Many rumors, very few confirmations. What devices will get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean?

Almost a month has passed after the formal introduction of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The new operating system’s source code has itself been released a couple of weeks back, so it’s only natural for users to expect official Jelly Bean updates to be flowing, right?
However, as recent history has sadly shown us, the road from an OS update becoming open source to it actually hitting the most popular devices around is a very bumpy one. So it’s no wonder that we still (officially) know very little about the Jelly Bean upgrade timeframes.
The only three devices that are already running Android 4.1 are the unlocked Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus 7 tablet, and now the Nexus S. The list of gadgets officially getting JB “sometime soon” is rather flimsy itself. However, the rumors are piling up, confusing many users who might think they are entitled to get Jelly Bean just weeks after the OS’ release.
Confused? Angry? Frustrated? I’m sure that most of you feel at least one of those feelings, which is why we’ll try to throw a bit of light on the Jelly Bean update darkness below.

 

Devices officially confirmed to get Jelly Bean

• HTC One X, One S, One XL
• Motorola Xoom
• Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Asus Eee Pad Slider, Asus Transformer Pad, Asus Transformer Prime, Asus Transformer Pad Infinity

If we were to take bets a month ago on what would be the first confirmed devices for Android 4.1 updates, I am absolutely certain that no one would have ever guessed this “formation”. It’s a bit crazy to see those “raggedy” Transformer, Slider and Xoom tablets next to the fresh high-end One X and XL smartphones on the list.
You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that the Transformer Pads will be updated to Jelly Bean, but Asus has taken the time to announce something on the matter (albeit not something very definitive). Acer and Samsung, on the other hand, have felt the need to go all secretive on us.
As far as HTC goes, we want to take the time and congratulate them once again for being the most straightforward with us. HTC are keeping mum on devices such as the EVO 4G LTE or the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, but they still have three officially confirmed smartphones, which is more than any other OEM around.

Devices that are likely to get Android 4.1

• Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 10.1
• HTC EVO 4G LTE, Droid Incredible 4G LTE
• Motorola Droid RAZR, RAZR Maxx
• LG Optimus Vu, LG Optimus 4X HD
• Sony Xperia S, Sony Tablet S, Sony Tablet P
• Acer Iconia Tab A100, A200, A500, A700
• Toshiba AT200 Excite 10 LE and AT300 Excite 10

Before you jump at my throat for not including your favorite device on the above list, I should tell you that I only included some of the gadgets (the most likely ones) that I personally think will get Jelly Bean by the end of the year.
There’s a strong possibility that the list will be significantly widened, but at the same time it is even more likely that only a few of those phones and tablets will be getting Android 4.1 over the next months, while others, not included on the list, will take the JB software leap.

It’s almost impossible to try to guess the manufacturers’ exact plans, as they systematically refuse to communicate with the media. But, based on rumors and speculations, as well as on how well they have done with ICS updates in the past, I trust the above list to be a fairly exact one. Also, I only included already released devices on the list, with pretty much any gadget launching in the near future with ICS out of the box being guaranteed a JB leap soon after.
We’ve heard speculations that Samsung is very close to roll out JB for the Galaxy S2 and S3, we’ve also heard something from Toshiba, while Acer’s and Sony’s plans can be guessed by how fast they have come up with Android 4.0 updates.
There’s also another very important aspect to be taken into consideration, and that is the phones and tablets’ tech specs. We’ve seen ICS rolling out to several low-end devices over the last month or so, but it’s likely that Jelly Bean has higher technical “standards”. That said, we wouldn’t get our hopes very high for any gadget that falls into the low-end or mid-range category.
Whether our speculations will prove accurate or not, it remains to be seen over the next few months, so keep in touch to find out everything about the Jelly Bean upgradeable devices. Also, don’t be afraid to come with your own speculations in the comments section below.