Samsung already announced which Galaxy smartphone recipients are receiving official Android 4.4 KitKat next year starting off with Galaxy S4 and Note 3. Several high-end, mid-range and even low-cost smartphones have been selected to the further upgrade plans by Samsung. Here is the batch lists sourced out by insiders getting Android 4.4.

First Batch of Recipients

Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 are expected to get Android 4.4 KitKat firsthand and will directly benefit from various new system enhancements and improvements.

Recently, Sam Mobile caught an important document detailing Galaxy devices with upcoming Samsung Knox security support. Samsung Galaxy S4 will get the security support via Android 4.3 Jelly Bean that is currently rolling out while Galaxy Note 3 already has the application as native.

Furthermore, iTechAddict suggests that both flagship Samsung Galaxy devices are scheduled to receive the latest major update around January 2014 based on another leaked document revealing upgrade plans for several devices including Galaxy S3 and Note 2.

Second Batch of Recipients

After Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 received their updates, two former flagship devices will follow - the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2. Official Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is now being pushed live for S3 and Note 2 from various network carriers around the world which may really give hope for Android 4.4 KitKat next year.

The same leakster, iTechAddict, exposed an upcoming plan by Samsung to push Android 4.4 KitKat to S3 and Note 2 by March or April 2014 for respective models GT-I9300 and SM-N7100. It is possible that other variants of former flagship devices will also receive an update, though, delayed than the international models.

As of now, owners of S3 and Note 2 may just have to stick a little longer with their current Android 4.3 Jelly Bean upgrades till Samsung polishes the future update plans.

Third Batch for Updates

For those who preferred less complicated mid-range and low-cost Galaxy smartphones, a possible Android 4.4 KitKat update might happen in 2014. According to the insider of SamMobile, a long list of Galaxy devices classified as mid-range and low-cost are included to the future upgrade plans by Samsung.

It includes Galaxy Ace 2 and 3, Galaxy Core, Galaxy Fame, Galaxy Fresh, Galaxy S Advance, Galaxy S3 Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini. Unfortunately, the leaked image didn't capture the timeframe for these smartphones on getting Android 4.4 update. In addition, the list may or may not be a plan only since Samsung remains busy dealing with updates for S4, S3, Note 3 and Note 2.

Excluded Devices

Sadly, there are several popular devices too excluded from Android 4.4 KitKat update and it includes Galaxy S2, Galaxy S, Galaxy Note 1, Galaxy S2 Mini and Galaxy Minis. Due to the 18-month update window strictly followed by manufacturers, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S and Galaxy Note 1 are unable to receive any further updates but owners may resort to custom ROMs to get latest features. Galaxy Minis are unable to receive such upgrades due to hardware issues or incompatibility to the upcoming version of TouchWiz UI.