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My old Samsung S3 is getting sluggish. Really sluggish. I want to know which version of Android I can install on it? I cannot find on Samsung's web site some kind of reference table that says which OS version can be installed on which phone.

I have found a YouTube video showing Lollipop installed on S3. Should I do that?

IceCold
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  • The S3 official last update, I think, is Android 4.3. Any other greater versions are custom ROMs. Custom ROMs have their pros and cons. – esQmo_ Jun 03 '17 at 21:26
  • Hi @esQmo_ I am new to android (as you can see from my question). So, please let me know why I should NOT install a newer Android version. I mean at this moment my phone really really really sucks (slow). So, what is better to buy a new phone or (try to) install a new OS ? – IceCold Jun 03 '17 at 21:36
  • This question is opinion based and may be too broad. Android Enthusiasts prohibits such questions. But to answer to your question the lag may be a software issue or even a hardware issue. Sometimes flashing can solve this or a simple factory reset. Custom ROMs exist because manufacturers decide to not make an update to a newer android version due to hardware limitations or because they want you buy a new model etc... – esQmo_ Jun 03 '17 at 22:01
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    Just a reminder that Android 6+ is somewhat beyond the abilities of the hardware of S3 family, be it the Exynos or Snapdragon variant. It's overall usable, but micro-stutters happen very often, due to the SoC's lack of power and the wear-out of the eMMC chip. – Andy Yan Jun 04 '17 at 00:05
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    @esQmo_ "opinion based" - Do you feel like a wizard? I am not. We are not speaking about wizardry here. We are speaking about software/hardware engineering, right? Concrete example: other operating systems are shipped with a WELL DEFINED list of "minimum hardware requirements" parameters. It seems that Android also has some compatibility tests ( https://source.android.com/compatibility/cts/ ) but I am not an Android savvy so I don't really understand how to install those tests on my S3. I don't need opinions, I need facts (am searching for is that "minimum hardware requirements" list) :) – IceCold Jun 04 '17 at 09:30
  • Official website is awful quite about hardware requirements. No wonder so much voodoo and wizardry around Android. https://source.android.com/source/requirements#hardware-requirements – IceCold Jun 04 '17 at 10:01
  • @FreeAndNil See? No answer till now. Such questions don't get much attention! But anyway, I think I have answered the question on whether you should install or not. – esQmo_ Jun 04 '17 at 22:38
  • It is also super ODD that such a basic information is missing from Android official web site. Android always seemed to me an infant OS (but promising). This actually confirms it. – IceCold Jun 05 '17 at 11:11
  • "Such questions don't get much attention" - The question was awarded "Notable question" with 3K views. If this question helped 3000 people in the world, then it is something!! PS: Remember it is a question! not a popularity contest! – IceCold Oct 28 '20 at 11:03
  • The problem is not really about hardware requirements since Android can even run on Raspberry Pi (the link you mentioned is about hardware requirements for the PC host to build the OS). The problem is more about finding someone who can create/port a ROM with the later Android version for the specific device, since there's no single universal ROM that can be flashed to all Android devices. Follow XDA Forums for more updated info regarding custom ROM. – Andrew T. Dec 26 '21 at 15:33

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Looks like Android 7 can be installed on S3: http://wccftech.com/update-galaxy-s3-to-android-7-1

IceCold
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