The Android 4.4.2 KitKat update is now available for the Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N900). Currently the 4.4.2 update is only live in Russia, but should be rolling out across the globe over the comings days. As usual carrier banded devices will have to wait a little longer, or you could always flash the update yourself. The Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9005, that’s the Snapdragon 800 CPU version, received the same Android 4.4.2 update last week.
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the new KitKat features, but for a quick recap here are some of the more Samsung specific ones:
- The UI changes will be the most instantly noticeable differences. The update switches out the more traditional Touchwiz multi-colorred look for the new clean white KitKat status bar icons. Although the toggles in the notification dropdown preserve the old green-themed style.
- Samsung has made a few changes to the lock-screen, adding a camera shortcut directly on to the lock-screen for quick access. Album art also now shows up on the lockscreen in full screen when playing music.
- The built-in Samsung keyboard layout has been improved for use in landscape mode, paying particular attention to improved gesture typing.
- Performance has also been generally improved with KitKat. There’s is a decent looking increase in overall benchmark scores after the update.
As with all Samsung devices, updates can be downloaded and installed by connecting your Galaxy Note 3 to your computer and using Samsung’s Kies software. Alternatively, to manually check for an update over-the-air head on over to Settings > More > About Device > Software update > Update.