Samsung, LG Competing to Update Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Samsung Electronics announced on January 24 that the Galaxy Note 3 of SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+ will adopt Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the latest version of its Android operating system.

With the new OS, users’ SMS and MMS messages are combined in the same Hangouts app. KitKat also has programs that cater to a wider screen and improved fonts.

The Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the Galaxy Note 3 can be done through Kies, Samsung’s own program to sync users’ mobile devices via USB cable or WiFi. Alternatively, the update is possible at the Samsung Digital Plaza or Samsung Mobile shops.  

With Samsung’s update, competition between Samsung and LG for the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update is expected to heat up. 

LG began to expand its KitKat upgrade service for the G2 to all local users on January 2, stressing that it is the world’s first smartphone maker to provide the service. 

US-based IT news site Phone Arena and other overseas media outlets are also partly contributing to more intense competition, with their anticipation that some of LG’s products such as the G Flex and the View 3 will be upgraded to KitKat, skipping Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.