation came about on July 4, when Samsung UK, through its official Twitter account called Samsung Mobile UK, responded to a query of one user whether the Note 2 LTE or the S3 LTE will be getting the Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Samsung Mobile UK tweeted that they do not want to give out the bad news, but the Note 2 and the Galaxy S3 will not be receiving the Lollipop update, thus ending all speculations and hopes of the Samsung Galaxy S3 users for receiving the Android Lollipop or possibly any future updates for that matter.
Another custom ROM firmware update
Realizing the need of millions of Samsung Galaxy S3 users all over the world to update to the latest mobile operating system, the Korean tech giant has actually recommended that they resort to custom ROM to make firmware updates to their handsets.
The good news is that there are a number of customs ROM versions of the Android 5.0 Lollipop and other subsequent updates were already made available for download.
Just recently, the 3G version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 has gotten a Dirty Unicorn firmware update to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Dirty Unicorn is a newly-developed custom ROM just like several others before it, reports the International Business Times of India.
The update is approximately 197MB in size and reportedly a very stable firmware update with hardly a sign of bugs, unlike other custom ROM OS update.