Samsung pushing out Windows Phone 8.1 Update for more ATIV S users

Last week, we reported how Samsung was slowly trickling out the Windows Phone 8.1 Update (GDR1) for ATIV S users. However, the rollout at the time was limited to just phones with Austrian region branding. Users in our forums detailed how you could do it yourself, however the method was complicated by the sheer amount of ATIV S versions out on the market.

Today, our unbranded UK ATIV S (I8750), without the 8.1 Preview, is finally receiving numerous OS updates and new firmware. Users in our forums are confirming the same for what looks like a wider swath of ATIV S users and more regions.

The update bumps the OS to version 14157 with the 2424.14.9.3 firmware, bringing ATIV S users all the way up to Windows Phone 8.1 Update. Those on Preview for Developers are also likely to get this update too without the need to 'rollback' to an earlier 8.0 Update 2.

Interestingly, Samsung appears to have taken so long so as to rollout Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 Update all into a single over-the-air OS refresh. As a result, ATIV S users had to wait longer than those on Lumia phones did, but at the end of the day, they get Update 1 seemingly earlier with corresponding firmware.

Forum member Boris NevermorE detailed his experience with the update in our forums, noting many positive improvements including:

  • Faster OS performance, quicker booting
  • Three-column support
  • Cortana for UK or US (depends on language choice)
  • Fixed camera bug (from Preview)

You can read his findings here as there is plenty of information.

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.