The Android ecosystem has been the target of many discussions when it comes to updates, especially as competition tries to point it out as a negative aspect to the mobile operating system, but that obviously hasn’t slowed anything down. Android updates will come, or they won’t, and the world will continue to turn. However, if you’d like to see the current state of Android 4.4 KitKat updates for existing devices on the market, separated into several categories, a new report has you covered. The in-depth look at Android 4.4 rolling out across carriers and devices was published on August 20, and it offers a great look at the current state of Google’s latest version of the platform as it exists for some of the most popular devices on the market. And some older handsets, too. It’s a comprehensive list, and it does a great job of either shaming or praising certain manufacturers, or carriers, for releasing the update in any kind of timely manner.
Of course, there are some devices that never got updated at all, including HTC’s One X+, the EVO 4G LTE, or even AT&T’s version of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Mini. You can imagine that the report outlines one simple truth: The Nexus lineup, without a doubt, is simply the best way to ensure that you get the latest version of Android. Though, as outlined in the charts, the darling of Android may actually be Motorola, with their Moto X.
Some other noteworthy charts include the time it took carriers themselves to update any of their devices to Android 4.4, with the Moto X included. T-Mobile was the fastest, at just 3.3 months since the launch of Android 4.4 and the first device being updated. AT&T was next at 3.4 months, with Sprint tied at the same length. Verizon, though, was the outlier, with a high 4.3 months. Interestingly, though, Verizon’s Moto X was the fastest to get updated to Android 4.4, at 0.6 months. T-Mobile and AT&T were tied at 0.7 months, while Sprint didn’t update their own Moto X until about 1.4 months later. You can check out the full report through the source link below. It’s certainly interesting to see how the carriers handle updates, especially per device, and to see how each manufacturer does the same. Have you switched from one manufacturer to another because updates came too slowly?
