Samsung Galaxy S5: Android 5.0.1 Lollipop Rollout Update

Galaxy S5 Lollipop update was the first update sent out by Samsung. The update rollout started out slow, but has picked up pace in the past two weeks, with more regions recently receiving the update. Here’s the latest news on the Android 5.0 Lollipop rollout for the Galaxy S5.

Samsung has always been one of the fastest OEMs with regard to Android software updates. Samsung flagship Galaxy smartphones have consistently been among the first non-Nexus smartphones to receive updates to the latest Android versions. This year, other OEMs such as LG, Motorola, Sony, and HTC announced their update plans publicly and promised quick rollouts of the Lollipop update for their flagship smartphone users. Samsung has never been very public about its future update plans and decided to keep its plans private this time as well. However, the company did manage to surprise us when it started the Android 5.0 Lollipop update rollout for Samsung Galaxy S5 users in Poland last month. The official Android 5.0 Lollipop update for users in Poland was a beta test of sorts and the company rolled out two more updates in the weeks that followed before expanding the Android Lollipop rollout to other regions in Europe. Samsung also jumped straight to the 5.0.1 version of Lollipop, instead of Android 5.0.

Lollipop Update Progress

Samsung rolled out the first Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update firmware to Galaxy S5 G900F owners in Poland and later expanded the update to a few other regions in Europe. South Korea was the next major market to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update, followed by Spain. Recently, the update has also been seeded to Galaxy S5 owners in Russia and Malaysia. So far, the update has only been available for the Galaxy S5 international variant, the G900F. No other model of the Galaxy S5 has received the Lollipop update except the three carrier variants in South Korea. The Lollipop update is available OTA as well as via the Samsung Kies PC suite.

More Regions Expected to Receive Lollipop Update This Month

We expect that Samsung will be rolling out the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update to Galaxy S5 users in a number of other markets. Although we cannot be sure if any other variants of the Galaxy S5 will receive the update this month, the Galaxy S5 LTE-A model definitely will. The LTE-A model of the Galaxy S5 was launched in June last year and comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset. The Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900H Exynos Octa-core model hasn’t received the update yet either, and we expect the Lollipop rollout for this model to begin this month for at least a few select regions. What does remain to be seen though is when the European carriers will be rolling out the Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5. The Galaxy S5 Mini and the Galaxy S5 Active variants are also expected to see an update, but we’re not sure when the rollouts for these devices may begin.

Lollipop Rollout for US Carrier Variants of the Galaxy S5

The Samsung Galaxy S5 US carrier variants are also expected to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update this month. The Android 5.0 Lollipop test build for the Sprint Galaxy S5 variant was leaked recently, which confirms that the Lollipop update is undergoing testing with the carrier. Update details for the US market were revealed by a Samsung rep last month, who spilled the beans on the update plans for the US market. Samsung is currently training its staff ahead of the update rollout. Even though the update might begin this month, not everyone will receive the update by the end of this month, as major updates are rolled out in phases by Android OEMs. So while the Lollipop update may show up this month for some users, others may need to wait until next month to receive it. This applies not just to the US market but also other regions. Samsung is also expected to begin the Android Lollipop rollout for other models such as the Galaxy Note 4, Note Edge, Note 3, and the Galaxy S4 this month, which is likely to put greater pressure on Samsung’s update servers.

Sony Xperia Z3 US Availability: Coming to T-Mobile with 32GB Storage

Sony Xperia Z3 has only recently been announced on T-Mobile and the company’s already surprised us. Reports currently show the carrier has created a 32GB internal storage variant of the Sony Xperia Z3, compared to the 16GB version other carriers are selling.

Sony’s Xperia Z3 handset is impressive and has caused a large amount of hype amongst tech enthusiasts due to its tech specifications and elegant design. Although available for double the amount of internal storage other carriers are offering, AT&T customers have a small disadvantage – the device only comes in black, compared to variations on other carriers: copper, silver green, and white.

What’s great is that, even though there are currently two options of internal memory for the Sony Xperia Z3, both can be further expanded by an external microSD card.

Sony Xperia Z3 release date

The release date of the Sony Xperia Z3 is currently under speculation, with no solid data on that so far. We need mention, though, that Sony is set to hold a press event in New York on October 9th – so our eyes are peeled, hoping they’ll share new details regarding the 32GB Sony Xperia Z3 on AT&T.

For those who might not know why Sony’s gadget is so popular, here’s why. It sports a 5.2-inch 1080 x 1920 pixel IPS LCD display, a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 CPU and an Adreno 330 GPU. It also features an impressive 20.7MP primary shooter, 3GB of RAM, and a 3100mAh battery, which is bound to result in a great battery life.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 US Pre-Orders Continue via T-Mobile

We’re almost about to reach the end of the month, and that’s great news for prospective Galaxy Note 4 buyers as the latest and greatest Samsung phablet is all set to go on sale from the coming month. The Note 4 was unveiled earlier this month at Samsung’s UNPACKED event in Berlin on September 3rd. The latest Samsung flagship is the first smartphone on the market to come equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset and support for LTE Cat.6 standard that allows download speeds of up to 300Mbps. All four major U.S. carriers – AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile – will be offering the Note 4. AT&T and Verizon have already started pre-orders and now T-Mobile has also joined the fray.

T-Mobile Note 4 pre-orders begin

You can now pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 on the official T-Mobile website for a $0 upfront payment on a contract, or pay the full retail price of $749.76 if you don’t wish to opt for a contract. If you decide to go with the $0 upfront option, you will need to pay $31.24 per month along with a $10 fee for the SIM-starter kit. You will also need to pay $50 per month for the plan, so that brings the total to $81.24 per month.

The pre-orders will start shipping from October 17th, so there is still a fair bit of waiting even for those who decide to pre-order. For those who do not plan on pre-ordering the device, the wait could be even longer. With the Apple iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus managing to sell 10 million units in their first weekend, Samsung should have probably reduced the gap between the announcement and the release of the Note 4. With wider availability not expected until the end of next month, the Note 4 will hit stores almost two months after its official announcement. Even though the Galaxy Note 4 offers more features and is a more complete phablet thanks to the S-Pen stylus feature, Samsung sure is making things easy for Apple with the slow release of the Galaxy Note 4.