Not all S3's are equal: officially no KitKat for 3G Galaxy S3

In a slightly surprising move, Samsung has come out and confirmed officially that there will be no KitKat update for the Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 (3G) and S3 mini. This rather disappointing news comes hot on the heels of the leaked update schedule for various Galaxy devices making the skip to Android 4.4, including the Galaxy S3 with LTE.

Android 4.3 will be the last official firmware build for the Galaxy S3 3G version. / © AndroidPIT

Samsung's response may make sense to the uninitiated, mentioning the 3G variant's 'measly' 1 GB of RAM as a reason the KitKat experience can't be brought to the device, but anyone with a passing knowledge of the latest Android version knows that it was designed to be fully capable of running smoothly on devices with as little as 512 MB or RAM. So what's Samsung's problem? Here's the official statement:

In order to facilitate an effective upgrade on the Google platform, various hardware performances such as the memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), multi-tasking capabilities, and display must meet certain technical expectations. The Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions come equipped with 1GB RAM, which does not allow them to effectively support the platform upgrade. As a result of the Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions’ hardware limitation, they cannot effectively support the platform upgrade while continuing to provide the best consumer experience. Samsung has decided not to roll-out the KitKat upgrade to Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions, and the KitKat upgrade will be available to the Galaxy S3 LTE version as the device’s 2GB RAM is enough to support the platform upgrade. – Samsung Mobile UK

This latest abandonment doesn't bode well for future mini versions either. / © AndroidPIT / Samsung

So why can't Samsung run KitKat smoothly with 1 GB of RAM when other OEMs can? Well, those other devices are either running stock Android or some other lightly skinned manufacturer UI. Due to all of Samsung’s bloatware and additional processes and services mixed in with the old TouchWiz, they simply aren't capable of getting KitKat running smoothly on a Galaxy device with 1 GB of RAM. Never fear though, stable and decent custom ROMs are already available on the KitKat code base for the Galaxy S3, but it's a sad day for those expecting official support. The 3G international Galaxy S3 will officially remain on Android 4.3 and the S3 mini on Android 4.2.

Are you disappointed to hear this news? Will you look to a custom ROM to get KitKat on your S3 or S3 mini?