Samsung Galaxy S4 marked the new age of Android smartphone and also set an end for older devices such Galaxy S I and Galaxy Note 2. These two devices are only ready for Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean firmware which starts the inevitable "end of life cycle."

Samsung Galaxy S4 Influence

More Galaxy devices have been included in the list of units which will receive the latest Jelly Bean updates in the future after Galaxy S4 was launched. The new flagship smartphone redefined future technologies and the meaning of being future-proof.

Galaxy S4 is ready for the newest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and the upcoming Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie by October 2013 which means previous generation phones and phablets such as Galaxy S and Galaxy Note are only going have Android 4.2.2.

Android 4.2.2 Life Cycle Ender

Due to iteration problems of Android devices, Galaxy S, S2 and Note I may not be able to get Android 4.3 and other future Android version. In terms of hardware, Android devices must have the right processor, graphics chipset and RAM to support future generations of Android OS. SamMobile released some details which phones are only eligible for Android 4.3 & Android 5.0 and some which are locked on Android 4.2.2.

Most of older phones from Samsung are only going to receive and run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean as the company promotes their latest devices in the market. However, developers of custom ROMs may be able to release Android 4.3 based firmware to support devices limited with Android 4.2.2 once they get their hands on the latest source code.

Mired Release Date

Samsung Galaxy S4 is suffering from disappointing sales and affecting update releases for devices such Galaxy S3 which will affect even older units - Galaxy S I, S II, Note I and Note II. Samsung is boosting Galaxy S4 sales and global market share while they keep Android 4.2.2 update on hold. The company doesn't want their latest and former flagship smartphones to fight over each other.

Reasons why these updates are on delay includes Galaxy S4 disappointing sales, TouchWiz integration issues, new Android 4.3 Jelly Bean release and upcoming Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. It would be a great selling point of S4 if it's running Android 5.0 which makes it incomparable to previous flagship devices.

Android 5.0 Hope for Older Devices

Some reports indicate that Google is going to make Android 5.0 run on devices with only 512RAM to solve iteration issues. If this is true, many Android based phones and tablets are going to receive Android 5.0 in 2014 and developers will also gain access to create custom firmware to extend support on a wide range of Android devices obsolete in the market.

As of now, if you own a Galaxy S I, S II and Note I, check your local network carrier or retailer for the latest Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean containing new features and major bug fixes.