Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and S5 Mini will get Android Lollipop, but not before March

For the last few years, we’ve been dabbling with different versions of Android KitKat. At last, at the end of 2014, Google released the highly anticipated Android Lollipop 5.0, which naturally spawned a huge interest for the popular OS. Everyone owning a more or less recent and decent Android-based smartphone is thus naturally wondering whether or not Lollipop, or Android L, will land on it eventually. A few months ago, SamMobile and its reliable Asian sources have confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5 are indeed getting Android Lollipop. In the meantime, we’ve learned that other flagship Samsung products will be getting it too, with smartphones such as the Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Note 3 and 4, and even the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge receiving the new OS in the first quarter of 2015.

Unfortunately for more budget-oriented users, not many people have mentioned the S4 Mini and S5 Mini so far. However, sources close to use have all but confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and its newer sibling, the S5 Mini, will also be receiving the new Android Lollipop update, however, the exact version cannot be confirmed for now (it’s likely going to be 5.0.1, with Samsung skipping 5.0 altogether). Based on all the evidence floating around online, it’s probably going to be a newer version. SamMobile also confirms seeing the 5.0.1 version of Lollipop running on Samsung devices, and the new TouchWiz UI looks absolutely grand. A lot of users have been complaining about the overall quality of Samsung’s own UI, but with Lollipop and Material Design on the way, those complaints are likely to be shrugged off.

The bad news is that both the S4 Mini and the S5 Mini will likely receive the update much, much later than Samsung’s primary flagships (the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge for instance is due for the update mid-February), most likely during March or even as late as April. However, the wait is probably worth it, given the fact that the preliminary versions of Android L have proven to be often buggy and problematic. Add to the mixture Samsung’s own UI, and improper testing and QA would result in angry Samsung owners all over the world. Thus, we’d rather wait for a proper, functional, stylish Android Lollipop on the older S4 Mini, instead of using a buggy and battery-hungry version right away. At least we know it’s coming, all that’s left now is a little bit of waiting.