Samsung Galaxy S4 Update Release Date: New Android 4.3 Build Available for Download, Fixes Battery Drain Issues

By Staff Reporter| Jul 21, 2013

Most of the world is still playing catch up to Android 4.2.2, in the meantime, however, Google is expected to unveil Android 4.3 next week at an event July 24. Samsung has been tipped to have an Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S4 Google Play edition ready for release immediately upon launch time, and while Wednesday isn't too far off, there's a new leaked build that eager beavers can snag.

Thanks to the hard work of the folks posting in XDA Developers forums, a new Android 4.3 test build for the Galaxy S4 has been leaked. The original build is for the Google Play edition, model GT-I9505G, but the ROM has been ported over to the international GT-I9505 model as well as some American variants.

Interested parties can head over here to snag the files, but be warned, this is a test build and all the obligatory warnings apply. Those who have never flashed before would do well to sit tight until an official firmware is rolled out.

This isn't the first leaked Android 4.3 build for the Galaxy S4, although it does contain improvements over the first. According to the changelog, a bug that prevented the CPU from entering an idle state to conserve power has been fixed, vastly improving the battery life. The build also features more frames per second, a working Dash Clock widget, and the ability to wirelessly charge the phone even when powered off. The build contains almost none of Samsung's TouchWiz interface.

Let us know if you download the leaked Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 build and what you think of it in the comments section below.

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