International Galaxy Note II (GT-N7100) users are finally receiving their much-anticipated Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update today, which delivers a whole host of new features as well as support for the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

Like all of Samsung’s software updates, this one’s being rolled out in phases, so if it doesn’t reach your handset today, it should do so over the coming weeks. And don’t worry if you’re still running Android 4.1.2; Samsung has never actually released an Android 4.2.2 update for the Galaxy Note II — the handset will be skipping it just like the Galaxy S III did.

SamMobile reports that the update is “very stable” — unlike the Galaxy S III’s Android 4.3 update — and “amazingly fast.” They’ve also published a full change log for the update, which you can see below:

CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ANDROID 4.3 UPDATE
– GALAXY GEAR Support
– TRIM Support (Makes the device much faster)
– Samsung KNOX
– Samsung Wallet (Pre-loaded)
– Better RAM management
– Core UI elements updated to the ones on the Galaxy S4 (Galaxy S4′s theme all over)
– New Samsung Keyboard
– GPU drivers have been updated (Higher GPU benchmark scores)
– New Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message
– New screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo
– Daydream
– Driving mode
– Actionable notifications
– Move-to-SD-card feature
– New Camera mode : Sound and Shot
– New Additions in Notification Centre
– Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the Galaxy S4)
– Implementation of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)
– New Samsung Apps: Calculator, Clock, Contacts, Gallery, Music
– Full screen Samsung apps
– New S-Voice (from Galaxy S4)

As you can see, lots of these changes and improvements initially made their debuts on more recent Samsung devices, so it’s great to see them reaching older ones, too. While your handset’s hardware may remain unchanged, then, its software should feel fresh and different.

• SourceSamMobile