Android 6.0 Marshmallow can now be installed on the Samsung Galaxy S3 thanks to a CyanogenMod 13 update.
By the look of things, the ol' reliable handset has not been forgotten – by third-party developers, at least. What's also interesting about this turn of events is that the Galaxy S3 actually got the highly anticipated Android update first before its successors, although it wasn't exactly through official means.
Back in 2012, the Galaxy S3 was one of the hottest smartphones, where Samsung sold approximately 50 million units during the first year it launched the handset.
At the time, the smartphone's hardware specifications were arguably unmatched, sporting a 4.8-inch display with a 720 x 1,280 resolution at 306 ppi, a quad-core Exynos 4412 clocked at 1.4 GHz, 1 GB worth of RAM and a 2,100 mAh battery pack. On top of those, it is packed with an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front shooter. It comes in 16, 32 and 64 GB variants.
Out of the box, it ran on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and it eventually got upgraded to various versions of Jelly Bean. Unfortunately, the updates ended there, where even the Lollipop-based CyanogenMod 12 only arrived to certain models, skipping the international Galaxy S3 i9300 version.
But with the recent developments, the tides have turned for the Galaxy S3 with the CyanogenMod 13 that's based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
It goes without saying that the specs are outdated compared with today's standards. However, a lot of people still use the handset, where the latest CyanogenMod update provides a chance for the Galaxy S3 to keep up with the times.
This is more or less good news for Galaxy S3 owners, but take note that this is a nightly CyanogenMod build, which means that it's likely going to be too unstable for everyday use. At any rate, it's good for experimenting, though.
The build can be downloaded via the CyanogenMod website.
Photo : Sergey Galyonkin | Flickr
