Motorola has confirmed that its Android 4.1.2 upgrade for the Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX will begin its official rollout during the first quarter of 2013. The software first made an appearance on a small number of handsets back in late December, but Motorola quickly ended its rollout without explanation. Now it won’t be long before it’s moving again.

Samsung and Apple are the only two smartphone vendors currently seeing growth in the United States, and although it was Apple that saw the most between September and November of last year, it’s Samsung who will attract most customers throughout 2013. The Korean electronics giant will see 35% growth over the next 12 months, according to Strategy Analytics, further increasing the lead over its arch rival in Cupertino.

ZTE is said to be planning a new 5.7-inch Android phablet that will make its debut on China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile phone operator, either later on the the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2012. It’s codenamed the P945, and its internal specifications look to be impressive — though you may be a little disappointed with its display.

The real deal?

A leaked photograph claimed to be of Samsung’s official Galaxy S IV press shot has been leaked online, along with specifications for the device. It reportedly came from an insider at Samsung, who claims this is the successor to the hugely successful Galaxy S III. It’s expected to offer a larger 4.99-inch 1080p display, plus a 2GHz quad-core processor. But is the image genuine?

It’s taken some time, but Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is finally beginning to claim a notable share of devices. Almost six months after its release, the software has been installed on 10.2% of smartphones and tablets, while Gingerbread’s share slowly diminishes. The vast majority of users are still running Gingerbread, Android 2.3, but the software share has dropped below the 50% mark for the first time in over a year.