On Thursday, Google made Android 4.4 – KitKat official, finally. There are all kinds of new features in this update. A few design tweaks, some under the hood tweaks, and a few new features. Like the completely new dialer…that may have ads soon. Now we’ve heard from a few manufacturers already saying which of their 2013 flagships would get Android 4.4. Although they haven’t really said when they’ll get it (except for HTC). The purpose of this post, is to go back a bit further. Not everyone out there has a 2013 flagship device. So we’re going to break it down by manufacturer and predict which devices will get the update.
HTC
HTC One
HTC has already stated that the HTC One will be getting Android 4.4. In fact they said within 90 days. But I’ll believe that when I see it. Most manufacturers don’t make their deadlines for software updates, although HTC was very close to their last one…for what that’s worth.
HTC One Mini
The HTC One Mini is certainly capable of using Android 4.4. But the will HTC update it? I believe they will. It’ll definitely be after the HTC One though since that’s their flagship device. Remember KitKat only needs 512MB of RAM to run smoothly. And the HTC One Mini has a full gig of RAM.
HTC One Max
The HTC One Max is a pretty new device, in fact it’s not even available in the US yet. It’s currently running Android 4.3. So it shouldn’t be to hard to update it to Android 4.4. Hopefully we’ll see the Max along with the Mini getting Android 4.4 within a couple months after the HTC One.
HTC One X+
This one is a bit troubling, because I don’t think HTC has updated the HTC One X+ since the One came out. Which is sad really because the One X+ is a really nice device, even if the battery life isn’t that great. Like the One Mini, it is definitely capable of running KitKat given that it has a Tegra 3 processor inside and 1GB of RAM.
HTC One X
Last year’s flagship. It should get the update, but will it? Who knows. It’ll be hitting end of life soon, but I believe it’s still sitting on Android 4.1 so the likelihood of it getting Android 4.4 is pretty low in my opinion.
Motorola
Moto X
Motorola has already confirmed that the Moto X would get Android 4.4. Although Motorola didn’t tell us exactly when they will be pushing out the update. Hopefully it’s sooner rather than later. Especially since it’ll be going from Android 4.2 to Android 4.4. Make us proud Moto.
DROID Ultra/Mini/Maxx
Motorola has also already confirmed that all of the 2013 DROID phones will be getting Android 4.4 as well. Which means it’s probably skipping over Android 4.3, since they currently run Android 4.2.
DROID Razr HD/DROID Razr Maxx HD
These are last year’s flagships from Motorola on Verizon, and I hate to say this but I don’t think they are going to receive KitKat. I think that by the time Motorola and Verizon get to the Razr HD and Maxx HD, most people won’t be using those phones anymore and they’ll just skip over it. Although I’d be happy to be wrong.
Photon Q
The Photon Q also came out in 2012. It’s on Sprint and is capable of running KitKat, but seeing as it’s EOL as well, I don’t see them getting the update, unfortunately. Although custom ROMs will probably begin floating around soon.
Atrix HD
This one was also announced in 2012 and was available on AT&T. Just like the Photon Q, it can run KitKat, but will it get the update? Probably not since it’s close to 18 months old now and thus it’s sitting on AT&T’s EOL list.
Samsung
Galaxy Note 3
Without a doubt, the Galaxy Note 3 will get Android 4.4. This is Samsung’s baby right now. It was just released last month, so they aren’t leaving it in the dust just yet. We’ll probably see an update for the Note 3 in a couple of months.
Galaxy S4
The Galaxy S4 is in the process of receiving Android 4.3 right now, so I’m sure it’ll be getting Android 4.4 shortly after the Galaxy Note 3. As they will usually start with updating their latest phone and work backwards.
Galaxy S4 Active
Not that popular of a phone, but I’m sure it’ll be getting an update around the time the Galaxy S4 does since it’s essentially the same device hardware wise.
Galaxy S4 Mini
The latest Samsung phone coming to most of the US carriers. This one can run Android 4.4, but the thing here is, does Samsung care about this “mid-range” phone enough to spend the time working on updating it to Android 4.4? I’m not sure a lot of people will buy it, so this one’s a toss up as far as KitKat goes.
Galaxy Note 2
Theoretically the Note 2 should get Android 4.4 since it’s way more than capable. But it’s just now beginning to get an update from Android 4.1. So it’ll definitely be a while before the update rolls out.
Galaxy S3
The Galaxy S3 is getting close to EOL if it hasn’t hit it already. But Samsung has still been updating the Galaxy S2, at least to Android 4.1. So it’s very possible that last year’s flagship will get KitKat
Galaxy S3 Mini
I really don’t think this one’s going to get KitKat. It was a pretty low-end device when it was launched, and it didn’t sell that well either. So if you do own a Galaxy S3 Mini, I’d say watch for the custom ROMs.
LG
G2
LG’s latest flagship. If the G2 doesn’t get KitKat they will definitely piss off a lot of people. With a Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM, KitKat should fly on the G2. Not to mention that the Nexus 5 is based off of the G2.
Optimus Vu III
I don’t know much about the Optimus Vu since it’s not available in the US (the first one was on Verizon and did really bad), but I’ve heard it’s very popular in Asia, and if it’s as important to LG as they say it is, it’ll get the update to Android 4.4. It’s specs are very close to the G2, so it should fly on the Vu III.
Optimus F3
The Optimus F3 is still a pretty new phone, but it should get Android 4.4. Yes it’s a low-end or mid-range device, but it does more than meet the hardware requirements for KitKat. It’s also a pretty popular device in emerging markets and on prepaid carriers.
Optimus F6
One of T-Mobile’s best mid-rangers, it should be getting KitKat. However I wouldn’t expect it before the G2, and Optimus G Pro get their update as those are their flagships.
Optimus G Pro
The Optimus G Pro is still considered LG’s flagship, with a massive 5.5-inch display. This one will get KitKat, and if it doesn’t, LG needs to change their priorities. I know LG hasn’t done well with updates in the past, but I’m hoping they fix that quickly.
Optimus G
Also known as the Nexus 4….well sort of. The Nexus 4 is getting Android 4.4, which means that the Optimus G can run it as well since they are essentially the same phone aside from some differences, like Google putting stock Android on the Nexus 4.
Sony
Xperia Z1
This is Sony’s latest flagship, and they may even push out the update before anyone else. Sony was actually the first (and really only) to push out Android 4.2 to a device that was not a Nexus. I’d expect to see it for the Xperia Z1 within the next 3 months maybe sooner.
Xperia Z Ultra
The massive Xperia Z Ultra should also get some KitKat love. It’s got some amazing hardware that should allow KitKat to run blazing fast on the device. This is their first phablet so it may take a bit longer to get it out, but I’d expect it to get updated pretty quickly.
Xperia Z
Announced in January 2013, it should get Android 4.4. There’s no doubt that it’s capable of running some KitKat. The water resistant phone should get it after the Z1 and Z Ultra though.
Xperia ZL
This one is essentially the same as the Xperia Z, so I’d expect it to get Android 4.4 either right before or right after the Xperia Z.
What About my Phone?
If your phone was not on the list, don’t worry. There are literally hundreds of Android phones out there and we can’t list them all. Just remember that any Android device is capable of running KitKat as long as it has at least 512MB of RAM. Which means just about everything can run it. However, will the manufacturer update it? That’s the big question here. We didn’t list the Nexus devices, because we already know that the Nexus 4, 7, and 10 are getting updated and the Galaxy Nexus is now at end of life.
If you have any thoughts, feel free to leave them down below.