It’s not Lollipop: AT&T Note 3 and Sprint GS5 get 4.4.4 updates

While Motorola, HTC and LG are all busy preparing for Lollipop updates in the near future, Samsung is bringing us… Android 4.4.4 updates. Today sees the latest version of KitKat come to both the Note 3 on AT&T and the Galaxy S5 on Sprint’s network.

The updates include a bunch of Android bugfixes and minor improvements, though they have a few extras as well. For the Sprint GS5 there’s a new HD Voice Icon and International Wi-Fi Calling support. The AT&T Note 3 brings a few more significant changes, namely kid mode, SideSync 3.0, a virtual tour mode in the camera app, Knox 2.0 and some updates for AT&T’s pre-loaded apps.

Although any new update is a good thing and we should never look a gift horse in the mouth, it is at least a little bit frustrating that Samsung is bringing Android 4.4.4 to carrier devices at a time when most other hardware manufacturers are making plans for Lollipop. On the bright side, even though Samsung has yet to officially cement its plans for Android 5.0, we’ve already seen leaked builds of the update for both the Note 3 and the Galaxy S5, and both look like pretty sizable improvements.

With several manufacturers getting a bit more aggressive when it comes to timely Android updates, do you think Samsung will start following suit in the near future? What do you think of Samsung’s current record for updates, fast enough for you or do you feel they are lacking in this area?