Three gifts Jelly Bean to Galaxy S2 users, will they think twice about S4?

Samsung Galaxy S2 users on Three get Jelly Bean, will they think twice about an S4?
Patient S2 owners on Three get Jelly Bean reward

Samsung Galaxy S2 owners on the Three network, have probably spent the last year waiting patiently for that pesky 24-month contract to expire so they can jump on the shiny new Galaxy S4 handset.

With a year still left to run on most S2 contracts, those pragmatic souls, determined not to pay early upgrade fees, missed out on all the Galaxy S3 but they knew their time would come with the arrival of the S4.

But now, with that sweet 5-inch, full HD powerhouse of a smartphone only a month from their grasp, the network has thrown a curve ball; It has rolled out Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the Galaxy S2.

So here's the question, S2 faithful? Do you upgrade to a Galaxy S4 and basque in the glory of having the latest model or do you stick with the S2 for a little while longer and enjoy new features like Google Now?

Kies or OTA

In order to better answer the quandry, those customers can now get a handful of Jelly Bean goodness through the Samsung Kies desktop companion software or download it over the air.

The Jelly Bean launch comes a couple of months after Samsung announced that it was bringing the latest major release of Android to its S2 handset back in January.

It promised a roll-out to unlocked handsets in February, but the networks always take a little while to add their own flavour to the software.

It looks like Three is the first to get it out of the gate.

In all seriousness...

Now, you may have mocked the very suggestion that S2 owners wouldn't upgrade to an S4 due to the presence of Jelly Bean on the former, but it's not like the S2 has become a slouch.

In TechRadar's 20 best smartphones in the world round-up, the Galaxy S2 remains in a respectable 13th place, a full two years after it first arrived on the scene.

Will Jelly Bean be enough for users to skip the upgrade? Probably not.

Will it be enough for them to spend a little longer weighing up their options, taking another look at the HTC One or Sony Xperia Z or waiting to see what Apple has in store with iOS 7 this summer, rather than grabbing that Galaxy S4? Maybe... Just maybe.

Via AndroidCentral

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.