Android 4.4 KitKat Top 5 Optimisation for Samsung Galaxy S4, S3, Note 3, Note 2 and other Galaxy Devices
Samsung TouchWiz UI is one of heaviest user interface among Android running devices and it features several exclusive apps and services. Android 4.4 KitKat may help speed up TouchWiz UI which will be of benefit to most Samsung phones and tablets.
Here are five possible benefits of Samsung devices running Android 4.4 KitKat.
TouchWiz UI Speed Up
Some users of Samsung phones are complaining about the sluggishness of TouchWiz UI which makes replacement of the firmware with custom ROMs an option. However, Android 4.4 KitKat could boost its overall performance once Samsung decided to optimise their devices.
Android 4.4 KitKat main advantage is the optimisation among older devices by requiring minimal hardware such as 512MB of RAM to run and a probable updated Linux kernel version. If Android 4.4 eats less RAM on the device, more space on the memory can be attributed for TouchWiz UI to speed it up.
Another positive impact is that Android KitKat doesn't feature major UI redesign unlike with Android 2.3 to Android 4.0 transition. The new firmware version may be bigger in size but focuses on bringing updated applications rather than huge UI revamped. Samsung can use the bigger space and memory for TouchWiz UI.
Better Apps and Services
Samsung exclusive apps and services are considered bloatware by many critics but we cannot deny that these apps are useful to a lot of users out there. With the new multi-core CPU support, better network compatibility, improved network coverage and longer battery standby time from Android 4.4 KitKat, Samsung can tweak their applications to run more efficiently on their smartphones and tablets.
Exclusive Apps May Become Lighter on the RAM
Since Google aims Android 4.4 KitKat to be optimised among devices with 512MB of RAM, Samsung apps may feel lighter and smoother than before. For example, a Samsung smartphone with 1GB of RAM may utilise half of that - maximum - for overall Android apps such as Gmail, Google+, Hangouts and others while the remaining can be segmented on all Samsung services.
In addition, Android 4.4 can handle better memory which executes killing and launching of services more intelligently. Upgrades on Project Butter, OpenGL ES 3.0 and text input can easily provide fluid responses on all applications installed on the device.
Better Hardware Support
Multi-core processor support may better utilise future Samsung Exynos chipsets which apparently rumoured coming on Galaxy S5. Further optimisation and improved handling on the processor can reduce heat generation, faster processing speed, less power consumption and uninterrupted data transfers.
Modern Exynos chipsets are usually eight-cores and generates a lot of heat when running at the same. If Android 4.4 KitKat can truly manage more CPU cores installed, the system may effectively control the other four cores which should only be necessary when demanded by high-graphic games or high-powered editing apps, not on usual tasks you do every day.
Primary Influence on Older Devices
First generation of Samsung Galaxy Ace, Mini and Tabs are not yet considered among devices eligible for Android 4.4 KitKat. Samsung may take a lot of time before considering any updates for these devices as TouchWiz UI needs to be integrated first.
As an alternative, older Galaxy devices can use latest Google apps to get Android 4.4 KitKat features such as Keep, Drive, Hangouts, Google+, YouTube and more. It is not clear if Google will release a Vanilla KitKat firmware version ready to be used by majority of Android devices regardless of brand.
In case, there isn't, owners should not worry for custom ROM developers are always available to help out in optimising aging but excellent devices.
Google Play Store event is expected to reveal some information about Android 4.4 KitKat regarding its features, support and launch date before 2014 approaches.