If you have a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini you may be interested to hear that Samsung has now released official firmware Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 XXAMD3 for the device that has model number I8190. This OTA (over-the-air) update is available in some European countries, including the UK or is also obtainable with Samsung KIES.

If for some reason you missed the update notification or are outside the supported region it’s still possible to download and install the update manually for your Galaxy S3 Mini. Android 4.1.2 features your device can benefit from include Project Butter, Google Now and TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 but before flashing the update we would advise this only if you feel comfortable and confident with the procedure.

We must stress this should only be used with the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini I8190 (Galaxy S III i8190) so if you’re not sure then check the model of your Galaxy S3 Mini by heading to Settings followed by About Phone. Before you begin you should back up all of the stored data on your phone and be aware that using this will revoke root access. You should also have the necessary Samsung USB drivers installed on your PC and enable USB debugging using the menu under Developer Options. We recommend your device has at least 70% charge before you begin with the update although 50% should be adequate.

Please do not proceed further if you are not confident or don’t understand the pre-requisites and installation instructions. We must point out that if you continue with the update the responsibility is entirely yours if anything goes wrong and that at Phones Review we will not be held responsible. To flash this new 4.1.2 XXAMD3 firmware update manually you should check out the full step-by-step instructions at Android Geeks here where you will also find all of the necessary download links. Read through all of the tips, pre-requisites and tutorial before you go any further.

If you choose to manually install this firmware update then please let us know if it all went smoothly and what you think of the update by sending us your comments.