Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 international model did not receive Android 4.4 KitKat due to several factors even though it sports 1 GB of RAM. But owners should know that the firmware is compatible with 512 MB RAM. So here are three reasons why users are left on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

Hardware Limitation

Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 did not receive any official Android KitKat update due to its hardware issue of having 1 GB of RAM only unlike with Galaxy S3 GT-I9305 which boasts 2 GB of RAM. However, Android KitKat is optimised by Google to run on any Android device with the minimum 512 MB of RAM chipset provided the ROM features vanilla or near-vanilla UI.

Samsung always include Galaxy S features and other brand exclusive apps and services such as S Voice, Translator and more. In addition, a new firmware from the company will also include an updated version of TouchWiz user interface that adds size on the stock Android ROM which leads to insufficient memory.

This reason has been considered why Galaxy S3 GT-I9305 is compatible with Android KitKat plus TouchWiz UI than GT-I9300.

Galaxy S3 is a Flagship Device

Galaxy S3 is the third generation Galaxy S smartphone which made it a flagship device. Flagship devices are the lead units on a specific collection in a period which Galaxy S3 took in 2012. But the title itself has a drawback when it comes to software related features.

Galaxy S, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 are all offering certain apps and services exclusively found on Galaxy S series which rarely found on mid-range and low-cost Galaxy devices. Features such as Smart Stay, Smart Alert, Direct Call, Social Tag, S Voice, S Beam, Enterprise Mobility and others bloat the firmware size and consumes more memory than devices that do not have them.

Having all these software features added to Android KitKat base firmware and TouchWiz UI can slowdown Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 even with 1 GB of RAM.

Expiration of Software Support

Aside from the lower memory capacity and tons of exclusive features, software support has reached its expiration date. Based on the details from GSMArena, Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 was released in May 2012 and the standard software support duration would only last till November 2013.

Manufacturers follow the 18 months of software support on all devices and users may expect up to two major updates within that time. But, makers can either limit the software update on a device depending on certain factors such as sales record or extend it if the device generated huge amount of shipments or sales.

A source claims that Galaxy S3 sold approximately 60 million units since its 2012 release worldwide which may have led to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update.

Users who are desperate to get Android 4.4 KitKat can always resort to custom firmware which carries all the default Android features. Additionally, custom ROM developers may also consider on developing Android L firmware in the near future.