Samsung Galaxy S3 to get free premium Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 upgrade pack

Samsung has revealed details of a special free upgrade for its flagship smartphone that includes a raft of new features which were previously exclusive to the Galaxy Note 2, and can’t be found in any other Android handset.

The exclusive Premium Suite Upgrade for the Galaxy S3 is part of the Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 update which has begun rolling out to handsets across the world. 

This new version of Android is a relatively minor addition which brings the Galaxy S3 to the same version as the recent Nexus 4 handset, but Samsung has also taken the opportunity to chuck in a load of extras.

Along with the new Android 4.1.2 system software, Samsung is bundling in window multi-tasking, the 'Page Buddy' feature which allows you to set up actions like loading a music player when headphones are plugged in, a customisable notification panel, the new Note 2 gallery app and enhanced photo tagging to add details such as date and the weather along with the usual GPS location.

It also introduces the ability to sort menus based on your most commonly used items, and an upgraded web browser with more legible text resizing.

There are even more features promised, too. Samsung will be revealing them in a series of YouTube videos, the first of which you can see here:

The 4.1.2 update is slowly becoming available to international versions of the handset, though its arrival on your phone will also depend on how quickly the network pushes it out. Unfortunately many of us in the UK have only recently received the Jelly Bean update, so it could be a little while before it shows up.

If you don’t want to wait you could jump the queue by either rooting your Galaxy S3 to allow the installation of custom ROMs, or read our guide on how to install Android updates without rooting.