It’s possible that the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini might not get an official boost to Jelly Bean 4.3, but this shouldn’t matter, as there’s a CyanogenMod 10.2 ROM, which brings the OS without the bloatware of the official version.
This ROM has TouchWiz, but a pared-down iteration. It also offers Bluetooth Low Energy support, Open GL ES 3.0 and virtual surround sound.
Once you’ve bumped up you’ll get:
– 1GHz bug resolved
– Sensors functionality
– YouTube high quality
– 2D/3D hardware acceleration
– Wireless connectivity
– All-native tethering
– Camera functions
– CPU sleep mode
– Offline charging
– 64GB SD card support
To get the update you’ll need to have the Galaxy S3 Mini versions i-8910, i-8190N or i-8190L.
So, you need to root your phone and install ClockworkMod custom recovery.
Then, make a manual backup of all the personal info, settings and data files inside your Galaxy S3 Mini.
Ensure you have at least 50% battery.
Enable the USB debugging mode on your phone. Go to “Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging.” Sometimes you’ll find the USB debugging mode in “Developer Options.”
Download and install the necessary USB drivers for your S3 Mini. Use Samsung Kies PC Suite with the phone plugged into your PC to install the USB drivers.
Download CyanogenMod 10.2 ROM and Google Apps to your computer.
Note: CyanogenMod 10.2 is a custom ROM which needs manual installation and may damage your device. We’re not responsible for any damage to your handset. Read, understand and follow the instructions we give to the letter to avoid bricking your Galaxy S3 Mini.
Flashing Instructions
Connect your Galaxy S3 Mini to your computer with the USB cable.
Copy the CyanogenMod 10.2 ROM and the Google Apps package, then paste them to the SD card of your handset without extracting any zip files.
Unplug your phone and turn it off.
Reboot it into recovery mode by pressing and holding the volume up, home and back keys at the same time until you see the Samsung logo appear.
While you’re in recovery mode, make an Android backup of your present ROM. Choose “backup and restore > backup” to save the ROM on your SD card so that you can restore the older ROM anytime you want to.
Do a complete wipe of the phone. Select “wipe data/factory reset” and “wipe cache partition.” Then “advanced > wipe Dalvik cache.”
Once the wipe is done, install the CyanogenMod 10.2 by selecting “install zip from SD card > choose zip from SD card”. Find the CyanogenMod 10.2 file you pasted earlier and confirm the installation.
Once the installation is finished, return to the main menu in recovery mode and choose “reboot system now.”
The Galaxy S3 Mini will reboot. This might take five minutes or so before you see the home screen, so don’t fret.
If all’s gone well you’ll have Jelly Bean 4.3 on your Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini!
